Steve Cohen doesn’t tweet often, but when he does, Mets fans tend to pay attention. His latest reappearance on social media came not with a major signing or a splashy announcement, but in response to a payroll projection-and it stirred up more questions than it answered.
Cohen had been silent on X (formerly Twitter) since late September, when he issued an apology to Mets fans for a disappointing regular season. Since then, he’s stayed out of the public baseball discourse, even during the playoffs.
Off the field, he’s been busy with ventures like casino deals and, yes, even auctioning off gold toilets. But it was a report about the Mets’ projected 2026 payroll that finally pulled him back into the baseball conversation.
The report suggested the Mets are expected to carry a payroll in the $310-320 million range next season. With arbitration raises already factored in, the current figure sits at about $295 million-leaving limited room for significant additions, at least on paper. That prompted Cohen to post a pair of tweets on Friday morning, aiming to clarify where things stand.
“As typical, the usual idiots misinterpreting a Post article on Mets payroll for ‘26. I can’t imagine our payroll to be lower than last year. It’s always hard to predict but that would be my best guess.”
That first tweet was classic Cohen-direct, a little spicy, and meant to settle the nerves. Essentially, he’s saying: relax, the spending isn’t done, and it’s probably not going down.
Fair enough. That kind of transparency-or at least reassurance-is what fans have come to expect from an owner who’s never been shy about opening the checkbook.
But then came the second tweet:
“Payroll watchers always forget to budget for waiver claims, player movement from minors to majors and trade deadline moves. That’s how it typically works.”
This one hit a different note. While technically accurate-yes, teams do need to account for in-season roster movement-it felt like a deflection.
Mets fans aren’t concerned about the cost of a midseason call-up or a waiver claim. They’re wondering why a team with Cohen’s financial firepower isn’t making bolder moves in free agency right now.
And that’s where the frustration lies. Cohen has raised the bar since taking over the Mets.
Just over a year ago, he was backing up the financial truck for Juan Soto. Now, the tone has shifted.
Instead of chasing stars, the Mets are talking about roster flexibility and run prevention-without making the kind of defensive upgrades that would actually support that philosophy.
Take Jorge Polanco, for example. A solid hitter, yes, but not exactly a glove-first option-and now he’s penciled in to take reps at first base.
Meanwhile, Pete Alonso, the face of the franchise and a fan favorite, is walking out the door. That’s a tough sell for a fanbase that’s been told this team is building toward contention.
David Stearns, now in his second offseason as president of baseball operations, has taken a measured approach since arriving in Queens. But it’s hard to ignore the pattern.
Two offseasons in, and the Mets have yet to make a truly headline-grabbing addition under his leadership. That’s not necessarily a bad thing-smart, sustainable roster building matters-but when paired with silence or vague messaging, it leaves fans feeling left out of the process.
And when Cohen jumps in to talk about waiver claims and minor league promotions, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence that a big move is around the corner. As one vocal critic, Keith Olbermann, put it-perhaps more dramatically than necessary-if the plan is to lean on waiver claims, maybe it’s time to “sell the Mets.”
Now, let’s be clear: Cohen isn’t going anywhere. He’s still arguably the best owner in baseball, and his commitment to turning the Mets into a perennial contender hasn’t wavered.
But the communication this offseason has felt off. Fans don’t need every move telegraphed, but they do want a sense of direction-especially after a season that fell short of expectations.
At the end of the day, Cohen doesn’t need to justify every dollar spent-or not spent. But when he does speak, the message matters. And in this case, what was meant to be a calming tweetstorm may have only stirred the pot further.
The Mets still have time to make moves. But the clock is ticking, and the fanbase is watching-closely.