Mets owner Steve Cohen took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to connect directly with the fans of his team. They’ve been wanting to hear from him for a while, and he’s giving them what they want. He’ll be participating in a press conference before Wednesday’s game at Citi Field against the Milwaukee Brewers.
If you’re hoping major changes will be made, don’t hold your breath. General manager Billy Eppler spoke on Tuesday and basically said all the things we’ve been hearing for weeks now:
To summarize Billy Eppler's 21-minute press conference today: sweeping changes are not coming to the Mets. Team brass still believes in Buck Showalter, still believes in the coaching staff and still believes in the players. The internal focus is on improving what's already here.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) June 27, 2023
If we had to venture a guess, Cohen’s time with the media won’t be much different. It’ll be an opportunity to answer questions directly from reporters, as well as share a message with the fans who are desperate to see their favorite team right the ship.
While talking about this upcoming presser, one Twitter user made a very good point. At least Cohen is willing to emerge from the owner’s box and talk with the media when times aren’t good. Something like this wouldn’t have happened during the Wilpon era.
And who knows, maybe the front office coming out and continuing to support the players has lit a fire? They finally put everything together on Tuesday against Milwaukee — David Peterson provided six shutout innings, the bullpen kept things under control, and the offense put up a bunch of crooked numbers.
We’ve seen this movie before, though. There have been times when it looked like the Mets were pulling themselves out of this weeks-long funk, only to go right back in. New York needs to string a few of these together before some people start believing again. So, Cohen will likely have to answer some tough and/or uncomfortable questions from the media later today. Here are 10 that we came up with.
– Buck has mentioned multiple times that you come armed with questions trying to find out “why” things are happening. What kind of questions are you asking, and are you getting satisfactory answers?
– Billy Eppler expressed confidence that the current staff can help turn things around. What makes you agree with that assessment?
– Why do you think Buck is still the right manager to lead the Mets?
– How much guidance/direction does he have to take from those above him when making in-game decisions?
– How much longer will New York go before waving the metaphorical white flag this season in order to sell at the deadline?
– Outside of the obvious (not winning), what’s been the most frustrating aspect of watching this tailspin?
– The Mets were 11-5 with the ugly New York Presbyterian patch and 22-33 with the updated one. Would you consider going back to the old one?
– Are you regretting any of the offseason moves the Mets made (and didn’t make)?
– Eppler mentioned the team’s stance on dealing top prospects at the trade deadline will be similar to last year. If the Mets are buyers, how will the approach differ from last year?
– Why do you say “listen” so many times when answering questions? (That one’s for me because I’m still curious.)
If you were in the room for this presser, what would you ask Cohen?
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
