LONDON (AP) — New York Mets owner Steve Cohen says his team can still turn around its season and fans “have been through worse.”
Cohen praised his front office and manager Carlos Mendoza during a news conference Sunday before the Mets rallied for a 6-5 win over the rival Philadelphia Phillies to split their two-game London Series.
The victory left the Mets eight games under .500 just more than seven weeks from the July 30 trade deadline.
“I know everybody’s focused on the trade deadline. That’s all anybody wants to talk about,” Cohen said after posing for photos at the podium with shortstop Francisco Lindor. “We’ve got a lot of games to play. Let’s get focused on what’s happening now. We’ve got to chip away.”
Cohen, who bought the team ahead of the 2021 season, interacted with fans during the London trip.
“They came over here because they love the Mets, they care about the Mets,” said Cohen, wearing a Mets cap and blue vest. “They’re in good spirits. I was hanging out with them in the pub. We were having a blast. The fans have been through worse. We’re trying to break that history. They’re great and they’re certainly going to be there for the team.”
New York has won just two World Series titles, in 1969 and 1986. Cohen, who took over from the Wilpon and Katz families, said the Mets are improving institutionally and decision-making has become “a lot sharper.” David Stearns was hired as president of baseball operations in October after running the Milwaukee Brewers for seven years through 2022.
“I have a great deal of respect for David. He comes from a winning club, he’s demonstrated success in the past, well-respected in baseball,” Cohen said. “I like what I see but unfortunately it’s going to take time.”
A decision-making example, Cohen said, was the recent addition of catcher Luis Torrens, who had two home runs in a 9-1 win over the Washington Nationals last Wednesday. Torrens turned a game-ending double play on Sunday.
Mendoza was hired last November to replace Buck Showalter after spending six seasons as a major league coach across town with the New York Yankees.
“I’m impressed by Carlos. He’s got incredible rapport with the team, he’s thoughtful. He’s very capable of relating to the players, delivering hard messages when he has to,” Cohen said. “I’m impressed by how he conducts himself.”
