New York Mets owner Steve Cohen on Wednesday sparked another controversy via his social media activity.
Cohen tweeted his frustration with an agent for “unprofessional behavior.”
I’m not happy this morning . I’ve never seen such unprofessional behavior exhibited by a player’s agent.I guess words and promises don’t matter.
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 24, 2021
The tweet was regarding the agent for pitcher Steven Matz.
Matz agreed to a 4-year, $44 million deal with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.
Left-hander Steven Matz and the St. Louis Cardinals are in agreement on a four-year, $44 million contract, pending physical, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Matz is coming off a career-best season and has a chance to get to $48 million and will receive a signing bonus.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) November 24, 2021
Cohen later explained his issues with Matz and the pitcher’s representatives in more detail. The Mets owner told reporter Joel Sherman that it was Matz’s side that reached out to them and said the Mets were the pitcher’s first choice.
1/Just talked to Steve Cohen on the phone. He was angered that the Mets were pursued by Matz and his agent — not vice versa — and told the NYM were Matz's first choice, that there was unfinished business with the NYM and he wanted to return.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 24, 2021
3/I can’t imagine what the agent was thinking in the context of how they reached out to us and the reasons they wanted to come back. I have ever had an agent do that before with me.”
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) November 24, 2021
Maybe the Cardinals ended up offering Matz more and that’s why he chose them. Regardless, Cohen feels like he got played by Matz’s agent.
Matz’s agent Rob Martin offered a statement to Ken Rosenthal regarding the situation:
Statement from Steven Matz’s agent, Rob Martin. pic.twitter.com/yC4p1FPfaP
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 24, 2021
Since buying the team, Cohen has been vocal when it comes to expressing issues. He ripped his team over the summer regarding their poor hitting results. He also went public about issues with a draft pick.
Matz, 30, went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA for the Blue Jays last season. He pitched for the Mets from 2015-2020 and was a 2nd-round pick by the team in 2009.
Photo: Sep 11, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets majority owner Steve Cohen and his wife Alexandra Cohen at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
