Steve Cohen, the man that is about to become the new owner of the New York Mets if the rest of the MLB owners give their blessing, already announced his first big move with the future in mind.
Cohen said, via a statement – published by the New York Post -, that if he is indeed given the green light to acquire the New York Mets from the Wilpons, his first move will be to appoint old friend Sandy Alderson as the team president.
“If I am fortunate enough to be approved by Major League Baseball as the next owner of this iconic franchise, Sandy Alderson will become president of the New York Mets and will oversee all Mets baseball and business operations,†Cohen said in the statement.
“Sandy is an accomplished and respected baseball executive who shares my philosophy of building an organization and a team the right way. I am excited to have Sandy in a key leadership role with the Mets if my purchase of the team is approved. Let’s Go Mets!â€
Repercussions of the decision for the Mets
The decision, if made official later down the road, would mean bad things for current Mets’ general manager Brodie Van Wagenen’s job security, as Mike Puma of the New York Post observes.
If Cohen is approved and appoints Alderson as the leader of baseball operations, it would virtually represent the end of Van Wagenen as the team’s general manager.
In addition, Cohen’s intentions of hiring Alderson would strengthen his case to be approved by the MLB owners.
It is presumed that some owners have concerns about Cohen, who would be MLB’s wealthiest chief. Alderson and his strong reputation will help ease some of those doubts.
The 2020 season hasn’t gone smoothly for the Mets, who invested considerable resources in the starting rotation only to see that pitching depth disappear between injuries, inconsistency and opt-outs. They are nearing mathematical elimination.