00:00Mets owner Steve Cohen had time today.
00:03He took to Twitter to basically tell a fan to get his facts straights
00:07about the Mets' 2026 payroll reported by our New York Post-Mets beat writer,
00:12Mike Puma.
00:13Where Mike's on now so we can clear all of this up.
00:16Mike, thanks for hopping on with us.
00:17Look at you starting a little trouble on a Friday.
00:19I like it.
00:20Just joking around here.
00:22All right, so I need you to clear this up for us
00:24because there's a lot of misinterpretations that are going on out there
00:27on the Twitter sphere.
00:28You reported that the Mets calculate their payroll
00:31to be around $310 to $320 million, obviously with some holes to fill.
00:37Some fan misinterpreted that calculation, had some words for Steve Cohen.
00:42Cohen fired back.
00:43It's all over our timeline.
00:44So can you clear this whole payroll confusion up for us, please?
00:48Yeah, well, what we reported, yeah.
00:50So where it stands right now, it's $310 to $320 million.
00:56And I think what was misconstrued was some people thought that was their total budget.
01:00But where it stands right now, it's $310 to $320.
01:06So somewhere in that range when you include waiver claims and the such.
01:11So, you know, last year's number, SpotTrack had him at $341.
01:18So Cohen came out today on X, formerly known as Twitter.
01:24And we haven't heard much from Cohen at all, really.
01:28And, you know, he said, basically, no way this payroll is going down.
01:36And, you know, and we also reported yesterday that the Mets aren't going, you know,
01:43to Dodgers territory, $400 million.
01:45So, you know, I think you can take that to mean that the Mets are going to be somewhere
01:51probably between where they are now, $310 to $320 and $400.
01:58Maybe, you know, maybe somewhere in the middle of that.
02:02But, you know, I think Cohen taking some issue here that, you know,
02:08fans getting on him a little bit about spending, despite the fact, you know,
02:12this is still a very high payroll team.
02:16Well, let's go into that response.
02:19Because, you know, he said some idiots, he used the word idiots,
02:22and he was pretty fired up about it.
02:24I actually absolutely loved it.
02:26But a lot of people are going back and forth about the type of response.
02:30So should fans look at the response as a reassurance that the Mets are going to
02:35get even more aggressive with the spending this offseason?
02:38Or do you think that he was kind of managing expectations for the fan base
02:43for the rest of the season?
02:45Yeah, that's a good question.
02:47I mean, there's obvious holes they have to fill here, right?
02:50The left field, center field, you know, they need another outfielder.
02:57They're looking at the starting pitching market, whether it be a free agency or trade.
03:02And, you know, I think they still need a high-quality reliever now.
03:06So, you know, are they going to go out and, you know,
03:09they're not going to spend another $75 million to fill those three spots.
03:16But they're certainly going to spend some money there.
03:21And, you know, the other thing is they still can maneuver with some trades,
03:27whether it's Jeff McNeil, who's on the hook to make some money next year.
03:33So, yeah, I mean, I would look at it as they're going to add players,
03:39but not necessarily, you know, I wouldn't expect them to break the bank here.
03:44Are there any top players out there in free agency that are left
03:49that we should keep our eye on that you think David Stearns might target?
03:53Well, you know, the one to certainly watch is Cody Bellinger.
03:57He had a very good season for the Yankees last year,
04:01but would certainly fill a need for the Mets as somebody who can play the outfield
04:06or they can move them in as part of the first base mix if they decide to do that,
04:13a guy who's done it in New York.
04:15So, I mean, you know, I think that's maybe the biggest name I would be looking at right now.
04:23You haven't heard too much buzz about Kyle Tucker potentially coming to Queens,
04:29but obviously a top free agent outfielder.
04:35You know, and I think they'll be more measured in the pitching moves
04:38because we've seen that's kind of the way David Stearns operates here
04:42as far as not going huge with the contracts for pitchers.
04:48So, but, yeah, I mean, there's a couple of names that would fit.
04:54Will the Mets go there?
04:56Remains to be seen.
04:58All right, Mike Puma, great job with the report,
05:01and thank you, sir, for your time today.
05:04Thank you, Brandon.
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