Francisco Lindor explains how Steve Cohen 'matches' energy of Mets players

While New York Mets owner Steve Cohen acknowledged on Tuesday that free agency is "always more expensive than you can imagine," Cohen was sure to add he has "the ability to spend" in his pursuit of a World Series championship. 

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor spoke about how Cohen's willingness to splash cash on rosters impacts players beyond just their bank accounts. 

"It’s fantastic because he matches the energy that we put on the field," Lindor said about Cohen, as shared by Newsday's David Lennon. "And that’s all you can ask. You pay everything you got to win, to be in the position to make this organization a desirable place — which it already is — and they continue to do their part. The players and the front office are aligned, and that says a lot."

Cohen assumed ownership of the Mets in the fall of 2020 and said at that time he would consider it "slightly disappointing" if New York didn't win a World Series "in the next three to five years." He has since given key contributors such as Lindor and outfielder Brandon Nimmo big-money deals, paid millions of dollars to execute a fire sale in the summer of 2023 with the future in mind and, most recently, handed All-Star outfielder Juan Soto a 15-year contract that could reportedly exceed $800M in total value. 

Cohen's Mets haven't yet delivered on his World Series vow, but they did complete a trip to last year's National League Championship Series without having Soto as part of the lineup. 

Cohen wants Mets fans to reward him with better attendance numbers this year, but there's no indication he's thinking about pumping the brakes regarding his spending ways with Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on track to become a free agent this fall. 

"When you go through that playoff run, I mean, how much fun was that? That month, I hadn’t felt anything like that — I don’t know if I ever felt anything with that type of emotion that was on almost a daily basis," Cohen said on Tuesday about the Mets' postseason journey from this past fall. "So when you get that feeling, you want more of that. That’s really what you’re playing for, the opportunity to get into the World Series, and playoff baseball is so much fun. It rises to another level. They’re all playing hard during the year, but everyone takes it up a notch, and that’s a lot of fun."