MIAMI — Thursday was supposed to be the triumphant opening act of the Mets’ highly anticipated 2023 season. Steven A. Cohen, the team’s billionaire owner, committed a record $377 million to payroll, according to Spotrac, and that’s before the roughly $105 million luxury tax bill arrives. Money doesn’t guarantee a championship but it certainly improves the odds.
Case in point: The Miami Marlins started their ace, the right-hander Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, on Thursday. The Mets countered with the right-hander Max Scherzer, a three-time Cy Young Award winner whom Cohen lured to New York with a record annual salary before last season.