Mets owner Steve Cohen has heard the chatter that other MLB club owners are not a fan of him flexing the financial muscles necessary for that half-a-billion-dollar spending spree back in November and December.
His response? Tough noogies.
“I’ve heard what everyone else has heard: That [owner] are not happy with me,” Cohen told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “I hear things from people who are maybe more neutral — that they’re taking a lot of heat from their fans. I kind of look at that like, you’re looking at the wrong person.
“They’re putting it on me. Maybe they need to look more at themselves.”
Cohen is by far the richest MLB club owner out there with an estimated net worth of $17.5 billion, according to Forbes, but 24 of the 30 teams in baseball are owned by billionaires who are much stingier with their funds than the Mets’ leading man.
According to Spotrac, the crosstown-rival Yankees are the only team that have spent more money this winter than the Mets’ $498 million. The New York clubs are just two of 13 teams that have spent over $100 million this offseason, as well.
The Cleveland Guardians, whose owner Lawrence J. Dolan has a net worth of $4.6 billion, spent less than 15 other clubs. John C. Malone, the second-richest owner in baseball, saw his Atlanta Braves spend the least money of any team this offseason at $18.57 million.
Bottom-dwelling teams like the Detroit Tigers, owned by Ilitch family holdings and valued at $3.8 billion, spent the fifth-fewest amount this winter. The Washington Nationals, who blew up the team last year and sees the Lerner family potentially looking for a partial sale of the team despite being the fifth-richest owners in the game, spent just $34.2 million — sixth lowest amongst MLB clubs.
“I’m not responsible for how other teams run their clubs,” Cohen said. “I’m really not. That’s not my job and there are disparities in baseball. We know that to be true. I’m following the rules. They set the rules down, I’m following them.”
