New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, who's become notorious for his free-spending ways in pursuit of a title, says he's undecided about whether a salary cap would help baseball.
"I'm listening to all of the arguments, but I've always been a league-first owner," Cohen told reporters Monday, per SNY's John Flanigan. "I haven't made up my mind yet, but we'll see where it goes - sometimes I put the league's interest above my own interest."
Owners are expected to push hard for a cap, something that players have long resisted, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1.
The Mets' payroll has placed no lower than third in the majors since Cohen took over as majority owner. He's shown no concern for MLB's luxury tax, repeatedly flying past various thresholds and paying millions in penalties to field one of baseball's most expensive teams.
Despite failing to re-sign stars Edwin Díaz and Pete Alonso over the winter, Cohen opened his wallet to improve the team around Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. The Mets signed Bo Bichette to a $126-million deal with no deferrals, added relievers Luke Weaver and Devin Williams, and took on the entirety of Luis Robert Jr.'s contract in a trade with the Chicago White Sox.
With these latest moves, the Mets' Opening Day payroll is projected to be over $368 million, trailing only the Dodgers, per Spotrac. Those Dodgers lured Díaz away from Flushing and then outbid Cohen to land star outfielder Kyle Tucker - not that the billionaire is sweating the competition.
"They're formidable, they have the ability to spend - so do I, by the way," Cohen said of the two-time defending champions. "They've built a great team, but I think we've built a great team too. I think we're going to be really competitive this year, and the goal is to meet them somewhere along the way."
