Mets Owner Steve Cohen Inspires Flood Of Baseball Memes After Actually Spending Money To Improve Team

For maybe the third time in history and the first time in this writer and Mets fans' adult lives, it's a good day to be a Mets fan. That's because the team's owner, Steve Cohen, just dropped $315 million on star shortstop Carlos Correa in an 11th-hour deal that gives the Mets yet another prized free agent and one of the most stacked (and by far the most expensive) roster in baseball history.

The Mets have spent the offseason signing many of the most coveted free agents in baseball, including Edwin Diaz, Justin Verlander, Adam Ottavino, Brandon Nimmo, Kodai Senga and more. As ESPN reported, the Correa deal gives the 2023 Mets a $384 million payroll. Because of baseball's "luxury tax" system meant to dissuade teams from spending astronomical numbers on the league's most talented players, they owe baseball an additional $111 million dollars. That means the total price on their 2023 season is nearly $500 million dollars, a number no other team in baseball history has come within $150 million of reaching.

The Mets are believed to have been plagued by years of horrible ownership, including one previous billionaire owner getting caught in a Ponzi scheme. The Mets, ever-in-the-shadow of their crosstown rival Yankees, who for years dominated baseball by buying the best talent with Steinbrenner cash; the Mets, who for five decades existed as baseball's lovable underdogs, are now, on paper, baseball's powerhouse. Naturally, this set off a chain reaction of discourse on sports Twitter.

Is it "good for the game" that one owner is flexing his wealth to such a gaudy extent? Is what Cohen showing he's capable of a sign that other owners not going to such extreme financial measures are being cheap? The takes flew left and right as baseball nerds hashed out the meaning behind "spending a lot of money to make your team good."

As a kid growing up in NYC, I loved the @Mets because they were plucky underdogs. Now they're the team anyone who loves baseball should root against, with a disreputable owner who is so blatantly trying to buy a title that you have to hope he fails. https://t.co/fqrBiZAHzM

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) December 21, 2022

An awakening is happening! The masses are realizing their favorite baseball team’s owner isn’t poor he’s just fucking cheap! There are no “small markets” only small owners! It’s not your money! Free yourself from the Owners Mindset, embrace class hatred for a better team! https://t.co/HC5ogxI7OM

— Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) December 21, 2022

yeah it sucks that steve cohen is the only billionaire in baseball and all the other teams are owned by small community nonprofits and mom and pop stores (touches earpiece) wait i’m hearing that all the other owners are also billionaires https://t.co/bO9KYSRkGO

— Sal Gentile (@salgentile) December 21, 2022

Whether or not Steve Cohen is "good for baseball" is a topic beyond the scope of this article (though for Mets fans, it's great "for the game," unless it was another team doing it), but one thing is for sure: the deal inspired a bevy of sports memes.

MLB OWNERS: sir, please, you can’t just sign everyone, please!STEVE COHEN (pointing at a seagull): Four years, $36 million

— Jesse Spector (@jessespector) December 21, 2022

Steve Cohen to Mets fans on this Wednesday Morning pic.twitter.com/YNHRWKhoqP

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) December 21, 2022

mets fans watching steve cohen drop $800 million on free agents pic.twitter.com/cn031TNCwA

— our big beautiful stan account (@real_green_man) December 21, 2022

Perhaps Steve Cohen is abiding by one of baseball's universal truths. It's not about the money. It's about the METS, BABY! LET'S GO METS, AW YEAH HIT A HOME RUN, LET'S GO METS.