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Steve Cohen’s Quote on Spending Money on Mets Recirculates After Juan Soto Signing

Kristen Wong

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The oft-used phrase, “go big or go home,” has perhaps never applied more to a deep-pocketed team like the New York Mets, especially since MLB is the only one of the four major American professional sports leagues without a salary cap.

The Mets clearly went “big” in their pursuit of superstar outfielder Juan Soto this offseason, locking him up to a massive 15-year, $765 million deal amid reported interest from the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, among other suitors. 

In what could be one of the most pivotal signings in Mets’ franchise history, owner Steve Cohen flexed his muscles, opened his wallet and just like that, the deal was done for the four-time All Star.

As a well-known big spender, Cohen previously discussed his willingness to splurge on high-profile stars for the Mets in his ongoing hunt for a World Series title.

“I don’t care about the cost side,” Cohen bluntly said in an interview last April.

When asked whether he saw his lavish spending as philanthropic, Cohen said “I do. That’s why I bought the team. That’s exactly why I bought the team. I said in my original press conference, ‘If I can make millions of people happy, how cool is that?’ And so I actually view it as a civic responsibility.”

The Mets were eliminated from the postseason earlier this fall in a six-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cohen’s money is literally on Soto hoping he’ll take the Mets farther in 2025 and beyond. 

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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.

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