Steve Cohen 'absolutely annoyed' by Mets missing the playoffs and not yet winning a title
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks to the media at spring training on Monday. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — At his introductory news conference in November 2020, owner Steve Cohen said he’d be disappointed if the Mets failed to win a World Series within the next five years.
That timeline expired after the Mets’ historic collapse in 2025. Though Cohen made no grand declarations Monday, at least one part of that old statement came true: The Mets didn’t meet their deadline, and he is more than disappointed.
“I’m annoyed,” Cohen said after arriving at Clover Park. “I’m absolutely annoyed. Every year that goes by, I get frustrated. I’m really committed to this team, and I know how much the fans care. I know we’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of 1986, and that’s just too long.
“There are a lot of great teams out there. No matter what you do, it doesn’t mean you’re necessarily going to win the World Series, but I just want to put myself in position every year in the playoffs where we have a chance with a really good team.”
The result was a complete overhaul, and Cohen on Monday underscored that he trusts David Stearns’ vision and is excited about their reconstructed roster. But unlike years past, Cohen, calling himself a “more seasoned” owner, didn’t guarantee success — only that he’ll do whatever he can to achieve it.
“When I say I get annoyed, it’s more about wanting to accomplish my goals,” he said. “I’m also a very patient guy, and so I guess I have to combine the two, and know that it’s not easy to win . . . [The Dodgers], they’re formidable, right? They have the ability to spend. So do I, by the way.”
That he does. The Mets’ projected 2026 payroll is $364 million, according to FanGraphs, which they estimate is $24 million more than last year. This season, they’re expected to come in second behind the Dodgers, who have a projected payroll of $394 million.
LIVE Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks from the #Mets Spring Training Complex in Port St. Lucie. https://t.co/HzRBz1a7mK
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 16, 2026
Spending like that is accompanied by high expectations, and while he didn’t say World Series, Cohen did say he doesn’t want to miss the playoffs two years in a row.
The Dodgers “built a great team, but I think we built a great team and I think we’re going to be really competitive this year,” Cohen said. “The goal is to meet them somewhere along the playoffs.”
He added that he felt a measure of anxiety after the Mets parted ways with pieces of their core without having their replacements lined up. That anxiety was exacerbated when they lost out on re-signing Edwin Diaz, who signed with the Dodgers, and when Kyle Tucker spurned them and also signed with the Dodgers.
“I felt what the fans felt,” he said. “The worst part was these players left and yet we hadn’t figured out who was going to fill those positions. I described it as I was feeling anxiety. Like, how are we going to get there? But David kept cautioning me, telling me to stay patient. It’s a long offseason. The offseason doesn’t end in December . . . We stayed patient and disciplined, and I feel really good about what we accomplished.”
Cohen said the looming threat of a 2027 lockout didn’t influence their business decisions and added that he hasn’t quite decided where he stands on one of the most contentious issues: the possibility of creating a salary cap once this collective bargaining agreement expires. Calling himself a “league-first” owner, the richest man in baseball said he is “listening to all sides.”
That said, the focus is firmly on 2026. He’s pleased with how the Mets have developed their farm system, is high on the young players who will make their way to the big-league roster and likes the makeup of the troupe of veterans leading the way.
“I feel like there’s a different energy this year than last year,” he said. “I don’t know what it is, but it just feels really optimistic . . . We’ll see what happens.”
Carlos Mendoza echoed the sentiment.
“I feel like we have a pretty good leadership group in there,” he said. “These guys, even though they’re new faces playing together for the first time, they’ve known each other for a long time . . . I think it’s just now a matter of us putting it together and coming together as a team.”
In short, Cohen and Mendoza are concentrating on controlling what they can control. Cohen noted that he’s not micromanaging Stearns, adding: “There’s only so much I can do, and then the rest of it is the players we select and the way they play.”
And he appears done with the prediction business.
“You just never know what the season is going to bring, right?” he said. “I mean, in ’24, we weren’t very good out of the gate and then turned it completely around. In ’25, we’re in first place in June, did the opposite. The longer I’ve been here, the more I realize that all I can do is commit the resources, allow my baseball people to pick the players, and then a lot of it is, it goes year to year. It’s dependent on injuries. It’s dependent on a lot of things.”
Mets sign Mike Tauchman
A source confirmed the Mets signed outfielder Mike Tauchman to a minor-league contract. Tauchman slashed .263/.356/.400 with 9 homers and 40 RBI last season in 93 games with the White Sox.
Scott targets Opening Day
Christian Scott, returning from Tommy John surgery, threw 34 pitches in live batting practice Sunday and dialed his fastball up to 95 mph. He’s also working on introducing a cutter and changeup, which he threw to Marcus Semien and Juan Soto. Scott believes he should be ready for Opening Day, whether that’s with the Mets or Triple-A Syracuse. The hitters said “the fastball had really good life and the cutter and changeup” were coming together, he said. “Especially to Juan and Marcus, I’ve been throwing the cutter a lot to lefties and righties, just trying to kind of get feedback on how that pitch is going to play and [how] I want to use that during the season, [and the] same with the changeup. But yeah, being able to go out and compete and get some outs is a lot of fun.”
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
