Steve Cohen is a lot like the typical Major League Baseball owner. He’s white. He’s on the older side. He’s got a buttload of money.
Which is why it’s interesting that he’s acting so differently from his peers.
In recent years, the relationship between players and owners has grown testy. The poor design of the service time portion of the CBA has borne rotten fruit. The pandemic forced a nasty labor dispute a year and a half earlier than the CBA schedule foretold it would come. Dishonesty seems to be a favorite card to play, with owners like Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr. claiming the industry “isn’t very profitable” when franchise sale prices have risen from $900 million for the Cubs in 2009 to $2.4 billion for the Mets this year (the Cubs are valued more highly than the Mets, so that actually may understate the financial health of the industry). Rob Manfred’s gross incompetence and seeming disaffection for the game of baseball have exacerbated everything.
Yet Steve Cohen, in his introductory press conference, said, “I’m not trying to make money here.” Steve Cohen, when Noah Syndergaard—who’s recovering from injury—posted a video of himself throwing off a mound, publicly celebrated. Steve Cohen, as fans have tweeted suggestions at him, has not only entertained them, but played along.
We knew Cohen was a Mets fan. We didn’t realize how much he meant that. And while these are small things, they’re meaningful at a time when owners aren’t just trying to make money—it’s fine to try to make money—but are villainizing players, complaining about the way the sport is played, and misleading the public about their finances, ultimately putting the health of baseball itself at risk.
So, while we’ve only seen Cohen operate for a few weeks, it’s been refreshing. Let’s hope he keeps it up. And let’s hope Mets fans reward him. Because this is the kind of ownership Major League Baseball needs.
