Steve Cohen certainly hears the cries of Mets fans, but that doesn’t mean he is inclined to listen to them.
As the Mets continue to be ravaged by injuries, their position atop the NL East has grown increasingly precarious, the lead just 2.5 games over the red-hot Phillies. While fans plead the franchise to acquire reinforcements, Cohen took to Twitter during Monday’s game to pose a somewhat loaded question.
“Let’s play GM again,” Cohen wrote. “Make a trade now and pay a big price or wait until closer to the deadline and pay a reasonable price?”
If Cohen’s thinking is at all indicative of the Mets’ trade deadline approach, New York may have to stay afloat with its current pieces until July 30 comes around.
In the four days since the All-Star Break, the Mets’ trade needs have increased drastically. Jacob deGrom’s forearm injury has left them with just three healthy starting pitchers, while Edwin Diaz has suddenly become a ninth-inning liability, blowing three consecutive saves.
Those issues came to a head in a thrilling, 11-inning victory in Cincinnati on Monday, when Diaz coughed up a lead in the ninth inning and the Mets pitching staff surrendered 11 runs, nearly wasting a 15-run outburst by the offense.
Entering the All-Star break, the Mets figured to be in the market for sluggers, considering the fact that the offense ranked 29th in MLB with 3.7 runs scored per game at the time. Though that unit has come to life with 29 runs in the past three games, they could certainly still benefit from the presence of an All-Star caliber hitter like Kris Bryant, especially in the wake of Francisco Lindor’s oblique injury.
This isn’t the first time that Cohen has poked fun at the fanbase in regard to trade speculation. On July 2, the Mets owner tweeted, “To play GM, you have to say what you are willing to give up to get somebody.”