With Steve Cohen buying the New York Mets, the franchise was immediately deemed World Series contenders. However, even with Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander on their pitching staff, the Mets failed to live up to expectations.
At the MLB trade deadline, New York decided to trade Scherzer and Verlander to the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros respectively. Cohen knows that the trades were the Mets waving their white flag of surrender. The Mets' owner has now apologized for how the season has panned out and for trading away the team's two best pitchers, via Eric Fisher of Front Office Sports.
“Things have not turned out how we planned,” Cohen wrote in an apology to season ticket holders. “You are rightly disappointed, and so are we. This is not where we wanted to be in 2023.”
“Our goal is to be a consistent contender,” Cohen continued. “The only way to do this is 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.”
Alongside Scherzer and Verlander, the Mets also traded away David Robertson, Mark Canha and Tommy Pham. New York decided that with this season going down the drain, currently 21 games back in the NL East with their 50-61 record, it's better to focus on the future. In that regard, the Mets were successful, with three of their top six prospects being acquired at the trade deadline, via MLB Pipeline.
Still, Steve Cohen knows fans are expecting success. Even without Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, Cohen is committed to bringing New York back to contention and proving the Mets are serious about contending for a World Series.