Entering the 2023 season, the New York Mets have a $335 million payroll, which is the highest in Major League Baseball. Because of the team's spending habits, team owner Steve Cohen has drawn the ire of several other owners from around the league.
He's not losing sleep over what other owners are saying, though. In an interview with ESPN's Jeff Passan, Cohen urged other owners to look in mirror and potentially spend more money on their own team rather than criticize him.
Here's what he had to say:
"I've heard what everyone else has heard: that they're not happy with me. I hear things from people who are maybe more neutral -- that they're taking a lot of heat from their fans. I kind of look at that like, you're looking at the wrong person. They're putting it on me. Maybe they need to look more at themselves.
"I'm not responsible for how other teams run their clubs. I'm really not. That's not my job. And there are disparities in baseball. We know that to be true. I'm following the rules. They set the rules down, I'm following them."
According to Spotrac, there are currently 11 MLB teams that have a payroll that is lower than $100 million.
The Mets were eliminated from the 2022 postseason by the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card Series. That playoff exit has caused Cohen to spend a considerable amount of money in free agency this offseason.
His team landed starting pitcher Justin Verlander on a two-year, $86.6 million contract and also re-signed closer Edwin Diaz and outfielder Brandon Nimmo.
Surprisingly enough, the next closest team to the Mets in terms of payroll is the New York Yankees, who have a payroll that is $68 million less than their cross-city rivals.
