Did Steve Cohen Take The Mets Out Of The Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes Before They Start?

It’s been a rough week for the New York Mets and their fans, and it may just gotten a bit worse.

A season that started with exceptionally high expectations after huge financial investments from owner Steve Cohen all but officially came to an end by Tuesday’s trade deadline. The disappointing Mets traded David Robertson, Tommy Pham, Mark Canha, and superstar pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. All over the span of just a few days.

READ: JUSTIN VERLANDER, MAX SCHERZER AMONG TOP 10 TRADE DEADLINE MOVES OF LAST 25 YEARS

The Scherzer trade in particular revealed far more about the team’s direction than just its hopes for 2023. Scherzer openly admitted prior to being traded that he wanted to know more about Cohen’s plans for the next few seasons.

While he told reporters that he believed the team would focus more on 2025-2026, it made sense. The Mets had an aging roster that needed reinforcements.

But with a significant group of impact free agents available in the 2023-2024 offseason, the Mets seemed primed to reload quickly. Particularly with the expected availability of the best player in the world, Shohei Ohtani.

Except Cohen admitted Wednesday that when he spoke with Scherzer, he implied the Mets wouldn’t be in on top targets.

“Max asked me straight up if I’d be all-in on free agents,” Cohen said. “And I couldn’t give him that promise.”

That sure seems to rule out Ohtani, expected to be the most expensive free agent in MLB history.