New York Mets fans: today, at 12:30 p.m. ET, you will get to know your new owner. Steve Cohen, the hedge fund personality that acquired the team from Sterling Equities in a deal that surpassed the $2.4 billion, will have his first encounter with the media on Tuesday.
Cohen, a lifelong fan of the New York Mets, had to overcome several hurdles since last year, as he attempted to buy the team on multiple occasions from the Wilpon and Katz families. In the latest round of negotiations, he had to beat several other interested groups and parties, including the Alex Rodriguez – Jennifer Lopez association.
But it was all worth it. Cohen, who is now on Twitter, wants to take the Mets into a new era of greatness. He has big pockets (he will be MLB’s wealthiest owner, and that’s saying something) but that doesn’t mean he will be spending irresponsibly. To the contrary, he’s said to want to develop a culture of sustainability, with top-notch player development and analytics departments, a la Los Angeles Dodgers.
To help him achieve that, he brought Sandy Alderson, a well-respected executive with years of experience making baseball decisions on the Mets (he was the general manager between 2010 and 2018.) He will now be the team president.
The Mets’ president will be there too
Alderson will also be present at Cohen’s introductory press conference today. Together, they are expected to address the Mets’ search of a president of baseball operations and a general manager.
Some candidates to fill both roles are Bobby Heck (currently the Tampa Bay Rays special assistant) Rays GM Erik Neander, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff, with a track record of success with the Cleveland Indians; the Oakland Athletics’ assistant GM Billy Owens, Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye, Royals assistant GM Scott Sharp and J.P. Ricciardi, who has twice worked Alderson.
The press conference will be virtual, and according to MLB.com, it will air live on Mets.com as well as the Mets’ Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels.
Of course, the Mets’ strategy for the free agency (and trade market) are also expected to be addressed in some form.