If you doubt that the New York Mets are serious in their desire to develop a stronger and more competitive team this season and beyond, think again.
Four Mets players are set to see action for the National League squad during tonight’s MLB All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. First pitch is set for 8 p.m.
Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil will join first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz in representing the red-hot New York Mets in the Mid-Summer Classic.
For a team that hasn’t performed very well over the last two decades and have missed the playoffs in five straight years, the selection of four of its key players is kind of a big deal and a tacit recognition of the effort by owner Steve Cohen to reconstruct a heavily damaged brand and rebuild a lasting competitive team that fans could be proud of.
The groundwork started as soon as Cohen took over ownership of the team in 2020. One of his first moves was to seek out Billy Eppler, then general manager of the Los Angeles Angels, to sign on for the same job with the Mets.
This was followed by the appointment of three-time Manager of the Year, Buck Shoalter, described by Eppler as “one of the most experienced and accomplished managers in the game.”
Once the leadership and management team were firmly in place, they wasted no time and masterminded the trade to acquire shortstop Francisco Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland Indians.
The additions kept on coming with the acquisitions of Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Chris Bassit and Eduardo Escobar. But the cherry on top came in the form of three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer. The Mets were in it to win it.
The Mets currently lead the NL East with a record of 58-35, a winning percentage of .625, and exuberance at an all-time high.
The Mets have won the World Series twice, once in 1969 and the last time in 1986.
As a long-time Mets fan, Cohen thinks this has been a far too long drought and has marching orders to Eppler, Showalter, and the coaching staff to do everything at whatever cost to restore the team to its former glory.
“It’s not an easy task,” admits Cohen. “There are so many moving parts in baseball and we cannot address all of them at once”.
“We’ve added a lot,” Cohen said. “But I will never feel satisfied — that’s not who I am. I’m always trying to figure out where else we can go next. I’m always in a state of constant improvement, and that’s the way I want this organization to run.”
The thought is fascinating and music to my ears, to say the least, but for now, I’m sure Cohen is happy for all the positive recognition his team is getting.
With two and half months and 70 ballgames still to go before the playoffs, Cohen and his managers are not inclined to get ahead of themselves.
But in their heart of hearts, they believe the Mets could do more this time around than just earn a postseason spot. To them, anything short of a World Series championship would be a disappointment.
It’s a stark contrast from the previous owners who were content with just playing “meaningful games in September.”
The Mets finally have some swagger and oddly enough most of it comes from the owner himself. Somebody pinch me.
