Sal strongly defended Steve Cohen after BT opened Wednesday’s show by calling the owner the biggest problem that the Mets currently have, but even Sal’s backing has its limits.
Sal’s one current concern with Cohen is his public belief that the Mets are a playoff team and should be playing baseball in October this year. If Cohen carries that belief into late July and the trade deadline, Sal fears the owner could act out of emotion and make the first decision that would lead Sal to start to question him as an owner and decision maker.
“If this team is still roughly where they’re at - four or five games under .500 and a couple games out of the Wild Card - the proof is going to be in the pudding,” Sal said. “You’re either going to sell…or you’re going to try and add on. I think there’s some belief that the Mets might try to add on and make the playoffs. Maybe Steve Cohen wants to back up his words and be a playoff team. If they do that, that will be the first time I start to turn on him.”
The Mets are currently six games below .500, but thanks to the expanded playoff format, they are by no means out of the race. If they hover around their current spot in the standings and are only a handful of games back of the final playoff spot come July, Sal still would not want to see the Mets adding pieces at the deadline. The priority should be on the future like it was at the deadline last year, and anything else would be a big concern.
“I know they’re not a playoff team,” Sal said. “Even if he makes several moves that might get them into the playoffs, it’s not gonna go anywhere. He can’t do that. That would be reckless and not learning from his mistakes.”