New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is holding a press conference on Wednesday. Here are three changes he should make, but likely won't.
The New York Mets have a lot of work to do. While their struggles technically start from the top, this is a team that is lacking in their on-field product.
New York has the highest payroll in all of baseball. Steve Cohen has given the keys to the Mets front office, but they have failed to deliver in a major way. New York sits 16 games back and counting in the NL East, and the NL Wild Card remains a longshot.
Andy McCullough of The Athletic pointed out that the Mets struggles aren't necessarily Cohen's fault, and for good reason:
"Because he owns the team, and the owner decides both who gets a pass and who gets a bus pass to the next gig. It seems odd to blame Cohen for doing what most fans beg their owners to do every winter: Spend irrational sums of money on free-agent contracts that anyone with access to an actuarial table can tell you is a risky move. If you would like your owner to spend less, I have great news for you. It's a 30-team league and a lot of stewards operate with far less interest in largesse than Cohen."
With that in mind, what could his Wednesday press conference really be about?
NY Mets: Steve Cohen should announce a front office change
Lack of spending is not an issue for the New York Mets, that much is clear. Cohen has put all of his resources behind this team. The front office, for better or worse, has not performed well with these resources. This isn't necessarily an indictment of Billy Eppler, the general manager, but something has to change.
New York has been linked to former Brewers executive David Stearns in the past, and adding him to the front office roster would be a wise decision by Cohen, as I wrote a few weeks back.
"There's no indication that Eppler will be fired — Cohen even said he doesn't want to clean house just yet. But Cohen is reportedly courting one of baseball's top executives behind the scenes. David Stearns, currently an advisor for the Milwaukee Brewers and the former general manager, took a year off from his day job due to what some in the MLB community have coined burnout."
Stearns needed a break, and he got one. At the time, Cohen said he hadn't spoken to him. Who knows what's happened since then, though?
NY Mets: Could Steve Cohen fire Buck Showalter?
Buck Showalter was a valuable addition to the Mets clubhouse when he was hired. In fact, he played a major role in the team making the postseason just last season. He was the sort of veteran leader New York needed in the moment. There's no doubt Eppler and Cohen made the right decision by bringing him in.
Since then, though, Showalter has made a number of questionable choices. When a team goes south, the manager can often be the scapegoat. It wouldn't shock me if that were the case after this season. The odds of any change happening now, though, is farfetched.
We're midway through a very long MLB season. For Cohen to call a press conference and lambast the manager of his organization would be a Steinbrenner-like move. As vocal as Cohen is, he is not George, and for good reason. Still, FanSided's Kevin Henry has theorized a couple of replacements for Showalter, should the Mets move on from him eventually.
"Cohen's offseason spending spree was a history-making one, with every intention that the dollars spent would result in a title brought back to Queens. So far this season, however, it's been a struggle.
While it's highly unlikely that the Mets would actually cut bait with Showalter, there are plenty of head-scratching moves in recent games that have Mets fans up in arms. With that in mind, let's look at three candidates who could be next in line should Cohen and company decide to go in a different direction."
Letting Showalter walk would quell many concerns from the fanbase. It may not be the right decision from an organizational standpoint, though, which is why it's unlikely at this point in the season.
NY Mets: A change in philosophy is needed
Steve Cohen doesn't have to announce anything, technically. However, his conversations with the front office should be predicated on a change in philosophy.
Yes, spending a ton of money will make the fans happy. In fact, it'd be a surprise if Cohen didn't make his wallet available moving forward. Nonetheless, New York's prospect capital is enormous, and remaining patient with those young players is important if the Mets eventually want to be contenders.
Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Kevin Parada, Ronny Mauricio and more are coming. In fact, they should be in the major leagues in the next few seasons. They are affordable, and can allow Cohen and Co. to add around a young core.
Becoming a contender, at least in a brief window, isn't that hard in MLB. Cohen has the money to make that happen. Sustained success, though, is tougher to achieve. Yet, the Mets have the pieces in place to do just that, assuming they don't rush to judgement.
That's tough to pull off in New York, but it's something Cohen should aim to do.