New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has broken his silence on the team’s extremely disappointing season. The Mets entered the current campaign as favorites to win the National League East. Nevertheless, the Queens club is currently in last place in the division. New York’s failure can be at least partially blamed on moves made by president of baseball operations, David Stearns.
Cohen addressed the situation with reporters before the Mets’ matchup against the San Diego Padres on August 19. The team’s owner made a point to support Stearns, but also criticized the exec’s host of roster moves. “We might have taken too much risk as far as when you think about all the changes that were made,” stated Cohen, as reported by SNY.
“Whenever there are significant changes, sometimes it takes a while to integrate. Those are the things I’m looking at. It’s an example of where we can be better.”
Cohen went on to claim that too many changes made it hard for the New York Mets to gel this season. This includes wholesale changes on the field, as well as with the coaching staff. Due to the team’s embarrassing campaign, Stearns and Co. fired former manager Carlos Mendoza in June.
“I equate it to running a portfolio,” continued the Mets owner. “The more risk you take in a portfolio — yeah, it can have major upside, but also your downside can be bigger. And so you can have bigger variance in results. I think that’s what happened here.”
New York Mets Have Highest Payroll in Baseball Under David Stearns
GettyDavid Stearns has been criticized by New York Mets fans for a series of mistakes in 2026.
Before the 2026 season began, the New York Mets had to replace several key players. This list included free agents Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz. Stearns essentially replaced the power-hitting Alonso with infielder Jorge Polanco. The versatile veteran, however, managed to hit just .148 in 37 games with the Mets this season. It was just announced that Polanco will undergo season-ending ankle surgery.
New York also opted to trade longtime Mets players Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo. The two veterans have been relatively solid additions for the Athletics and Texas Rangers, respectively. Meanwhile, Marcus Semien has been a disaster as McNeil’s replacement as New York’s second baseman. Semien is currently slashing just .208/.269/.351 and has a negative WAR.
Not only did the New York Mets revamp their roster, but they also spent a significant amount of money doing so. According to Spotrac.com, New York has the highest total payroll in all of baseball. Semien, in particular, is under contract for two more years at an average of $24 million per season.
New York Should go With a Youth Movement
Despite the doom and gloom surrounding the New York Mets, Cohen seems willing to give Stearns another chance. At the moment, the team’s top exec is under contract through the 2028 campaign. Nevertheless, the Mets’ next offseason will likely look a bit different than before.
Instead of making wholesale roster changes, New York should be looking to make smarter moves. Relying on youth could also be a solid path to take going forward. Former top prospects Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Nolan McLean, and Zac Thornton have all performed well when called on this season.
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