Mets Fans Prepare for More of the Same
The very last hope of salvation from a future that involves Sandy Alderson said "no" to the New York Mets today. As reported by Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News and guest on The Drive with Charlie & Dan today, Mets owner Steve Cohen met with the free agent baseball executive star via Zoom this morning and quickly decided that the situation was not a match.
Epstein is basically the Exorcist of cursed franchises. He left the Cubs last November and took a year off to observe his options. The now 47 year old executive, led the Boston Red Sox to their first World Championship in 86 years in 2004 at the age of 30. A dozen years later, as the top Cub in the den, he led the National League Chicago franchise to their first World Series championship in 108 years. So, if someone can remove the heartache of the Mets fans, it's probably Theo Epstein. But now, possibly due to the continued presence of Sandy Alderson in the Mets future, that is not going to happen.
So, besides Alderson being around, why would Theo Epstein say "no" to billionaire Steve Cohen. Everyone has their price right? Maybe. A guy like Theo may want to build his own franchise from scratch, much the way Derek Jeter is doing in Miami. Trust me, watch out for the Marlins franchise next year. Epstein may want to get ownership in a franchise, the way Jeter did and rip it apart, like Jeter did. Theo Epstein has nothing else to prove. Why deal with the spotlight of New York when you could have a real-life fantasy team of his own? We'll see in the not too distant future what plans Mr. Epstein has.
Where do the Mets go from here? Well, Sandy Alderson will continue to run the club. Will he bring in his old buddy Billy Beane, the executive vice president of baseball operations (and Brad Pitt character from Moneyball) from the Oakland A's or Milwaukee Brewers president of baseball operations, David Stearns? Those seem to be the odds on favorites at this point but both are under contract with their current teams. Cohen will need permission to speak with either of them and each will cost the Mets in talent compensation, meaning a player, probably a good one.
We'll see. Unfortunately, it just seems like more of the same from the Mets. Trust me, we'll keep you posted on the latest rumors on The Drive.