New York Mets owner Steve Cohen expressed frustration over the team's lack of championships during his spring training press conference. He affirmed that the Mets will never name a team captain as long as he owns the franchise. Cohen also discussed recent roster changes aimed at building a perennial contender.
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Steve Cohen, entering his sixth full season as owner of the New York Mets after purchasing the team in November 2020, voiced growing annoyance at the franchise's inability to win a World Series. "Listen, we haven’t won," Cohen said Monday after arriving at Mets camp. "And I really want to win. Each year that goes by, I get more annoyed."
Cohen set a goal upon buying the team to secure a title within 3-5 years, but that window passed without success, yielding only two playoff appearances in 2022 and 2024 despite some of Major League Baseball's largest payrolls. The Mets' payroll, under $200 million at the time of purchase, has exceeded $300 million annually since 2023, incurring hundreds of millions in Competitive Balance Taxes. Their best season under Cohen came in 2024, when they clinched a playoff spot on the final day and advanced close to the World Series. In 2022, they won 101 games but fell in the Wild Card round. The other three seasons averaged 78 wins with no postseason berths.
For 2026, Cohen defined success as making the playoffs, calling it "table stakes." The Mets missed the postseason in 2025 with an 83-79 record, following a disappointing year marked by clubhouse camaraderie issues after signing Juan Soto to baseball's richest contract.
Addressing speculation from the 2025 season, Cohen stated, "As long as I’m owning the team, there will never be a team captain." He believes the locker room should sort out leadership organically each year, noting that captains are unusual in baseball—only the New York Yankees (Aaron Judge) and Kansas City Royals (Salvador Perez) currently have one. The Mets' last captain was David Wright, from 2013 to 2018.
Manager Carlos Mendoza emphasized a collective leadership group, including stars like Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto, veterans Sean Manaea and David Peterson, and new additions Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette. "When you’re talking about a major-league locker room, you need to have not only one guy, but a few guys," Mendoza said.
To bolster the roster, the Mets executed major changes this offseason, trading Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Semien, acquiring Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox and Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers, and signing Bichette to a three-year, $126 million deal shortly after Kyle Tucker joined the Los Angeles Dodgers. Departures included Pete Alonso to the Baltimore Orioles and Edwin Díaz to the Dodgers. Cohen described the moves as prepared alternatives, saying, "Saying goodbye is always tough, but saying hello is kind of fun."
With a projected 2026 payroll over $480 million—second to the Dodgers' $527 million—Cohen aims for consistent contention. "I think we’ll be really competitive this year," he said.
