Steve Cohen wasn’t afraid to run up the Mets bill with Carlos Correa

The New York Mets would’ve gone all the way with Carlos Correa, regardless of how much it would’ve cost owner Steve Cohen.

Carlos Correa ended up signing a 13-year, $350 million contract with the San Francisco Giants, but prior to that gigantic move by the Bay, the New York Mets entered the chase at the 11th hour.

Mets owner Steve Cohen has proven willing to go over the luxury tax. This is why the latest CBA included a Steve Cohen tax, of sorts, to try and limit his spending. The richest owner in all of baseball, Cohen took that as a badge of owner and went beyond the $290 million threshold, and he will now be taxed as such.

Signing Correa would’ve meant an extra $27 million or so, if not more. Star shortstop Francisco Lindor encouraged Cohen to go after Correa in the first place, which would’ve meant Lindor switching positions and no longer being the highest-paid shortstop in the sport.

How Mets, Steve Cohen just missed on Carlos Correa

“I’ve been dealing with big numbers for so long these numbers don’t scare me at all,” Cohen said, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post. “It’s not like I’m not respectful about what these other teams have to deal with.”

Cohen detailed the team’s interest in Correa, complimenting the star shortstop, and saying that he’s a tremendous player. In many ways, Cohen is a dream owner for sports fans — while he has a tremendous amount of power within the organization, he doesn’t hold his tongue and is willing to put his money where his mouth is. Cohen’s only goal is to make his team better.

“My team is good. But it isn’t that much better than last year,” Cohen added. “If you want a team that’s good, this is what it costs. What are you going to do?”