Mets Owner Cohen Discusses Losing Yamamoto Sweepstakes
It has been a much different offseason for the New York Mets than in years past.
Previously, they likely would have been the ones operating like the Los Angeles Dodgers, throwing massive amounts of money at the top free agents on the market.
Maybe that would have landed them both Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto like the Dodgers were able to do.
But new president of baseball operations, David Stearns, and owner, Steve Cohen, have had a different philosophy this offseason knowing they won't be true contenders in 2024.
Yet, it looked like Yamamoto was the one player that the Mets were willing to spend for. The disappointing decision for New York comes after Cohen met with the phenom twice.
And while the Mets didn't win the sweepstakes, Cohen doesn't have regrets about how they operated.
"I think the whole organization tried our hardest, and someone was going to win and someone was going to lose and that is the way it goes. I feel good about our efforts and I left it all on the field. Life goes on," he told Mike Puma of The New York Post.
New York has rarely lost bidding wars since Cohen took over.
They signed Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to megadeals the past few offseasons, but saw little in return for those financial investments.
Still, they offered Yamamoto a massive deal that was reportedly the same thing that he signed with the Dodgers.
"The Mets’ offer for Yamamoto was for the same amount and length of contract as the Dodgers ... Cohen declined to provide specifics about the negotiations, but an industry source said the Mets’ offer was among the first received by Yamamoto’s camp and the team was never offered an opportunity to increase the bid," Puma reports.
With these sweepstakes put to bed, the Mets will turn their attention to navigating the remainder of the offseason with their sites set on building for the future.
