Steve Cohen could turn the New York Mets into buyers this offseason.
The New York Mets’ nightmare is finally over, as the Wilpon family have finally relinquished control of the club to Steve Cohen, and the multi-billionaire has plans on making his favorite team a winner.
Cohen has wasted no time identifying the Mets’ positions of need, as their expected offseason spending spree will likely go towards replacing Marcus Stroman in the starting rotation while beefing up the depth chart at catcher.
The Mets could either spend a reasonable amount in free agency or allow Steve Cohen to go for broke
Sitting at the very top of the Mets’ offseason wish list is former Philadelphia Phillies catcher JT Realmuto, who is coming off of a season in which he hit 11 home runs in just 47 games. With elite offensive production, tremendous baserunning, and plus defense, Realmuto should earn a four or five-year contract that could theoretically make him a building block in New York.
While Realmuto is obviously the big fish, and bringing him would be a death blow to the hated Phillies, Cohen might need to dig deep under the couch cushions to get the money to sign him. Former White Sox catcher James McCann could be a quality plan B given his offensive production.
If Cohen wants to keep digging his local rivals, former Yankee starters Masahiro Tanaka and James Paxton could be coerced to swap Yankee navy for Mets blue and orange next season. As good as those signings would be, Mets fans will be craving a big splash, and that splash could come in the form of controversial starter Trevor Bauer, who is a finalist for the Cy Young Award after a splendid 2020.
Bauer is scheduled to pick up an earth-shattering contract this offseason given his age, production, and filthy repertoire. With Marcus Stroman all but gone and a fanbase starved for success, Cohen needs to “win” the offseason, and Bauer can help him accomplish that goal.
Cohen would’ve been a positive in the boardroom just by the simple fact he isn’t a member of the Wilpon family, but his desire to hit the ground running and spend money on the best in the game has to excite Mets fans.