Steve Cohen didn’t need to look far to find the Mets’ next President of Business Operations: just across the street from Citi Field.
In a surprising move, the Mets have named USTA CEO LEW SHERR as their President of Business Operations. He will join the organization in July and report directly to owner STEVE COHEN.
Less than two weeks ago, the USTA outlined $800M worth of self-funded renovations to the event’s host site, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center –- located in Queens right beside the Mets’ ballpark. It’s a plan Sherr had stewarded, and it marks the organization’s largest single investment into the property.
Sherr is replacing SCOTT HAVENS. The team announced Tuesday that Havens was stepping down from the role, which he’d held since 2023, with Cohen citing the two having “differing perspectives on long-term strategy.”
Sherr will be charged with providing strategic and operational leadership for the Mets, who have been undergoing regular changes to the front office since Cohen bought the team in late 2020. Sherr will oversee the senior leadership team for all front office functions, with the exception of baseball operations, which is led by DAVID STEARNS.
“Lew shares my vision for creating an exceptional fan experience at Citi Field and making the Mets an even greater part of New York’s cultural fabric,” Cohen said in a statement. “I am confident that Lew’s extensive experience and track record of success in driving growth and innovation at organizations across sports, entertainment and media will make him a great addition to our leadership team.”
While attending the U.S. Open, Cohen saw a two-week mega-event driving massive revenue, with a blue-chip roster of sponsors, tremendous facilities, and an enhanced customer experience that did especially well with New York’s high-end market. Sources said Cohen wants to emulate that same type of experience at Citi Field, with even casual fans who attend a game or two in Queens feeling like they’re at a special event. And he believes Sherr’s track record and mindset is exactly what the Mets need, people briefed in the process said.
Cohen has always wanted to move fast in business operations and told reporters after buying the team in November 2020, “I’m not crazy about people learning on my dime.”
Throughout his tenure as owner, the Mets have had frequent changes to their top executive ranks. ANDY GOLDBERG (CMO), KATIE POTHIER (Chief Legal Officer), NANCY ELDER (Chief Communications Officer) and PETER WOLL (SVP/Finance) have all left the organization in recent months.
SAMANTHA ENGELHARDT was brought in as chief operating officer last September, a key move that followed the additions of ANDREW GROSSMAN (chief growth officer, May 2024), KATIE HAAS (EVP, Ballpark Operations and Experience, April 2023) and JAKE BYE (SVP, Ticketing and Premium Experience, January 2023).
Sherr spent 15 years at the USTA, first serving as Chief Revenue Officer from 2010-2022 and then as CEO & Exec Dir for the past three years, where he was instrumental to the growth of the U.S. Open’s infrastructure, programming and revenue. For the first time last year, the tournament hosted more than one million fans across Fan Week and main draw play, raking in nearly $560M in revenue.
Sherr was also a leading voice during the Grand Slams’ push to reformat the tennis calendar into a “premier tour” of majors and 1000-level tournaments, which began in late 2023 but lost momentum over the course of 2024.
His final day with the USTA will be June 30. Upon his departure, USTA Board Chairman BRIAN VAHALY and Chief Operating Officer/Chief Legal Officer ANDREA HIRSCH will serve as interim co-CEO’s during the organization’s search for Sherr’s replacement.
Before working at the USTA, Sherr was the SVP/Marketing Partnerships at Madison Square Garden.
“For right now, my focus is the smoothest possible transition, but I’m hugely excited about what’s happening over there,” Sherr said in an interview with The Associated Press at the French Open.
On the baseball side, the Mets have been through five general managers since Cohen bought the team, one of whom, Sandy Alderson, was an interim in his second stint in the role and served as the team president until stepping down in September 2022. The position remained officially open until Havens was brought in 14 months later.
The franchise had plans for double-digit business growth in 2025. Boosted by their run to the NLCS last season, the December signing of JUAN SOTO to a 15-year, $765M contract and a 34-22 start this year that has them atop the wild-card standings, the Mets rank fifth in average attendance this season, up from 17th in 2024.
“Steve and Alex Cohen have made a commitment to that team that is unrivaled in sports,” Sherr added in the AP interview, referring to the Mets owner and his wife. “You see it on the field, off the field. The energy around the team. The energy around what they’re trying to do for the community with their foundation. The plans for the casino and the hotel and entertainment district.”
Sherr is referring to Cohen’s hopes of securing one of the coveted downstate New York casino bids. On Tuesday, a parkland alienation bill overwhelmingly passed in the state senate. Cohen wants to do an $8B Metropolitan Park project, including a Hard Rock Casino, adjacent to Citi Field.
