The more we seem to be learning about the seemingly-mysterious Steve Cohen, the more it appears that he won’t live up to initial expectations of coming in and wildly spending when he takes over as the majority owner of the New York Mets.
A source with knowledge of the situation disclosed that one of Cohen’s first moves won’t be heading to market and bringing in big-name reinforcements to make the Mets a winner.
While that will be a priority, one of the very top to-do’s will be beefing up the team’s analytics department to help bring the Mets into the 21st century while laying the foundation to build long-term success.
The Mets currently have the second-smallest analytics department in Major League Baseball — a strategy that has continuously burned the organization when it comes to roster management and sustained contention.
There’s a reason why the Mets have only made the postseason twice over the last 14 years and that’s one of them.
The lack of an analytics department has withheld the Mets from gauging an in-depth understanding of the game with advanced statistics that can help scouting identify the kind of player the ballclub needs — whether that’s through the draft or the free-agent and trade market.
Too often the Mets’ ability to identify talent under the previous regime has felt like throwing a plate of spaghetti up against the wall and seeing what sticks. A proper analytics department avoids that.
Cohen’s potential immediate approach in improving the Mets further dispels the notion that he is going to use his status as the richest owner in Major League Baseball (valued at $14.6 billion) to overhaul the roster by simply buying the best players available.
Last week, a source told amNewYork Metro that Cohen would “spend where he needs to quickly, but not make too many high-priced moves.”
“He and his people have to lift up the hood and see what works and what doesn’t.”
That loud clunking noise that he and everyone is hearing is probably the analytics department.
