Steve Cohen Gives Surprising Outlook on Mets With Trade Deadline Looming

Mets owner Steve Cohen took a clear stance on his team's upcoming trade deadline decisions.

Sep 17, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets owner Steve Cohen on the field before a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen thinks it’s too early to declare which direction his team will take at the trade deadline. 

The Mets’ up-and-down performance in their London series against the Phillies over the weekend helps explain of Cohen’s indecision. Games like Sunday’s thrilling 6-5 comeback win, which included them scoring three runs in the ninth inning due to a series of singles and free bases allowed by the Phillies, makes Mets fans believe their team can be a real playoff contender. 

But then they look at the NL East standings through 64 games, and see their squad in 4th place with a 28-36 record. At the same time, the Mets are one hot streak away from being back in play for a Wild Card spot, and all it may take is a couple solid moves at the trade deadline by Cohen to kickstart that success. 

However, Cohen doesn’t want to talk about trading yet. 

“Forgetting the Mets, all anybody wants to talk about during the season — it’s not the season,” Cohen said, per his Sunday interview with SNY. “It’s the trade deadline. It’s going to come, guys. I’m telling you, it’s going to come. It will be here shortly. But in the meanwhile, I’m going to focus on winning games.

“What are we, four games out of the wild card [before Sunday’s game]?” Cohen added. “We shouldn’t be proud of that, right? We’re still nine games under [.500], but it gives you the opportunity to make the season a success. And so that’s the way I’m looking at it.”

Instead, Cohen preferred to compare London’s food to that in New York. But Mets fans don’t want to hear their owner dissecting London’s food scene; they want to know whether New York will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

While Cohen’s right in saying there’s still a lot of baseball to play between now and the July 30th trade deadline, that doesn’t mean he can’t be concocting a couple of different strategies right now, depending on how the next six or so weeks go. 

The stakes of this looming trade deadline are high for New York, and if Cohen is late to the punch, it could have disastrous consequences for his franchise’s future.