Steve Cohen has chance to lay foundation for Mets dynasty with one signing

Last offseason, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen paid $765 million for one of the game’s most prolific hitters in Juan Soto. But as it turns out, a postseason trip wasn’t included with his purchase. 

The Mets' 83-79 record tied the Cincinnati Reds for the last wild-card spot, a tie that favored the Reds for having won more head-to-head matchups. Now, Cohen has another prime opportunity to lay the foundation for the dynasty he envisioned with one marquee free agent signing: veteran slugger Kyle Schwarber. 

Schwarber is coming off a monster year with the Philadelphia Phillies, hitting .240/.365/.563 with an NL-leading 56 home runs and 132 RBI. He notched career highs in games played (162), at-bats (604), SLG, HR, RBI, hits (145), stolen bases (10), OPS (.928) and total bases (340). Having been one of baseball’s best hitters this year, Schwarber will be headlining this winter’s free-agent class.

How does Kyle Schwarber fit with the Mets? 

Soto is a great all-around slugger, able to hit for both power and average. But above all else, his ability to consistently post astronomical on-base percentages in an era where on-base percentages are continually fading is what makes him a rare talent. However, Soto’s tendency to get on base is only useful to the Mets if they can take advantage of it. This is where Schwarber comes in.

Like the Soto-Aaron Judge duo of yesteryear, a Soto-Schwarber duo would hold plenty of promise. If there’s one readily available hitter who could capitalize on hitting behind Soto, it’s Schwarber. Signing him would also work to settle the DH spot in the Mets lineup, a position that produced a .727 OPS this past season. Still, the most important reason to sign Schwarber may be his playoff heroics.

Schwarber’s 23 postseason home runs are the third most for any player in MLB history. The two players ahead of him on this list (Manny Ramirez and Jose Altuve) have each played over 100 postseason games. Schwarber has played 73, which includes two World Series runs, winning one with the Chicago Cubs.