Steve Cohen spoke at length with reporters on Wednesday to address the team's struggles despite sky-high expectations heading into the season, and while some criticized the messaging from the Mets owner, Sal Licata appreciated the level-headedness that led to an optimistic message for the long-term outlook of the franchise.
"This is why I love him," Sal said. "He did everything in his power to build this team into a winning team. They have not performed. It's on the players. He said that. So what can he do right now? He can't do anything. You can't buy more players, nobody's trading anybody right now…so what do you want him to do? You want him to fire somebody and show some anger?
"The reality is, you have to trust that he is just as angry and frustrated as we are. He just shows it in different ways because he has to. He can't just go out there and undress Billy Eppler and Buck Showalter publicly."
Cohen has committed more money to his roster than any other owner in baseball history, all while trying to establish stability in the minor league ranks to achieve long-term success, and Sal says that cannot be criticized, even if 2023 is shaping up to be a major disappointment.
"Steve Cohen is building this thing the right way," Sal said. "The plan remains the same: build this organization the right way, from the bottom up. Invest in the minor leagues, invest in player development. Invest in any way you can to gain an edge and help your team perform at a high level, and while he's doing that…he's trying to build a winner as well at the major league level by spending money, because that's the only thing they can do right now. It didn't work this year.
"We're the fans. We're the ones who get to be irrational and say things we don't mean…that's for us to do."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say 'Play W-F-A-N')
