It’s not just Steve Cohen’s billions that are making a difference for the Mets.
Trevor May, who officially signed with the Mets on Wednesday, credited the new owner’s overall impact on the team with affecting the right-hander’s decision to come to Queens.
“To be honest, one of the biggest things is kind of the buzz around Steve and the purchase of the team and the excitement of all the changes happening,’’ May said on a Zoom call Thursday. “My immediate reaction was wanting to be a part of something like that.”
No doubt the two year, $15.5 million deal played a part, as well.
May became among the first significant free-agent signings of the offseason and will join a bullpen that includes several players the Mets hope bounce back, including Edwin Diaz, Dellin Betances and Jeurys Familia.
But the Mets, with a new financial outlook following Cohen’s purchase of the team, figure to continue adding pieces and will be players in free agency.
They are engaged with James McCann, the best catcher on the market aside from J.T. Realmuto, who remains a possibility.
And the best starting pitcher in free agency, Trevor Bauer; outfielder, George Springer; and infielder, DJ LeMahieu, continue to be available.
To secure any of their services, the Mets will need more than just Cohen’s enthusiasm.
“I couldn’t name another owner that is as big a fan of a team he’s gonna own and has a measure of accessibility and wit to him,’’ May said of Cohen, who regularly responds to fans on Twitter. “There was a connection, immediately.”
May said he has yet to speak with Cohen personally, but he noted how fast the Mets were in making a serious offer in this unusual offseason in which there are plenty of questions regarding the state of the economy around the sport.
May said he was surprised how quickly the deal came together, with the discussions between the two sides gaining momentum before Thanksgiving.
“The Mets went waist-deep faster than a lot of other teams,’’ said May, adding he heard from roughly half the teams in the league.
In Queens, May will be reunited with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who was the assistant pitching coach with the Twins in 2018-19.
May credited Hefner with regaining his form when he returned from Tommy John surgery in 2018. Hefner underwent the surgery twice as a pitcher and cautioned May on expecting too much too soon.
“When my [velocity] wasn’t where I wanted it to be, he preached patience,’’ May said. “A lot of what I’ve learned is through having candid conversations with him.”
That velocity has gotten even better more recently, which May attributes to improved mechanics. And he’s confident he can continue that trend as he embraces analytics and how it impacts his delivery.
And he’s taken upon himself to try to increase the popularity of the sport, in a somewhat similar fashion to what Bauer has done: by communicating with fans online.
“For whatever reason, my passion is thinking of creative ways to bring people into the game and to engage with fans,’’ May said. “If that’s something you’re interested in doing, collaborating with people and doing cool things, there’s no better place than New York.”
Being public brings its own challenges, which May said he understands. And he knows that will be a bigger issue in New York than it was in Minnesota — but he intends to embrace it.
“The biggest thing probably is how passionate the [Mets] fans are,’’ May said. “I feed off that stuff. I love playing baseball mostly because of the emotions fans give to the players. I don’t think there’s a better place than New York to get that connection.”
