'Rightfully disappointed,' Cohen writes to Mets ticket holders
NEW YORK -- New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is looking forward to better days ahead.
Cohen sent a letter to season ticket holders on Saturday, assuring them that the front office's recent spate of trades has set up the Mets for a bright future.
In a separate text message to the New York Post, which first reported news of the letter's release, Cohen promised the Mets would field a strong team in 2024, even though the real fruits of the trade haul might not be seen for a few years.
"We will be competitive in '24 but I think 25-26 is when our young talent makes an impact," Cohen wrote. "Lots of pitching in free agency in '24. More payroll flexibility in '25. Got a lot of dead money in '24."
In the letter, Cohen said how disappointed he was by the 2023 season, in which the Mets had a payroll north of $350 million.
The Mets will play the second of a three-game series on Saturday vs. the Baltimore Orioles, and will do so with a 50-59 record. They are in fourth place in the National League East, and the three teams ahead of them -- the Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins -- are all entrenched in playoff races.
Before the trade deadline, the Mets dispatched Cy Young Award winners Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, and closer David Robinson in trades.
"We added several key pieces to our team, but things have not turned out how we planned," Cohen said in the letter. "You are rightfully disappointed and so are we.
"This is not where we wanted to be in 2023. Our goal is to be a consistent contender. The only way to do this in a sustainable way is to build a pipeline of high caliber talent in our farm system that will fuel our major league team for years to come."
Among the players the Mets received in the trades were Double-A infielder Luisangel Acuna, the brother Braves star Ronald Acuna, who is ranked in the top 50 prospects in baseball.
"Our front office was able to acquire young, exciting athletes who excel in multiple facets of the game. These include top prospects, infielders Luisangel Acuna, Marco Vargas, Jeremy Rodriguez, Jeremiah Jackson, outfielders Drew Gilbert, Ryan Clifford, catcher Ronald Hernandez and right-handed pitchers Justin Jarvis, Coleman Crow and Landon Marceaux," Cohen said.
"It's going to be fun watching them rise through our system as they develop and learn to win together."
Scherzer made his Rangers debut on Wednesday, and struck out nine batters in six innings en route to a 5-3 Texas victory.
On Saturday, in his first Houston start this season, Verlander allowed two runs on seven hits in seven innings, but lost to the New York Yankees, 3-1.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
