Steve Cohen stepped in quickly to knock down the latest wave of criticism aimed at David Stearns, but the Mets owner’s choice of words only added another layer to the noise.
The chatter started after Newsday’s David Lennon said on the Foul Territory podcast that Stearns hadn’t been seen at Citi Field over the past couple of days. With Pete Alonso back, Stearns had become an easy target for frustrated fans looking to unload on the Mets president of baseball operations.
Three hours later, Cohen pushed back on social media, saying he had been with Stearns in the dugout before Monday’s game.
"That’s strange. I was in the dugout pre game on Monday with a guy that looked like Stearns. Was it an imposter?"
The defense was straightforward enough. The wording was the problem.
Fans immediately latched onto Cohen’s use of “imposter,” with some turning the line back on the Mets’ baseball operation itself. Others questioned why Cohen would bother addressing that specific claim at all, especially after spending much of the year declining to comment on other topics.
The larger point, though, is that the exact details of whether Stearns was physically at Citi Field this week barely change the mood around the team. The frustration isn’t really about one sighting or one absence. It’s about a season that has left plenty of people angry, even if some still see a few positives tucked inside the mess.
Stearns has not said he made a mistake in letting Alonso leave, and he has offered little accountability for the team’s struggles. That kind of silence is familiar in a job where the stakes are obvious and public self-criticism rarely comes with a reward.
Cohen, for his part, has stayed firmly in Stearns’ corner. Whether that means backing him from the dugout or from a distance, the message is the same: the owner is standing with his baseball boss, and as long as they keep presenting that front, Stearns is likely to keep getting room to work.
In Other News...
Sean Manaea Had A Brutally Awkward Reaction To Mets Fans
Pete Alonsos return to Citi Field came with the kind of built-in drama that only baseball can provide, and the crowd played its part. On a night when he launched his 300th career home run against the Mets, the former franchise centerpiece took a curtain call and was met with cheers from the home fans, who still seemed happy to salute one of the most recognizable hitters in recent team history.
Sean Manaea, though, didnt exactly hide how he felt about the moment. The Mets starter said the reaction was crazy, making clear he respects Alonso but wasnt comfortable with how warmly the ballpark embraced the celebration. Alonso, meanwhile, kept working the room after the blast, trading memorabilia with the fans who caught the ball and even offering tickets to games in Baltimore, another reminder that his bond with Mets supporters remains complicated in all the familiar ways. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Manager Search Just Became A Huge Offseason Gamble
The Mets managerial search has already turned into one of the more revealing decisions of the offseason, and not just because the job opened earlier than anyone in Queens expected. After the team was eliminated from postseason contention and moved on from Carlos Mendoza in June, Andy Green stepped in as the interim manager and is expected to slide back into a front office role, leaving Steve Cohen and David Stearns to sort through a search that carries real weight for how the organization wants to move forward.
The list of names being considered underscores how wide open this process may be, with reports pointing to Carlos Beltran and Albert Pujols, two prominent former players who have no Major League Baseball managerial experience. Cohen will have the final say, with Stearns involved in the decision, and the choice now feels less like a routine hire than a test of how much the Mets are willing to bet on reputation, leadership traits and projection over a conventional track record. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Players Just Weighed In On Citi Fields Pete Alonso Problem
Pete Alonsos milestone 300th career home run at Citi Field brought out a reaction few around the Mets expected. Sean Manaea and Francisco Lindor both said they were surprised, and a little frustrated, to hear a portion of the crowd cheer for the former Met in a moment that should have belonged to the visiting slugger and the home ballpark he once called his own.
Andy Green acknowledged the oddity of it, but cast the response in a broader light, saying it reflected respect for players who do something special. Still, the scene fit into a series that has already felt charged in the stands, with fans sending mixed signals throughout and even breaking into chants aimed at president David Stearns, another reminder that the mood around the club can shift fast depending on who is at the plate and whats at stake. [Read more 🡒]