Mets owner Steve Cohen addressed the media on Sunday in London ahead of his club’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies.
At 27-36, the Mets are certainly not in the spot where Cohen or most others thought that they would be, but with the club winning five of their last eight games and showing noticeable signs of improvement since a team meeting called after a loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Cohen says he’s starting to see some things turn around.
“We’re nine games under .500, and that’s certainly not what we expected and what we hoped for. I do think the team is starting to play better, starting to hit. I’m staring to see green shoots,” Cohen said, using a financial term that refers to seeing economic recovery during a down time. “We’ve got a long way to go, and a lot can happen over a relatively short period of time. We’re going to keep plugging, and I think our schedule gets a little easier, so there are opportunities to gain ground. So, we’ll see what happens.”
As much as the Mets have scuffled to start this season, Cohen says there’s still reason to believe in this group. The Mets are just 4.0 games out of a Wild Card spot, thanks in part to a large amount of parity in the NL, and Cohen thinks the Mets have the right people in the clubhouse to get things going in the right direction.
“It’s the variability of human performance. You can write it on paper but then you have to play the games. Frankly, we haven’t really put it all together for a consistent period of time,” said Cohen. “I still think that can happen. There are a lot of good ballplayers on this club, and it’s just a question of getting a little confidence, getting on a run, and listen, I think that’s possible. … We’ll see what it looks like four-to-six weeks from now, but I still feel this team has got a good run in them, a lot of good players. I think the locker room is good, the culture’s good, so I’m hopeful.”
Of course, if the Mets can’t find a way to improve their play and make a real run at the playoffs, Cohen and his front office will have some tough decisions to make come the MLB Trade Deadline on July 30.
But, as Cohen said, a lot can happen between now and then, so trading away players like Pete Alonso or other veterans on expiring contracts is not at the forefront of his mind.
“I’m focused on winning games right now,” Cohen said. “We can worry about the trade deadline, it’s seven weeks away. That’s 45 maybe 50 games, and a lot can happen, so I’m focused right now on the season, winning games, and we’ll worry about that when the time comes.”