Dec 23, 2022·edited Dec 23, 2022Liked by Jeffrey Bellone
I think the part that is generally missing from the Steve Cohen/Mets conversation in the media -- and certainly the baseball blogs written by teenagers -- is that owning the NY Mets is a business investment.
He bought the Mets for $1.5 billion.
A sports franchise in the media capital of the world is a rare and valuable item. However, these Mets were run poorly for decades and decades. Underperforming, undervalued.
Think of the Wilpon-Mets as a restaurant on the Upper East Side. It's not terrible. Great location but it's not clean, can't keep the chef, the food is only okay, decor is dreary.
Now imagine that you had money to invest and you recognized the potential of the place. What would you do with it? And when would you do it?
Well, I think a smart owner with deep pockets would rip it up and start over. Bring in the best chef possible. New furniture, a beautiful mahogany bar, delicious cocktails, great staff, etc. It would be a brand new place and it would be designed to make money.
My gut says the Mets franchise is going to be worth a lot more than what Steve paid for it -- and very quickly. He's not a dummy. He's not trying destroy baseball. He's making an investment in the NY Mets and it's going to pay off in countless different ways. Because the previous owners were idiots. They had it and they blew it with their incompetence. They owned a NY baseball team and couldn't figure out what to do with it -- even after Steinbrenner had already provided the template. Spend money, build a winner, build a brand, and watch the value of the franchise appreciate.
One other thing that is lost is that the moves have all been sound from a baseball perspective. He let Jake, Bassitt, and Walker all go to higher bidders. Sought out good deals with Ottavino, Robertson, Quintana. Trades for Raley. Works the margins for guys like Curtiss, Greene, Hernandez. Makes a gamble on Senga for what could turn out to be very reasonable money. Retains Nimmo & Diaz at market value. And so on.
I've talked about this with my friends for years. What would a rich guy, a smart guy, do if he bought the NY Mets from the Wilpons? Stick with the old menu? No. You'd go big. Under New Ownership!
Not sure I agree on Baty. He projects as adequate at best as a 3B and he's not there yet. He may have an elite bat so you want to work him into the lineup. And I don't see any reason why he can't play RF. He has a gun for an arm-I saw a clip of him in AAA throwing a laser to the plate to cut down a runner.
Thanks for acknowledging that the fact that Correa played poorly for a few weeks after injuring his ankle is not particularly illuminating. I imagine close analysis of the data shows similar post injury struggles to the time he jammed his thumb, strained his shoulder, and had a stomach flu.
And I love the part about the bruise from ball fouled off the the LEFT ankle. Im sure his Right ankle injury from 2 years earlier set him up for that one!!
I'm interested in your opinion as to how ALL THIS impacts the future of Alonso and McNeil. I hoped that SC would sign them to long-term deals this off-season but that doesn't seem likely now. If you wait until 2024 they are only one season away from free agency.
I wanted to wait for Ohtani then we signed Correa and I changed to go get him now and after reading this I’m back to be patient. Thank you. Excellent insight per usual.
Let’s see how both teams are playing at the trade deadline and if it matches up for both of us you make the trade. My primary reason being if you can add a top 5 player u do anything necessary, avoid the bidding war and lock him up long term at 50 mill per year or whatever he’s going to get.
I think the part that is generally missing from the Steve Cohen/Mets conversation in the media -- and certainly the baseball blogs written by teenagers -- is that owning the NY Mets is a business investment.
He bought the Mets for $1.5 billion.
A sports franchise in the media capital of the world is a rare and valuable item. However, these Mets were run poorly for decades and decades. Underperforming, undervalued.
Think of the Wilpon-Mets as a restaurant on the Upper East Side. It's not terrible. Great location but it's not clean, can't keep the chef, the food is only okay, decor is dreary.
Now imagine that you had money to invest and you recognized the potential of the place. What would you do with it? And when would you do it?
Well, I think a smart owner with deep pockets would rip it up and start over. Bring in the best chef possible. New furniture, a beautiful mahogany bar, delicious cocktails, great staff, etc. It would be a brand new place and it would be designed to make money.
My gut says the Mets franchise is going to be worth a lot more than what Steve paid for it -- and very quickly. He's not a dummy. He's not trying destroy baseball. He's making an investment in the NY Mets and it's going to pay off in countless different ways. Because the previous owners were idiots. They had it and they blew it with their incompetence. They owned a NY baseball team and couldn't figure out what to do with it -- even after Steinbrenner had already provided the template. Spend money, build a winner, build a brand, and watch the value of the franchise appreciate.
One other thing that is lost is that the moves have all been sound from a baseball perspective. He let Jake, Bassitt, and Walker all go to higher bidders. Sought out good deals with Ottavino, Robertson, Quintana. Trades for Raley. Works the margins for guys like Curtiss, Greene, Hernandez. Makes a gamble on Senga for what could turn out to be very reasonable money. Retains Nimmo & Diaz at market value. And so on.
I've talked about this with my friends for years. What would a rich guy, a smart guy, do if he bought the NY Mets from the Wilpons? Stick with the old menu? No. You'd go big. Under New Ownership!
This all strikes me as very smart.
Not sure I agree on Baty. He projects as adequate at best as a 3B and he's not there yet. He may have an elite bat so you want to work him into the lineup. And I don't see any reason why he can't play RF. He has a gun for an arm-I saw a clip of him in AAA throwing a laser to the plate to cut down a runner.
Thanks for acknowledging that the fact that Correa played poorly for a few weeks after injuring his ankle is not particularly illuminating. I imagine close analysis of the data shows similar post injury struggles to the time he jammed his thumb, strained his shoulder, and had a stomach flu.
And I love the part about the bruise from ball fouled off the the LEFT ankle. Im sure his Right ankle injury from 2 years earlier set him up for that one!!
I'm interested in your opinion as to how ALL THIS impacts the future of Alonso and McNeil. I hoped that SC would sign them to long-term deals this off-season but that doesn't seem likely now. If you wait until 2024 they are only one season away from free agency.
Like the article. I firmly believe he will pay Pete and McNeil whatever they want. Pete is one of the most popular Mets ever!!!
I wanted to wait for Ohtani then we signed Correa and I changed to go get him now and after reading this I’m back to be patient. Thank you. Excellent insight per usual.
Let’s see how both teams are playing at the trade deadline and if it matches up for both of us you make the trade. My primary reason being if you can add a top 5 player u do anything necessary, avoid the bidding war and lock him up long term at 50 mill per year or whatever he’s going to get.