Steve Cohen didn’t buy the New York Mets to pinch pennies or worry about luxury tax thresholds like a small-market owner. While the front office is already grinding through negotiations with Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz, the financial reality of this winter is staring everyone right in the face. The team currently has a projected payroll of $250 million, but remember where they finished last season: a staggering $342 million in adjusted payroll.

That gap isn’t just an accounting footnote; it is a war chest. That leaves the front office with nearly $100 million to spend if they simply want to match their previous aggression levels. We know Cohen’s mindset is to go all out, and he is positioned to weaponize that financial might in a way that could alter the balance of the National League East

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