Calm down Mets fans, Steve Cohen has things under control

If you're a fan of the New York Mets, you've been having a bad time lately. The team has lost eight of nine games in a variety of ways, each one more maddening than the last. Their offense has been shut down, they've gotten blown out, and they've blown late leads. Fans are frustrated, and justifiably so.

Most of the vitriol emanating from the fanbase has found its way back to Mets owner Steve Cohen. Fire Buck Showalter! Release Daniel Vogelbach! Trade Canha and Marte! Arrest Billy Eppler!

It's OK to be emotional about your team. Fans devote many hours of their lives following their favorite squad, and for baseball fans the commitment is especially massive. For the guy running the show, though, emotion is a bad way to lead.

It's comforting then that Steve Cohen clearly has his head on straight when it comes to leading the Mets.

In an interview with the New York Post this weekend, Cohen spoke about his management style in this time of crisis. I encourage everyone to read the full story, because it's full of quotes that will make level-headed Mets fans excited about the team's long-term direction. He talks about not wanting to be overly reactionary to the team's struggles, believing not only that the players can turn things around, but by making a panic trade, he could severely sabotage the franchise's future. "I don't panic. I've been around too long," he said.

He refuses to blame Showalter or any one player for the team's failures this season, saying, "This is an organizational problem, it's not on any one individual." Does that mean moves won't be made and the team will stand pat? No, just that change won't occur on an emotional basis because of short-term results. This should make Mets fans happy, even if it doesn't sate their bloodlust in this difficult moment.

Cohen acknowledges that it's nice to have the money to spend record amounts on payroll, but also says that he would be just as frustrated if he had spent half as much and the record was the same. He really doesn't care what the price is, just that the team wins. He recognizes the perils of relying so heavily on free agency, noting the volatility of big free agent signees Jacob deGrom, Carlos Rodon, and Carlos Correa.

Cohen sees his money as a bridge to get the Mets to a point where they have one of the best farm systems in baseball. Indeed, even with the subpar team performance this year, it's clear that the Mets have foundational pieces in Francisco Alvarez and Brett Baty, with Ronny Mauricio also rumored to be called up this week. That's huge for the longterm future of the club.

There are many owners in sports that think they know it all. Almost every time, those owners fail. Business success does not equal team owner success. New York fans have seen this firsthand with James Dolan. Daniel Snyder was long thought to be one of the worst owners in sports, even before all of the stories of workplace misconduct that came out.

Mets fans don't need to worry about Cohen's ego leading the franchise astray. He stays involved, but also knows his own limits, saying some baseball questions, such as if Justin Verlander's high pitch count was to blame for a poor start his next time out, are above his paygrade. He repeatedly stressed in the interview that he believes in a collaborative environment, where decisions are made as an organization.

All of this will be small consolation to Mets fans who just watched the team drop two of three to the Pirates. The Yankees are coming to town, so emotions will be ratcheted up even higher, and if the Mets continue to perform poorly, the calls for change will become even louder and harder to ignore.

Take comfort in the fact that the Mets have a great owner piloting the plane. Maybe things will turn around this season, maybe they won't, but teams with great owners find success eventually. The Patriots. The Warriors. The Eagles. With Steve Cohen, the Mets will get there, too.