Three moves owner Steve Cohen should make to 'get the Mets right'

Steve Cohen made a massive splash when he bought the New York Mets for $2.4B in 2020, but the early returns from his purchase haven't been pretty.

After Cohen declared it would be "slightly disappointing" if the Mets didn't win a World Series "in the next three to five years" shortly after acquiring the club, his team has hardly lived up to expectations. New York finished the 2023 season 75-87, traded many of its star players and parted ways with several of its top brass, including manager Buck Showalter and GM Billy Eppler. 

The Mets are in dire need of a tune-up, and nobody seems to understand this better than their owner. Following a recent investment into a New York team for TGL, a golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, Cohen said he won't make other sports purchases until the Mets are fixed.

"I gotta get the Mets right," Cohen said Wednesday, per the New York Post. "Once I get the Mets right and get the model down, then I can think about doing something else."

Here are three moves Cohen and his front office should make to transform the Mets from a pretender to a contender.

Hire Craig Counsell

David Stearns began his reign as Mets president of baseball operations by firing Showalter for a "fresh start." His next move, however, may be to bring in the old.

Counsell, whose contract with the Brewers expires at the end of October, headlines the list of possible replacements for Showalter, namely because of his already-strong connection to Stearns. The pair spent many years together with the Milwaukee Brewers, with Counsell becoming manager in 2015 and Stearns joining him as GM shortly after. 

Over the past nine seasons under Counsell's management, the Brewers boast a 707-625 record and have reached the playoffs in five of the past six seasons. Although there will likely be several teams interested in acquiring him, the Mets can set themselves apart as one of the highest bidders thanks to Cohen's deep pockets.

Sign Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Following the midseason departures of co-aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, the Mets could be in the market for a No. 1 pitcher. Yamamoto fits this mold. 

The Japanese right-hander has dominated over the past several years in Nippon Professional Baseball, recording a 1.82 ERA and 9.3 K/9 in 172 games with the Orix Buffaloes. The two-time MVP is coming off a standout 2023 season in which he posted a 1.21 ERA with 16 wins and 169 strikeouts.

Yamamoto would nicely complement Mets pitcher Kodai Senga, who is coming off a stellar rookie campaign after the club signed him in free agency in the offseason. The pair were teammates on Team Japan and have additionally played together on an All-Star team.

The Mets seem to already have their eye on the 25-year-old, with several GMs informing the New York Post's Jon Heyman that they expect New York to be a high bidder.

Extend Pete Alonso

The Mets have dealt with many problems over Cohen's tenure as owner, but Alonso has rarely been one of them.

The homegrown talent and fan favorite has cemented himself as one of the best power hitters in the league, crushing 192 home runs with the Mets — tied for fourth most by a player in franchise history. Despite having a down year this season, the 28-year-old still finished with 46 home runs and a .821 OPS in 154 games.

Alonso is set to become a free agent after next season. The Mets would be wise to lock him up beforehand.