How should Mets fans grade the Steve Cohen era so far?

Sports fans are not known for being an objective bunch. We want every call, hate every opposing player, and always think there's a conspiracy against our team. That kind of tribalism can make being a fan fun, but it can also turn ugly when our teams let us down.

We're seeing that now with the New York Mets. It's an understandably difficult time for Mets fans, as not only did our team miss the playoffs despite having the highest payroll in the sport, they did it in the slowest and most agonizing way possible, sliding from the very best record in MLB in early June to out completely by getting shut out by the Marlins on the final day of the regular season.

Mets owner Steve Cohen took accountability on Monday for the team's collapse with an apology and a promise to do better.

It's difficult to believe, but this is Cohen's fifth year as owner of the Mets after purchasing the team from the widely-hated Wilpon family. That makes it a good time to give him a grade for the job he's done so far. Let's break it down by looking at a few key categories before giving a final assessment.

Investment in the team

The most obvious difference between Cohen's ownership and the Wilpons' is that he is not afraid to open up his checkbook. There have been areas, such as starting pitching, where the Mets have gone bargain hunting, but overall, it's impossible to complain about Cohen's willingness to spend. He lured Juan Soto away from the Yankees this past offseason with a record 15-year, $765 million contract, but that wasn't the first time he chased a top free agent. He did everything in his power to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto the year before, only to be beaten out be the Dodgers, who at this point just seem to have an inside track on all the top Japanese talent.

Cohen invested heavily in the front office, giving David Stearns a 10-year, $50 million deal to be the team's president of baseball operations. He's also vastly improved the scouting and analytics departments, key components that were underserved before he took over. Despite his financial largesse, though, Cohen has struck a fine balance between being an active, emotionally invested owner and letting his baseball people do their jobs without meddling.

Grade: A+

The fan experience

Cohen has sought feedback from Mets fans on things they'd like to see to improve their gameday experience. He installed baseball's biggest Jumbotron in Citi Field and upgraded the food options around the park, but maybe the best way he's shown his love for the fans is by embracing Mets greats from the past.

David Wright had his number retired earlier this year. Last year, it was Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, and in 2022 it was Keith Hernandez and Willie Mays. For far too long the Mets did the bare minimum to acknowledge what came before, but under Cohen, they've embraced the past and honored their legends.

Technically, Hernandez's number was already going to be retired before Cohen took over, and Tom Seaver's statue was already commissioned as well, but it's a testament to how much Cohen cares about the franchise that he's taken these moves and added to them with other fan favorites in a short time. He brought back Old-Timer's Day in 2022, a small touch that nonetheless means a lot.

As they have for pretty much every team, Mets ticket prices have gotten more expensive in the last five years, but surprisingly (especially for a team in New York), the average price for a family of four to attend a game at Citi Field ranks 16th in the league. Cohen hasn't passed the cost of his exorbitant payroll down to the fans.

Cohen has transformed the Mets from a low-rent organization into one that can compete with the other top teams in baseball.

Grade: A

On-field results

This is without a doubt the most important category, but unfortunately for Cohen it's also the one that is going to have the lowest grade. It's proof that you can care so much, you can spend without limit, but it's no guarantee of anything once those nine guys take the field.

At Cohen's introductory press conference, he said that if the Mets don't win a World Series in the next 3-5 years, it would be disappointing. It was typical new owner speak, and it served the dual purpose of getting the fanbase excited while giving future fodder to all the haters out there who would be all too eager to throw it back in his face if the Mets failed.

Speaking objectively, Cohen is no doubt disappointed, which means that Mets fans should be, too. There have certainly been some great moments, but not only have the Mets not won the World Series since he's taken over, they haven't even gotten there. Two playoff series wins in five years is nothing to write home about, and those both came last year. The only other postseason appearance occurred in 2022 and resulted in a 2-1 series loss to the Padres in the infamous Joe Musgrove shiny ear game.

Under Cohen, the Mets are 425-385 in the regular season, and they've yet to win the NL East. That's a winning percentage of .525, with zero division titles and just one NLCS appearance. That's just not good enough considering the expectations that were set.

Grade: C+

Future outlook

The Mets are rightly getting pilloried for their most recent collapse, but once the fans get over their anger and sadness at how this season got away, they'll realize that there's a lot to look forward to. In August, ESPN ranked the farm system as the best in baseball, and it's easy to see why. The Nolan McLean-Jonah Tong-Brandon Sproat trio calls to mind a decade ago when Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndegaard were the young guns destined to carry the blue and orange to glory.

Even beyond the young pitchers, there's major talent that should be ready to contribute soon, like former first-round picks Jett Williams and Carson Benge. A bit farther away but still full of promise are Jacob Reimer, AJ Ewing and Elian Pena.

Cohen talked a big game about building the farm system as the surest way to long-term success, and he's put his money where his mouth is. From producing future homegrown stars to providing blue chip trade assets for other teams' stars, the cupboard is full.

Grade: A

Final grade

All the pieces are in place for the Mets to experience the success that was promised when Cohen came aboard. It hasn't happened yet though, and so that has to weigh more heavily when it comes to giving out a grade on his first five years in charge.

Final grade (for now): B