New York Mets: The Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson Press Conference

Steve Cohen and Sandy Alderson introduced, or in Sandy’s case reintroduced, themselves to the New York Mets fans during their press conference on Tuesday. The new bravado, confidence, and professionalism that the Wilpon’s lacked are immediately visible in a Cohen regime.

Cohen spoke first, and the message stood out like any unforgettable campaign slogan. The new owner wants professionalism, a fan-oriented experience, and, most importantly, to WIN! Cohen said if the Mets are not champions within the first 3-5 years of his ownership, he would be extremely disappointed.

He said perfectly that the Mets would not spend like “drunken sailors” just because they have the resources to. Cohen likened, creating a successful baseball organization to his successful hedge fund a Point72. He wants to put everyone in the organization in the best place they can to be successful. Even more than that, Cohen wants to develop an organization that produces and brings in talent.

Cohen wants this franchise to be for the fans, not for his wallet. He said his hedge fund already makes money for him. Cohen wants to make “millions of people happy” by leading the Mets to the consistent success the franchise has lacked. It was refreshing to listen to a New York sports franchise owner talking about his love for the game and winnings instead of using it as a money grab.

Players Voice, Sandy is Back

Earlier, we saw Marcus Stroman rule out playing for the White Sox after his tweets about Tony LaRussa. Just a few hours later, Steve Cohen says the words “black lives do matter” and discusses players needing their freedom of speech as long as they give it their all on the field. This was not always the case with the Wilpon’s and players with social justice opinions like Stroman or creative players like Trevor Bauer find comfort knowing their owner backs them.

Alderson handled more of the baseball questions after Cohen’s session came to an end. He said manager Luis Rojas is likely to return to his post for the 2021 season. Alderson left the door open for a potential change if the new president of baseball operations wants to bring in someone else. Speaking of the president of baseball ops., Alderson began the search over the weekend. He said the team is on the right track heading into free agency.

Alderson voiced the same theme’s as his boss, saying, “We don’t want to just be known for winning, we want to be known for how we win.” As the Mets president, his urgency to win is as strong a Cohen’s even through “winning” has not been something the franchise has ever been known for.

Professionalism is Key

The number one thing to take away from the press conference is the discipline of the Mets. They will become a franchise who does things right instead of running the franchise the way the Wilpons ran it. The classic loveable losers or the franchise known for Bobby Bonilla strives to tear themselves from the negative stigma the Wilpons left.