What's been your general impression so far, Steve?
Yeah, I just got here today and you know, I feel like there's a different energy here this year than last year. I don't know what it is. It just feels really optimistic. A lot of new faces and so I'm kind of, you know, I'm really excited by this team. I'm excited by the energy I see and we'll see what happens.
When you look at not just the new players but pretty much an entirely new coaching staff, is there a process in making that work quickly by the time you get to the opening bell?
Yeah, I mean listen, I'm not, you know, in the weeds like that and that's David's job and the team's job. But you know, these are professionals. They've been other clubs. They know the drill and you know sometimes it's good to get different points of view, new energy, new thoughts and new ways of doing things and so I look at this as a positive.
Steve, you guys made some pretty bold moves separating with very popular players with your fan base and players that have been here a long time obviously with Alonzo, Nimmo. Diaz was a different kind of decision. How tough was that? Do you consider that being a problem moving forward? Do you think it's a good thing? How do you view what you guys did?
Well, listen, I mean, you and I, I've said this the other day. These are players sort of grew up in my ownership with and got to know personally. And so, you know, from a personal standpoint, it's tough to say goodbye. But you know, one door closes, another one opens. And so I'm excited about the possibilities here. I'm excited by the energy. I'm excited by the quality of the players that we brought in and I think the Met fans are really going to be excited in the type of play we're going to demonstrate this year.
Did you get the sense that the change was needed? In that regard. I mean, certainly David did in the decisions he made, but...
Yeah. You know, listen, I mean, we haven't won and I really want to win, right? Each year goes by I get more annoyed and so you know listen I mean it's hard to know when to make those changes and sometimes they happen in a way that you don't fully anticipate or expect but the other side is you know we have a really sharp baseball management and these guys were prepared and had alternatives and like I said you know saying goodbye is always tough, but saying hello is kind of fun.
How annoyed are you about not winning?
Yeah, I'm annoyed. I'm absolutely annoyed. You know, every year that goes by, I get frustrated and I'm really listen, I'm really committed to this team and I know how much the fans care. I know we're celebrating the 40th anniversary of 1986, and that's just too long. And there's a lot of great teams out there. No matter what you do, it doesn't mean you're necessarily going to win the World Series. But I just want to put myself in position every year in the playoffs where we have a good chance with a really good team.
Is it harder than you thought it would be, Steve?
Um, yeah. Listen, I mean, you come in and you're hopeful that, you know, you can make something happen and listen, all I can do is put the best team on the field that I can and then you got to let the chips fall where they may.
What are the ramifications if you get more annoyed?
Well, I don't know. I mean, you know, when I say I get annoyed, I mean it's more about wanting to accomplish my goals and listen, we have a, like I said, but I'm also a very patient guy and so I guess I have to combine the two and know that it's not easy to win. I mean, Joel, you know that, right? I mean, there are 30 teams out there and there are a lot of good teams out there.
Was it tougher for you last offseason given that you'd gotten that big taste of it the year before and you kind of expect it to go this way and then to go down again?
Yeah. Well, you know, that's what I would call you just never know what the season's going to bring, right? I mean in '24 we weren't very good out of the gate and then turned it completely around. '25 we're in first place in June did the opposite. The longer I've been here the more I realize that all I can do is commit the resources, allow my baseball people to pick the players and then you know a lot of it goes year to year and it's dependent on injuries, it's dependent on a lot of things and you know it's really hard to predict the future.
Steve, you guys have been up and down throughout your tenure as owner. What gives you the confidence that things will be more sustainable particularly after this past offseason?
Well, listen, I think you know what's different than say a few years ago is, you know, I feel the farm system is in a different place. Listen, we've always brought in and had, you know, really strong veterans, but I think that combination creates sustainability. And listen, I'm always going to try to put the best team I can on the field, but having that extra gear coming from the minors, from our prospects, you know, having now listen prospects, you never know how they're going to ultimately play, but if you have enough of them, you're probably going to end up a few of them going to work out fine.
Steve, as an owner who's taken pride in building a family atmosphere here, how difficult was it emotionally to let those players that you mentioned have been here since the beginning for you and how do you balance the business from the personal?
Listen, I mean, you develop these relationships and I felt what the fans felt, right? I mean, and the worst part was these players left and yet we hadn't signed or figured out who was going to fill those positions. And I describe it as even I was feeling anxiety, right? Like how are we going to get there? But David kept cautioning me and telling me that, you know, stay patient, you know, that it's a long offseason. I think the offseason doesn't end December, it ends, you know, even past today, right? I mean, potentially, right, for teams and we stayed patient and disciplined and I feel really good about what we accomplished.
