Optimism and excitement were at an all-time high for the New York Mets heading into the 2023 season, even if the previous year had ended in disappointment.

"We haven't won it yet and we're two years in, so time's running out," said New York Mets owner Steve Cohen with a laugh on the Mets'd Up podcast (via New York Post) before the season began.

No one is laughing now.

The league's richest owner made his expectations clear from the moment he purchased the team, and that comment was a callback to his introductory press conference.

"If I don't win a World Series in the next three to five years — I would like to make it sooner — then obviously I would consider that slightly disappointing," Cohen told reporters on Nov. 10, 2020, while addressing the media for the first time as owner.

He gets a mulligan for the first year when the Mets finished 77-85 since he inherited a flawed team coming off a losing season, and the second year was a significant step forward, as the team won 100 games for just the fourth time in franchise history.

However, the end result was even more disappointing. A three-game sweep at the hands of the Atlanta Braves in early October cost them the NL East title, and they were ousted in three games by an 89-win San Diego Padres team in the Wild Card Series.