Yahoo Finance New Mets owner Steve Cohen takes bold step of asking fans for feedback on Twitter
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen wants to know how he can improve your Mets experience. As part of his first act since being voted in as the team’s new owner, Cohen took the bold step of asking Mets fans for their feedback on Twitter.
Given how poorly Mets fans have had it lately, Cohen’s gambit could have been disastrous.
I would love to hear your ideas to make YOUR Mets experience better.
— Steven A Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
Instead, it turned into a sincere and wholesome back and forth between Cohen and the fans. Cohen responded to Mets fans who earnestly tweeted him about what changes they would like to see around the ballpark.
Winning is more fun
— Steven A Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
All reasonable thoughts
— Steven A Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
I like the idea of a loyalty program
— Steven A Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
When one fan told Cohen he’s done enough by purchasing the team, Cohen responded by saying, “We can do more than that.”
Nah, we can do more than that
— Steven A Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
One fan even tweeted they were banned by the Wilpons. Cohen responded by saying the team needs to fix that.
Is that true, Buck. We need to fix that
— Steven A Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
That fan even sent a picture of the letter from the Mets. Cohen responded by saying, “That is amazing.”
That is amazing
— Steven A Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
The worst you can say about the entire thread is that Cohen hasn’t responded to the one fan who asked Cohen to win the World Series every season.
winning the world series every year would dramatically improve my mets experience, just saying
— 👻 the hallogreen man 👻 (@sschreiber13) November 1, 2020
Other than that — and let’s make it clear we’re joking here — Cohen handled himself well. Being open and sincere with fans is a good way to win them over and create trust. The Wilpons could have learned a few things from Cohen’s approach.
None of this guarantees Cohen will be a good owner. The fanbase could turn on him quickly depending on what the Mets do in the offseason, or which players they choose to extend in the coming years. It’s possible this is the best it ever gets between Cohen and the Mets’ fanbase. His honest interactions with the fans, however, are an encouraging sign that maybe things are finally looking up for Mets fans.
Mets looking for improvement under Steve Cohen
Aside from Cohen’s willingness to engage with Mets fans on Twitter, there are reasons to be optimistic about him taking over for the Wilpons. Cohen is valued at over $14 billion, making him the richest owner in MLB. Fans believe that could translate into the Mets spending more money in free agency.
While it’s unclear if that will happen, the Mets could certainly use some help. The team went just 26-34 in 2020, and could desperately use more starting pitching after the team’s starters posted a combined 5.37 ERA in 2020. Getting Noah Syndergaard back — and potentially Marcus Stroman — should help, but the fact that the Mets’ starter ERA was that high while Jacob deGrom turned in yet another fantastic season suggests more work needs to be done.
It will be up to Cohen to prove he’s willing to make that happen. Responding to fans on Twitter is one way to get fans on your side, but nothing is better than putting a winning team on the field.
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