Cohen has learned from his search for a top baseball operations exec that resources can't solve everythingMETS
New Mets Owner Steve Cohen's net worth of more than $14B casts the club in an "unfamiliar role: not a punchline, but an economic force primed to shake up an otherwise stagnant employment market," according to Jared Diamond of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. While the rest of the industry "retrenches in the wake of significant losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic," the Mets have brought Sandy Alderson back as team President and "appear ready to act aggressively." That sentiment "didn't apply during Alderson’s previous stint with the Mets, when budgetary restrictions left them unable to compete for talent." The Mets' arrival as "big spenders comes as most of their competitors want to cut costs," as "further uncertainty remains as baseball attempts to restart next spring, prompting owners to find avenues to slash payroll." That gives the Mets the "opportunity to emerge as buyers in an ocean of sellers, and players already seem to appreciate Cohen's presence." But Cohen has "already learned that his resources can't solve everything." He recently "admitted that hiring an executive to lead the Mets' baseball operations department has been more difficult than he expected, since opposing teams haven't let potential candidates interview for the position." So, even with his "lofty aspirations and stuffed bank account, Cohen is still searching" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 12/1).
STILL SEARCHING: In N.Y., Joel Sherman writes the early days of the Cohen/Alderson administration have been "marked by their failure to lure the pickers." Cohen’s blueprint was to "form a baseball operations department akin to that of the Dodgers’, overflowing with experience and myriad talents." Yet, at present, the Mets have the "most desirable jobs that no one is taking." Exec after exec "exalts how desirable it would be to run baseball operations" with "all of Cohen's money." However, exec after exec has been "outside of the Mets’ grasp, namely for contractual or personal reasons." The Mets "will not run out of candidates," as this "really is viewed as an attractive opportunity." Still, it is "not an ideal first step" (N.Y. POST, 12/1).
