The Mets’ offseason was a total roller coaster with tough misses, a few gut punches, and some genuinely surprising signings along the way. But through all of it, one thing really stood out: Steve Cohen’s silence. After being so outspoken last winter, especially when the Mets were in the thick of the Juan Soto chase, this time around, Cohen barely said a word.

Now that the dust has settled, the moves are basically done, and the roster is locked in, Cohen is finally ready to talk.

He opens up about the key moments that shaped the last couple of months: Missing out on Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz, the twists and turns of the process, and the excitement of landing Bo Bichette. It’s a rare, candid look at how this offseason really unfolded, straight from the owner himself.

“I can totally understand how the fans felt when they’re losing players that they develop relationships with. Listen, change is hard,” Cohen said. “I think with Pete, under the right circumstances, we could have gotten something done. But we weren’t going to go five years. He got a great offer, and so we just decided it wasn’t going to work for us,” he further added.

So yes, missing out on Alonso didn’t just sting the fanbase; it stung Steve Cohen, too. That said, the organization just isn’t comfortable handing out long-term deals to players already in their 30s. Alonso was looking for that kind of commitment, but the front office saw too much risk in locking up a first baseman heading into his age-31 season. While the Orioles were willing to go five years, the Mets reportedly didn’t want to stretch beyond three.

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Then there’s the Díaz situation, and that one genuinely caught Cohen off guard. Díaz ending up with the Dodgers wasn’t something the Mets saw coming. “I did find that one perplexing. I’m not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision,” Cohen admitted. And we can see why it was surprising: the Mets’ final offer was around $66 million, and the Dodgers landed him for just $69 million!

So was the Mets’ decision influenced by the fact that they had already brought in Devin Williams for $51 million, effectively reshaping the bullpen? Maybe. But Cohen sounded at peace with it. He explained that once things started heating up with Díaz, he felt confident knowing Williams was already in the fold. From his perspective, that move gave the Mets enough security to walk away.

As for how the Mets pivoted so quickly from missing out on Kyle Tucker to landing Bichette, Cohen gave a lot of credit to the front office. “Listen, that’s the beauty of our front office. They’re preparing for all sorts of possibilities. And so they were talking to Bo while we were in the middle of the Tucker conversation. I mean, there was no guarantee that Tucker was going to come to us,” Cohen said.

In the end, it was a savvy bit of maneuvering: pushing hard for the top target while keeping a high-end alternative warm. Still, despite all the twists, turns, and disappointments, Cohen believes the Mets made the most of their offseason. Is it?

Because even with that confidence, a few lingering concerns remain as they head into the season.

The Mets’ bullpen still looks far from being perfect

Even though the final stretch of the offseason felt like a win for the Mets with additions like Bo Bichette, Devin Williams, and Luke Weaver, the bullpen still doesn’t look anything like what it was with Díaz anchoring it last year. And why not?

There’s a real lack of proven, dependable depth in those middle innings, and that problem is only magnified by injuries to key arms like Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez.

The concern grows when we look at Williams’ recent track record. His stint with the Yankees was rough, as he gave up 33 earned runs in a single season in the Bronx. That’s more than he allowed across his final three seasons combined with the Brewers! It explains why fans are uneasy about Cohen essentially betting the bullpen on him.

So while the moves look solid on paper, the relief corps still feels undercooked heading into the spring. But with the season already underway, all the Mets can really do now is hope this group finds its footing and rebounds from what was a forgettable 2025.