3 reasons Mets fans still believe in the Steve Cohen era, 2 reasons to have some doubts

Ya gotta believe. It doesn’t matter what it is. Ya gotta believe in it. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen gave fans plenty to believe in when he took over as majority owner after the 2020 season. Now almost three full seasons in, how are the fans truly feeling about him?

For the most part, Cohen has gotten little blame for how the team has performed on the field. It’s not really up to him. Being an owner is about so much more than wins and losses. He represents something else.

What we’re living through right now is more of a Steve Cohen era of Mets baseball. The attitude is different. The expectations have been raised. The fans have something to believe in. There are also a few shades of doubt to consider. Is this all a part of the masterplan by the baseball gods or were we too eager to believe an ownership change was all this club needed?

NY Mets fans still believe in the Steve Cohen era because he hasn’t backed down from the mission

The goal was to win a championship in what, five years? The Mets are playing out the rest of the 2023 season with only a slim shot at even making it to the postseason. The mission isn’t a failure yet. If it takes a sixth season, so be it.

Cohen hasn’t backed down from the goal of building a winner in Queens. We can debate personnel, number retirements, and which jerseys the team should wear. Undoubtedly the one thing every Mets fan has in common is the desire to win; although plenty seem to prefer them to lose for some strange reason.

Cohen’s actions and words continue to express the will to create a winning ball club. They may have taken a step back in 2023 with the moves at the trade deadline, but it’s not a rebuild they’re going through. He has put trust in people like Billy Eppler to lead the team in the right direction from a baseball standpoint. Cohen comes across as a wise baseball fan. In the end, his job is to pick the right people to ultimately make those decisions. Cohen just has the greenlight to agree.

NY Mets fans still believe in the Steve Cohen era because he continues to use his fat wallet

Cohen’s wallet is what made him the most-talked-about owner in MLB when he took over the Mets brand. Seemingly endless, he has spent more and more money each year. This season saw him get ultra-creative by picking up the tab on Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to award the Mets with a much better return of prospects. Cohen’s money remains the most dangerous weapon the Mets have.

Even if the expectation is that the Mets won’t spend quite as much next season, the ball club should have one of the highest payrolls. We shouldn’t put it past him and the rest of the front office to continue to get creative with where the money is allocated. It does seem like this organization is trending toward breaking new grounds.

Money won’t buy a team a championship. It definitely helps. Wouldn’t a bigger budget help put the Tampa Bay Rays over-the-top? How far can the Baltimore Orioles really go if their owner is unwilling to spend more—unless he raises ticket prices? We’ll find out soon enough.

Until Cohen tightens up the wallet, we have every reason to believe in him.

NY Mets fans might have some doubts because a lot is riding on the prospects

A lot is riding on the Mets prospects. Not just the guys they landed on the trade deadline either. Francisco Alvarez. Brett Baty. Even Mark Vientos who the club continually mishandles will have some sort of say in what this ball club does. Are they going to play or trade the kid?

There is something fascinating about a ball club that puts its faith in the farm system. It seems to have worked out far better than those who try to buy a championship overnight. The long game has proven to be more effective. Many free agents end up overpaid and overtired. Not the young kids. They’re what wins you a parade.

For just as many teams who do it right with the young kids, there are plenty who never win a thing with them. How long have the Pittsburgh Pirates been circling the wagon only to have a short burst of success a decade ago? On the opposite end, the Los Angeles Angels continue to spend money and take risks by depleting their farm system only to come away with the longest playoff drought in the sport.

There is more than one way to skin a cat—or so my neighbors with the couch on the front lawn tell me when offering recipe advice. To that same end, there is no one way to build a championship ball club. Will the kids work out?

NY Mets fans still believe in the Steve Cohen era because it’s more about the performance on the field

Being a baseball fan is about more than wins and losses. As crucial as they are to getting you to show up to the games, watch through the commercial, and even buy a Daikin air conditioner system because you hear it talked about whenever you hear Howie Rose, it’s about more than what happens between the lines.

You want to respect yourself for being a Mets fan? Cohen has you covered.

Honoring the past has been a big part of Cohen’s reign. Numbers are getting retired. Fan-favorite jerseys have come back. They’ve become a more charitable organization and one that listens to what the paying customer wants. The culture around the Mets is a positive one. There are some warts. Nobody is perfect. Even Mark Wahlberg has a third nipple.

The crowning achievement by Cohen was the long-awaited Tom Seaver statue reveal. Other owners might have stopped there. The Cohen era continually surprises us with former Mets getting elected into the club’s Hall of Fame.

Cohen has guaranteed the fans this: even in a down year there will be reasons to show up to the ballpark. The team won’t compete every season. Sometimes it’s those other events that can be just as important and memorable.