Steve Cohen’s letter to Mets fans signals massive, refreshing shift in approach

Steve Cohen profusely apologized to Mets fans for a frustrating season. Though it officially waves the proverbial white flag, it’s refreshing to see.

The New York Mets massive multimillion-dollar experiment has officially failed. While it looked like owner Steve Cohen’s loose grip on his checkbook might have created an all-time power team built to launch the Mets right into the World Series, the experiment has proven big contracts cobbled together in one roster does not necessarily make winning a sure thing.

Saturday morning and the Mets are 50-59. After trading away several pieces, most notably starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander at the trade deadline, the season is all but over for New York as they look toward the future.

Cohen penned a letter to Mets fans that confirmed it: The white flag has been waved. The season is done.

Steve Cohen failed with Mets build, but his accountability is good to see

In a letter to season ticket holders that has now been distributed out to the masses thanks to the internet, Cohen addressed a disappointing season. He thanked fans for their support and admitted the results have been nowhere near what the team was envisioning when they showed up for training camp.

The full letter, which you can read here, was candid and honest, even getting in on the joke about the massive Citi Field scoreboard, and gives fans some real answers about what the future holds after murmurs from now-former players and what was learned in press conferences.

"“This is not where we wanted to be in 2023. Our goal is to be a consistent contender. The only way to do this in a sustainable way is to build a pipeline of high caliber talent in our farm system that will fuel our major league team for years to come.As we approached the trade deadline, we made the decision to expdite that process. It became clear we needed to pivot and build for the future. The trades we made over the last several days have allowed us to do that. In a very short period of time, we have infused an unprecedented amount of top-tier prospects into our system that would otherwiswe have taken years to accumulate.”"

Most of all, though, it was a very real indication that the Mets are no longer going to just buy free agents and hope it all works together. Instead, Cohen wants to build a winning team the way it’s proven to work time and time again: Through a pipeline of young players.

It’s a huge shift from how the Mets tried to build this offseason. And while it’s somewhat humiliating to have to shift gears so quickly and in such a drastic direction, what would be even worse is sticking heads in the sand and acting like all is well.

For once, a league owner has addressed an issue head-on, admitted failure, and decided to change. Let’s see how it pans out, but I’m simply appreciative of the transparency.