ST. LOUIS — Steven Matz escaped the Mets’ clutches last offseason, leaving the team’s owner to vent his frustration on social media.
Steve Cohen accused Matz’s agent of reneging on a contract agreement and called the behavior “unprofessional.” Instead of returning to the Mets after spending 2021 with the Blue Jays, the 30-year-old lefty signed with the Cardinals for $44 million over four years.
Matz, who will face his former team in Wednesday’s series finale at Busch Stadium, indicated Monday that he holds no ill will toward Cohen or the organization.
“He’s a passionate owner, so you have got to respect that,” Matz said. “I don’t love drama, that is not my personality so I didn’t love [Cohen’s outburst], but I was really excited to come to this organization, so that kind of overshadowed it for me.”
Before reaching agreement with the Cardinals, Matz said he had never committed to the Mets.
“I didn’t,” he said. “We wanted to get [a contract] done. It really made an interesting situation with the lockout almost forming a deadline. It was almost like a last-minute thing, but there were no deals done or anything.”
Did Matz start to envision a return to the Mets?
“I knew there was a good chance, but I really wasn’t sure,” he said. “When the Cardinals came and offered me what they did I was really excited so that was ultimately the final one. It wasn’t like I made a commitment or anything.”
The Mets ultimately rebuilt the rotation by signing Max Scherzer to a three-year contract worth $130 million and trading with Oakland for Chris Bassitt. The notion that Matz’s spurning of the Mets enraged Cohen to spend big on Scherzer and other free agents is laughable to Matz.
“I can think of like 10 million other reasons why, but the fan base is probably excited that they spent that much money,” Matz said. “Everybody respects [Cohen] for what he is doing.”
Matz belonged to a group of young pitchers with the Mets that also included Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. The only remaining Met from that group is deGrom. In recent days, Matz said it hit him that deGrom is the last remaining member of the Mets’ 2015 World Series team.
Matz spent six seasons with the Mets before he was traded to Toronto in January 2021 in a deal for Sean Reid-Foley, Yennsy Diaz and Josh Winckowski. Last season Matz pitched to a 3.82 ERA in 29 starts for the Blue Jays, helping build value that had dropped during his final Mets season.
In 2020, he pitched to a 9.68 ERA in nine appearances for the Mets and was demoted to the bullpen for a stretch.
Matz said the trade to Toronto was difficult for him because he didn’t know anybody.
“When I was with the Mets organization I knew the grounds crew, everybody in spring and especially going to Toronto last year, we didn’t really play them that much, so I knew nobody,” Matz said. “I knew Joe Panik a little bit, but that was it. Just walking into a clubhouse like that you feel like you have got to earn guys’ respect a little bit.”
Matz, who is 2-1 with a 5.27 ERA in three starts this season, said it’s a different vibe with the Cardinals.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s a real fun team, I feel like playing with [Adam] Wainwright and Yadi [Molina] and [Albert] Pujols, that is pretty special and Nolan Arenado, it’s a fun team.”