The Cohen Tax

[Centerfield]

One thing that's we're starting to see is that the Mets free agents are seemingly expecting Steve Cohen to pony up more when it comes to retaining them. Perhaps even more than the market suggests. I can only guess that this is because he's the richest owner in sports, and there is no salary cap. I'm sure they read the same things in the paper that we do. Adding billions to his net worth. Getting a casino.

It's obviously not fair. But I can't help but think there is some of that "Well he can certainly afford it" mentality in play here.

Plus the history of past regimes adds to this. Going 8 years on Nimmo. The prior 7 year offer to Alonso. Five years to Diaz with an opt-out. Now, all of a sudden refusing to go beyond 3 year terms. I think they take it as an insult. Especially when they see the Mets extend for players from outside the organization. I can see Pete saying "wow, you can go 15 years on Soto, but you can't go 5 for me?" Again, it's not fair, but human emotion isn't always fair.

With Diaz. I think he was pissed that the Mets didn't go 4 years. And then got even more pissed when they signed Williams. "Wait, you're going to give this guy, who sucked for the guys across town, three years. And you won't give me four?" And then he decided **** this. I'm gone.

If the Mets were as shocked as reported, then clearly they didn't recognize this. They better recognize it now.

[smg58]

Stearns may well be backing away from the excessive generosity of his predecessors in the Cohen era. We all liked Nimmo and were happy to hold on to him, but eight years AND a full no-trade clause was nutty. Trading him while he could might have been a statement of sorts that he did not wish to bog the team down on long-term commitments, while working under the assumption that plenty of players will be happy to take Cohen's money if the core of a team that severely underplayed relative to its payroll feels stiffed. That doesn't mean I agree with it, but I can see the reasoning.

As for Diaz, the possibility exists that with all other things being more or less equal, he wanted to go to the team that is more likely to give him the chance to close out a World Series. Now that's still a metaphorical middle finger, but the Dodgers have a hell of a lot more to show for their spending than the Mets do. And Stearns has to figure out what to do about it.