NEW YORK - Mets owner Steve Cohen criticized pitcher Steven Matz for reaching an agreement with the St. Louis Cardinals rather than New York.
"I'm not happy this morning. I've never seen such unprofessional behavior exhibited by a player's agent. I guess words and promises don't matter," Cohen wrote Wednesday on Twitter.
Matz and the Cardinals have agreed to a four-year, $44-million contract, a deal subject to a successful physical.
"We handle things the right way and so does Steven," Rob Martin, the pitcher's agent, wrote in a text to the Associated Press. "He was very interested in the possibility of returning to the Mets but at the end of the day, it didn't quite happen. That's all. There were a lot of very successful and hallmark franchises involved in offering him and it was a tough decision. However, he's excited about the next chapter of his career in STL and so are we."
Matz, a 30-year-old left-hander who is from Long Island, pitched for the Mets from 2015-20 and was traded to Toronto last January. He went a career-best 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 29 starts for the Blue Jays, then became a free agent.