Carlos is in the final year of his contract. What do you want to see from him this season?
Yeah, listen, I think Carlos is a great manager. Okay. And I think he's a great guy and a great motivator and I believe a manager's main job is culture. Okay. Obviously they're in game decisions, right? But it's really about creating the right culture and you know I think Carlos does that really well.
What did you make of I guess the talk that the clubhouse last year maybe wasn't where it needed to be?
I'm not familiar. What are you talking about?
Um, even Carlos had said it on a podcast that there was almost like a corporate culture in the club.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, obviously you want a locker room where people are rowing together and you know, corporate culture sounds almost impersonal, right? And I think there's an opportunity in a locker room where people can really enjoy being with each other. And I think that only makes for a better team. And listen, obviously you can have teams win, you know, maybe with not the best culture, but I view that as can only be a positive, and that's the type of culture I want.
Steve, the Dodgers had another big offseason. Do you feel they've kind of widened the gap on everybody or how do you look at that dynamic?
Well, I mean, listen, they're formidable, right? I mean, they have the ability to spend. So do I, by the way. And you know they've built a great team and but I think we've built a great team and I think we're going to be really competitive this year and the goal is to meet them somewhere along the way in the playoffs.
Did you expect to sign Kyle Tucker?
Um, I wasn't sure, you know, I had a great Zoom with him. I felt like we had a real shot. You never know in free agency, right? I mean you just never know how it's going to go. I mean, those are personal decisions. You know, you're not always privy in how they make those decisions. And so, all you can do is go after the best people you can and then if it doesn't work, you know, you have alternatives.
You guys pretty quickly pivoted afterwards to Bader. What was that process like? Those 12, 16 hours.
Well, the way I describe it is, you know, when the news came down and Kyle, literally the body was still warm and we were getting calls from agents. Okay. Literally five minutes later I was like the body's still warm here. Okay. And so I actually went to bed annoyed right, it's like ah we didn't get him, you know I was like and then but you know the agent for Bader had called us right after and discussion started. You never know how they're going to go and it moved really quickly.
Had those discussions been happening along the way or did they just happen after Kyle signed with the Dodgers?
I mean, those are the preparations that our front office does, right? They I describe as throwing a lot of lines in the sea and see what catches and you know, you have plan A, you have plan B and plan C and but that's part of trying to build a team. You never know who's going to sign with you and you know, all you can do is have alternatives.
Stephen, you talk about how badly you want to win. Obviously, only one team can win every year. Given that context, I mean, what would a successful season look like to you? What does this team have to achieve for it to be considered a success?
Yeah, listen, I think, you know, I think table stakes is making playoffs. Got to make the playoffs, right? I mean, I missed the playoffs last year. Missing two years in a row, that's not good. And then obviously you want to go deep. And yeah, you can't, you know, these are short series. You can't control what goes on in these short series. Anything can happen. But I think the idea is keep putting yourself in that position, you know, year in year out, which we haven't done, right? It's been off and on. And so we got to do better. And you know, those are the goals that I'm seeking.
Steve, along those same lines, you sat here last year and mentioned to the fans that you devoted the resources to get them to come out to the ballpark. They came out to the ballpark last year, filled the stadium for you. Are you worried about losing some of that momentum just because you guys didn't kind of fill your end of the bargain to the left last year?
Well, you know, I don't see that. I don't see it in the season ticket sales and early ticket sales look pretty strong. Okay. And so, you know, I don't see that. And, you know, Met fans, they're pretty, they've been through thick and thin and I think we're going to provide a great team for them to watch this year. So, I think they're going to be pretty excited about the type of ball we're going to play.
Does it feel like there's a window you have to capitalize on this season with given the potential for a lockout next season or at the end of the year?
Well, you know, I don't know how that's going to go, but I'm focused on '26 and we're in spring training. We got 162 games to play, kind of a marathon. And so, it's hard to even look past that. And so I'm excited for '26 and I'm excited for what these guys are going to accomplish.
Steve, you said with Howie Rose that you found the Diaz negotiations perplexing. Is there anything you wanted to see done differently on your side of it?
Well, you know, listen, you can always learn from, you know, you always want to assess, you know, if something didn't happen the way you want it to happen. You know, I wish Edwin well, great guy and you know, but I'm looking forward to '26 and, you know, I feel like we've built a really good team and you know I'm moving forward.
You have been very conscientious always about saying like that's David's purview for like baseball. Have you morphed, evolved, changed at all where you're doing something different as an owner now than maybe previously or plan to during 2026 that you hadn't previously?
