Steve Cohen prefers a long-term approach to building a winning team than trying to find a quick solution through free agency.
In a question and answer session on Wednesday night, hosted by Howie Rose on the team’s YouTube channel, the new Mets owner indicated that as much as he is a fan and wants to win immediately, his goal is to build a foundation for sustained success. .
“As a fan, they want me to sign everyone tomorrow, but is this a sustainable strategy?” Cohen said. “Finally you want to develop talent. You want to develop your agricultural system. For me, this is the most sustainable way to create a winning team from year to year. Yes, you can buy players, but you buy players with 30 years of potential and we know that there is a lot of data that suggests that players’ performance tends to decline once they are in their early 30s. ”
Under Cohen, a billionaire hedge fund that completed the club’s acquisition last month, the Mets added James McCann to a four-year, $ 40.6 million contract. Lifeguard Trevor May reached a two-year deal for $ 15.5 million. The Mets are looking for George Springer, the best outfield on the market, and Trevor Bauer, the best pitcher available in the free agency.
Cohen reiterated that he leaves baseball decisions in the front office, led by team president Sandy Alderson, and will not interfere.
“Everyone wants to win now – I want to win now,” Cohen said. “But I don’t even want to put ourselves in a position where, if we don’t win now, we have hindered our ability to win on the road. As I learn, these are difficult decisions. These are not easy decisions and you are dealing with imperfect information because you do not know how they will work as they go through the contract.
“The data suggests that if you sign enough players aged 30, you will regress to an average and reach potentially mediocre performance if you sign enough of them. … I have to overcome this gap. Currently, the agricultural system, at least the higher levels, is not where we want it to be. “
The Mets have lagged behind in the use of technology and analytics, but Cohen expects that to begin to change. He cited discussions for the implementation of cameras that can measure the biomechanics of a pitcher.
“They will have everything they need,” Cohen said. “We will not talk about this kind of thing. Obviously, you have to measure whether that expense was worth it. In addition, you need to train the people who will use this equipment and the players to make the most of it. You just can’t install the equipment and hope it works. It’s also a people’s problem. “
Cohen was asked how successful year 1 of his property would look like. The Mets finished last in the East NL in the 2020 season shortened by the pandemic.
“That we have a playoff caliber team and that we have significantly improved our performance,” Cohen said. “I would be disappointed if we didn’t step up the performance.”