Mets Owner Steve Cohen has "fans buzzing" since officially becoming majority owner less than two months ago, according to a Q&A with Steve Serby of the N.Y. POST. Cohen said, "I don't view myself as a savior. I'm going to give it my all to deliver the team that our fans want it to be. We are going to be fan-centric." Below are excerpts from the Q&A, some of which have been edited for clarity and brevity.
Q: What is your ownership/management style?
Cohen: I hire good people, smart people, people like (team President) Sandy Alderson and (GM) Jared Porter, and then I set our goals and hold people accountable. I don’t micromanage, and I let people have the runway to do their jobs. If there’s a problem, I get more involved, but in the meantime, I keep tabs on how things are going.
Q: Thoughts on or qualms about surpassing the luxury-tax threshold?
Cohen: At some point we will, but maybe not this season. I’m not afraid to go over it, but you want to have flexibility on our payroll. Long-term contracts can limit a team’s ability going forward.
Q: What are your thoughts on late Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner and his ownership style?
Cohen: He understood that baseball is entertainment as well as a sport. He saw the opportunities in regional sports networks. The amazing thing is no one knew who he was when he bought the team and now he’s one of the owners people compare other owners to. I don’t think I’d be as public about things as George was if I’m unhappy about something, but the point of being in sports is to win. If you’re going to be an owner and you don’t want to win, why be in sports?
Q: How do you feel about sharing the market with the Yankees?
Cohen: The Yankees have done a great job year-in and year-out. They created something to aspire to as to the kinds of teams they field and how they run their business. We’re going to have a Mets way of doing things, but they are a well-run team and they are one of the teams we can learn things from.
Q: What’s happening with the SNY talks?
Cohen: Nothing. We’re not in talks with SNY.
Q: How disappointed were you in not landing the Dodgers in 2011?
Cohen: Disappointed. We put a lot of work into it. But if you believe that things happen for a reason in life, I ended up with the Mets and that’s a much better outcome.
Q: When do you expect fans back at Citi Field?
Cohen: That depends on what the government says; we don’t control that. We’ll follow MLB’s lead. The health of our fans, players, and staff is the most important thing to me (N.Y. POST, 12/27).
