Mets' Noah Syndergaard takes jab at Wilpon regime, sounds excited about new team owner Steve Cohen

A reference to the Showtime series 'Billions' makes said enthusiasm clear

Former hedge funder Steve Cohen completed his purchase of the New York Mets on Friday. That means an end to the neglectful ownership of the Wilpon family, and that means elusive Mets optimism moving forward. 

Particularly optimistic, it seems, are Mets players. For a prominent example look no further than fireball-ing right-hander Noah Syndergaard, who dropped this quote not longer after Cohen's ownership bid was officially approved: 

Noah Syndergaard tells The Post: “All I plead is that the new owner treats players and personnel in the organization like people and less like expendable commodities. That being said, I couldn’t be more excited having the real life Bobby Axelrod leading the charge.”

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) October 30, 2020

That's not exactly a subtle jab at the outgoing Wilpon regime, which isn't surprising given Syndergaard's occasional disaffected outlook toward the club's high command. As well, there's a reference to Bobby Axlerod, the chronically intense power broker on the Showtime series "Billions" who's played by Damian Lewis. Snydergaard's invocation of Bobby Axlerod is hardly a reach, as it's widely believed that the character is based on Cohen himself.  

In any event, it's easy to understand why Syndergaard sees a change at the top as a most welcome thing. The 28-year-old has been part of the organization since December of 2012, when the Mets acquired him from the Blue Jays as part of the R.A. Dickey blockbuster. While Thor's Mets tenure has involved some on-field success -- they made the World Series in his rookie campaign of 2015 -- it's also involved an inordinate amount of dysfunction and organizational incompetence. As Syndergaard prepares to enter his walk year of 2021, he's allowing himself some optimism that Cohen brings in sweeping and overdue changes.