New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has publicly backed team president David Stearns, vowing to honor Stearns' five-year contract through its completion in 2028. This commitment comes despite the Mets' current 36-50 record and a challenging season.
Cohen acknowledged the team's struggles, noting a mixed record since Stearns took over in 2024. "We’re two and a half years into a contract. Everyone forgets — does he get any credit for ’24? Does that not count? We almost made it to the World Series. And that was just two years ago. It’s a mixed record," Cohen said in an interview with the New York Post's "The Show" podcast. He emphasized that it is too early to make definitive evaluations and that a pattern of rapid turnover is detrimental to attracting talent.
"I’m not gonna say it’s going great, but it’s too early to really make evaluations. And I feel really strongly that if we’re going to burn and churn, that’s a terrible place to be. Every time you burn and churn, guess what, the next time nobody wants to come. Is someone going to put their career in your hands if you’re going to be short term-oriented?"
The Mets' performance this season has been particularly disappointing, especially given their payroll, which is the largest in baseball at approximately $330 million. A significant 12-game losing streak in April has proven difficult to overcome. Following last year's collapse, Stearns made substantial roster changes, including letting Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz depart in free agency, and trading Jeff McNeil and Brandon Nimmo. New acquisitions like Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert have faced significant time on the injured list, while Bo Bichette is experiencing a career-low season. Devin Williams has struggled, and only Luke Weaver has shown consistent positive performance.
The team's offensive production ranks second-worst in the league with a .673 OPS, and their starting pitchers' 4.75 ERA is the fourth-worst. Despite Stearns' offseason focus on "run prevention," the Mets have also committed the third-highest number of errors in the league.
Earlier in the week, the Mets fired manager Carlos Mendoza, who also joined the organization in 2024. Mendoza's contract was set to expire at the end of the current season, unlike Stearns', which extends through 2028.