It’s been a hectic start to the offseason for the New York Mets. They have seen several players, such as Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, find new homes, but they have moved quickly to replace them, signing guys like Devin Williams and Jorge Polanco. Whether or not these new faces will lead to improvements for the team next season, though, remains to be seen.
Seeing Alonso and Diaz depart has been a tough pill for Mets fans to swallow, and it has led to team owner Steve Cohen facing criticism for not handing out big enough paychecks to bring people to town. With reports emerging that New York’s payroll is set to decline in the 2026 season, Cohen took to social media to air out the folks criticizing him for his lack of spending.
Steve Cohen Airs Out his Critics on Social Media
The 2025 season did not go according to plan for the Mets, and it has put the team in a tight spot. After winning the Juan Soto sweepstakes in free agency, New York was expected to be a World Series contender after making it all the way to the NLCS in 2024. Instead, they ended up missing the postseason entirely.
The level of urgency has clearly been increased across the organization. The front office has made it clear they are exploring ways to bring more talented players to town, but early on in the offseason, it remains to be seen if this team is better. After letting Alonso and Diaz walk, Cohen may have to spend more money in order to help New York get back on track.
So far, though, it looks like the Mets are on track to have a lower payroll in 2026 than they did in 2025. It’s still early in the offseason, but fans are becoming increasingly irritated with Cohen, claiming he’s cheaping out on the team. It didn’t take long for the blowback to make its way to Cohen, and he recently took to social media to defend himself.
“As typical, the usual idiots misinterpreting a Post article on Mets payroll for ‘26. I can’t imagine our payroll to be lower than last year. It’s always hard to predict but that would be my best guess,” Cohen wrote in a post on X.
Steve Cohen, Mets Need to Get to Work this Offseason
GettyNew York Mets owner Steve Cohen
Regardless of how much the Mets end up spending this offseason, the message being relayed from the fans to Cohen is clear. They aren’t happy with how the 2025 campaign unfolded, and if something similar takes place in 2026, there’s going to be a problem. Losing Alonso and Diaz is not a good look, and the front office is going to have to find a way to not only replace their lost production but also improve the rest of the roster.
It’s a tall task, but it’s one that Cohen appears to be up for, even if public opinion on him is relatively divided. There are still big names available both in free agency and on the trade market, so if the front office can lock in on some top targets, they should be able to get the job done. As a result, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see New York continue bringing new faces to town over the next few weeks.
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