Baseball’s financial map is shifting fast, and the Mets are about to feel it.
For years, Steve Cohen’s selling point was simple: if he wanted a player, nobody could outbid him. That edge still exists for now, but it may not last much longer. With baseball’s collective bargaining agreement set to expire in December, the sport is staring at a new round of uncertainty over a salary cap, a salary floor, the competitive balance tax threshold and even the possibility of a work stoppage.
That backdrop matters even more as the Mets head toward what could be one of the wildest free-agent periods in recent memory. If top names such as Tarik Skubal - or, more specifically, Scott Boras - try to lock in deals before any spending limits are imposed, the market could move quickly.
The timing is especially notable because the Mets are at least sniffing around Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato. On Wednesday, a photo posted by NBP fan account @HimeChan_Sports from a Hanshin Tigers game showed Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns leaning against a wall outside what appeared to be the scorer’s booth, looking down at his phone.
Sato, the reigning Japanese Central League MVP, is expected to be posted this offseason. He’s a left-handed power bat at third base, though he’d most likely need to move to first base if the Mets seriously pursued him.
Whether that’s a rerun anyone wants is another matter. The photo doesn’t prove the Mets are all-in, but it does suggest the interest may be stronger than previously thought.
Stearns could also have been there to evaluate other Japanese players.
There’s a reason the Mets are looking, and it goes beyond one player. The free-agent class is weak, and some of the old doubts about Japanese hitters have started to fade.
Teams have traditionally trusted Japanese pitchers more than power bats, worried that the pop wouldn’t translate against American pitching. Last year, the Mets were only lightly involved when Munetaka Murakami was posted, and that hesitation now looks more understandable in light of how the market has evolved.
A team with nothing to lose took the plunge on Murakami, the White Sox are headed to the playoffs, and Murakami showed he could send baseballs just as far in the United States as he did in Japan.
Murakami and Sato are different players, and one result doesn’t guarantee the other. But the Mets are now operating in a landscape that may be tougher to read than ever.
The Dodgers have long been the destination for marquee talent, whether from the United States or Japan, and that won’t change overnight. Yet even they are facing questions after it was revealed that owner Mark Walter is under federal investigation for financial misconduct.
His majority stake in the Lakers has already been sold, and his minority stake in Chelsea F.C. could be next. Walter’s company, TSG Global, says the Dodgers won’t be affected, but with more than $1 billion owed in deferrals, their financial firepower may not feel quite as limitless.
At the very least, the way that money gets used figures to draw more attention.
Then there’s the Angels, who are about to get a new financial power source of their own. Earlier this week, it was announced that Rams owner Stan Kroenke has agreed to buy a controlling stake from Arte Moreno, though MLB approval is still needed. Kroenke’s $24.3 billion net worth tops Cohen’s by $1.3 billion, according to Forbes, and that changes the conversation in a hurry.
Kroenke is viewed as one of the most respected owners in sports, with championships across the Rams, Nuggets and Avalanche. He also owns Arsenal F.C. and has a reputation for backing the organizations he runs with top-tier facilities. That makes the Angels something other than a punch line, even after they’ve squandered nearly all of Mike Trout’s Hall of Fame career.
He also brings a different kind of operating model. If MLB ends up with a hard cap, Kroenke has already lived in that world with the Rams and Avalanche. If the league lands on something softer, the Nuggets are the better comparison.
For the Mets, the bigger issue is no longer just whether Cohen can spend. It’s whether the front office can adjust to a game where that advantage may not be enough anymore.
In Other News...
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Mets Just Took A Flier On A Pitcher With Little Margin For Error
The Mets made a small roster shuffle this week, designating catcher Shawn Ross for assignment and claiming right-hander Cameron Weston off waivers from the Orioles. Weston was sent to Triple-A Syracuse, giving New York another arm to evaluate while it continues to juggle the 40-man roster and sort through depth options.
Weston arrives with some uneven recent results, including a high ERA at Triple-A, though he looked better in Double-A and gives the organization a chance to see whether theres more here than the numbers suggest. Ross, meanwhile, had been hitting .195 at Syracuse, so the move also reflects the Mets desire to keep turning over the edges of the roster in search of a more useful fit. [Read more 🡒]