Steve Cohen addresses if Mets could again be trade-deadline sellers

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen isn't yet thinking about the trade deadline amid the club's latest woes. 

"I believe in this team," Cohen told Andy Martino of SNY after the Mets fell to 19-23 via a 10-5 loss at the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. "I believe in the back of the baseball card. It’s way too early to speculate on anything. It’s May 16." 

Last summer, Cohen signed off on a summer fire sale that included the club trading co-aces Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. Cohen then failed to sign Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in free agency before the owner allowed Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns to pivot and add depth pieces in the offseason. 

The 2024 Mets began the campaign at 0-5 before they improved to 12-8. However, the Amazins most recently dropped five of six games against the Phillies and Atlanta Braves going back to last Friday. New York's only win during that stretch came via a walk-off home run. 

Perhaps most worrisome for the Mets is that their biggest stars simply aren't getting the job done at the plate on a consistent basis. Per ESPN stats, first baseman Pete Alonso began Thursday batting .225 for the season. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo possessed a .215 average at that time. Shortstop Francisco Lindor was at .200. 

"I know the fan base is frustrated, but it’s still early," Cohen added during his chat with Martino. "We’re still very capable of making the playoffs. I fully expect to make the playoffs."

Cohen hopes the returns of ace Kodai Senga and power-hitting catcher Francisco Alvarez will eventually help the Mets right the ship. Senga seemingly isn't close to making his regular-season debut as he continues recovering from a moderate capsule strain in the back of his right shoulder. Alvarez may be out until July after he underwent surgery to repair a UCL tear in his thumb.

"All in the future, not much we can do until the trade deadline," Cohen wrote on X Wednesday night in response to a fan. Cohen eventually deleted that post and told Martino he wasn't hinting that the Mets will punt on this season. 

With that said, it's already getting late quite early for this year's edition of the Mets.