Steve Cohen opened his checkbook wider than any other baseball owner. He spent $765 million on Juan Soto and $54 million to bring back Pete Alonso. The Mets had one of the highest payrolls in baseball in 2025, but that didn’t stop them from falling apart, which made New York fans wonder if their billionaire owner really knows how to build a winner. The promises were big, the investments were historic, but the results showed that the team was still looking for answers, even though they had all the money they needed.

The numbers show that the two teams are very different. The Mets went 55-42 in the first half, which meant they had a .567 winning percentage, which meant that baseball in October was going to happen. Then things went wrong. The team fell to 28–37 in the second half, but there were no major injuries or changes to the roster that could explain the drop. The last day of the regular season against the Miami Marlins, who had the lowest payroll in baseball, was their last chance to make the playoffs. The New York Mets needed to win, and for the Cincinnati Reds to help them, but they never got the chance to see if that help would come. Miami shut them out 4-0, which was the worst way to end their season.

Cohen took to X to address the disappointment directly. “Mets fans everywhere. I owe you an apology,” he wrote. “You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part.” He promised a comprehensive review: “We will do a post-mortem and figure out the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations.” Cohen acknowledged the raw emotions gripping the fanbase, writing, “The result was unacceptable. Your emotions tell me how much you care and continue to motivate the organization to do better.”

Cohen promised a post-mortem that would look at the team’s many problems. In the second half, starting pitchers David Peterson, Sean Manaea, and Kodai Senga all had ERAs of 6.00 or higher. After joining the New York Mets in the middle of the season, Cedric Mullins and Ryan Helsley fell apart. Carlos Mendoza, the manager, couldn’t stop the slide as his team fell apart at the end. Alonso will probably not go through with his deal, which will put the Mets in a tough spot because they will have to decide whether to rebuild or reload the same core that couldn’t get the job done.

Mets fans refuse to trust Steve Cohen as the Mets’ owner

Fans who have seen their owner spend a lot of money but deliver nothing but disappointment went crazy after Cohen’s apology. People’s reactions ranged from angry sarcasm to outright doubt that throwing money at the problem will ever work. “Maybe just send us all a check for $1 million so we can feel better,” said one fan. This showed how upset they were that a team with the highest payroll in baseball couldn’t make the playoffs, even though they had every financial advantage.

After the 4-0 loss to Miami ended their season, some fans liked that Cohen was open about it. “We appreciate your honesty, Steve,” wrote one fan, who was glad that the owner was willing to face the music in public. Another fan backed the long-term approach by saying,  “No need to apologize for building a team that has an incredible amount of potential. Building a sustainable winner is a process, and for the most part, you are adhering to the formula that achieves that goal.” This point of view is because the Mets were 55-42 in the first half before everything went wrong.

Some people made dark jokes about Cohen’s roster choices. “Give Diaz and Alonso huge extensions.” “Don’t worry, that will do the trick,” one user said in a sarcastic tone, referring to the team’s habit of giving out big contracts without fixing the problems that caused them. The comment hurt a lot, especially since Alonso is likely to back out of his two-year, $54 million deal after the team fell apart in the second half and went just 28-37.

The money problems went beyond just player contracts. “Think about this tweet as a reason to lower ticket prices next year,” another fan said, pointing out that Mets fans had to pay a lot of money to see their team lose in the second half. The Phillies were doing well in the National League East, and the Mets were out of the playoffs thanks to the team with the lowest payroll. Fans wondered if Cohen’s billions would ever lead to October baseball.