QUEENS — New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will have an awful lot of questions to answer on Wednesday afternoon.
Prior to his team’s matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday, the richest owner in baseball tweeted that he will be holding a press conference before Wednesday’s game.
“You will get it from me straight,” Cohen wrote on Twitter.
I will be doing a press conference tomorrow before the game. You will get it from me straight.
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) June 27, 2023
After a winter spending spree that featured major acquisitions of Justin Verlander (two years, $86.6 million) and Kodai Senga (five years, $75 million) along with the retaining of Brandon Nimmo (eight years, $162 million) and closer Edwin Diaz (five years, $102 million), the Mets have the richest payroll in baseball history at an estimated $344 million.
But money clearly isn’t buying success.
The Mets were eight games under .500 entering Tuesday night’s game against the Brewers amidst a heinous 5-16 stretch over their last 21 games. With that, they fell a season-worst 16 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the top spot in the National League East.
Questions have understandably risen about the job security of two of the organization’s leadership structure.
General manager Billy Eppler built a roster filled with holes and meager depth, most notably in a bullpen that has floundered after Edwin Diaz’s knee injury during the World Baseball Classic in March. He also did not find a suitable upgrade for the designated hitter spot, which was awarded to Daniel Vogelbach and has largely stayed with him despite inconsistent play.
There is also general speculation about manager Buck Showalter’s future with the club. At times he’s been overly loyal to his veterans despite notable struggles and has mismanaged his bullpen — a concept that has followed him since his time with the Baltimore Orioles during the previous decade.
