Mets owner Steve Cohen sends warning shot to Dodgers, Edwin Diaz responds

Steve Cohen has never been shy about flexing both muscle and microphone. This week, the owner of the New York Mets turned his attention west, toward the gold standard of spending and winning — the Los Angeles Dodgers — and more specifically, toward their newly signed closer, Edwin Díaz.

“They’re formidable,” Cohen said, measuring his words like a trader reading a volatile market. “They have the ability to spend, but so do I by the way.”

Translation: Don’t mistake Queens for small market humility.

Cohen made it clear that while Los Angeles may collect All-Stars like beachfront property, he believes the Mets are built for collision, not comparison. The goal, he said, is to “meet them somewhere along the way in the playoffs.” That’s not hope. That’s a forecast, and a potential warning shot across the bow to the back-to-back World Series champions. 

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But the sharper edge came when Cohen addressed Díaz’s departure. The Mets pivoted to Devin Williams after losing their All-Star closer, a move Cohen described as “really clever.” He even suggested New York’s offer to Díaz “might’ve been better,” raising eyebrows from Citi Field to Chavez Ravine.

Díaz, now wearing Dodger blue in Glendale, Arizona didn’t blink. “I was a free agent,” he said calmly. “The Dodgers did a great job recruiting me. At the end of the day, I chose to be here.”

And that’s the part that stings.

Because in today’s MLB arms race, money matters. Legacy matters more. The Dodgers sell rings. Cohen sells belief.

If October delivers Mets vs. Dodgers, it won’t just be payroll vs. payroll. It will be ego vs. ego — and one former closer standing in the middle of it all.