Steve Cohen 'absolutely annoyed' by Mets missing the playoffs and not yet winning a title
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks to the media after a spring training workout, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026 in Port St. Lucie, FL. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST LUCIE, Fla. — Mets owner Steve Cohen said he was “absolutely annoyed” by last season's failures, adding that while their roster overhaul may have been difficult, he trusted David Stearns’ vision and was excited about their current crop.
“I'm annoyed,” Cohen said Monday after arriving at Clover Park. “I'm absolutely annoyed. Every year that goes by, I get frustrated. I'm really committed to this team, and I know how much the fans care. I know we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of 1986 and that's just too long. There are a lot of great teams out there. No matter what you do, it doesn't mean you're necessarily going to win the World Series, but I just want to put myself in position every year in the playoffs where we have a chance with a really good team.”
Cohen, in his first sitdown with reporters of the spring, touched on a number of topics in the 20-minute-plus conversation.
Of note, Cohen said that “as long as I’m owning the team, there will never be a team captain . . . ”
“My view is that the locker room is unique [every year] and let the locker room sort it out . . . I’ve felt that way all along.”
Cohen added that he felt a measure of anxiety after the Mets parted ways with their core without having their replacements lined up. That anxiety was exacerbated when they lost out on re-signing Edwin Diaz, and when Kyle Tucker spurned them to sign with the Dodgers.
“I felt what the fans felt,” he said. “The worst part was these players left, and yet we hadn't figured out who was going to fill those positions. I described it as, I was feeling anxiety. Like, how are we going to get there? But David kept cautioning me, telling me to stay patient. It's a long offseason. The offseason doesn't end December . . . We stayed patient and disciplined, and I feel really good about what we accomplished.”
LIVE Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks from the #Mets Spring Training Complex in Port St. Lucie. https://t.co/HzRBz1a7mK
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 16, 2026
Cohen also said the looming threat of a 2027 lockout didn’t influence their business decisions and added that he hadn’t quite decided where he stood on one of the most contentious issues: creating a salary cap once this collective bargaining agreement expires. Calling himself a “league-first” owner, the richest man in baseball said he was “listening to all sides.”
Laura Albanese is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. She's been covering MLB since 2014 after starting at Newsday as an intern seven years earlier.
