"Gotta pay for Juan Soto somehow" - Fans mock Mets owner Steve Cohen for putting up $10M-worth gold toilet for auction

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is reportedly parting ways with one of the most eye-catching pieces in his art collection, a solid gold toilet estimated to be worth around $10 million.

According to Sotheby’s, the 18-karat gold sculpture titled America, created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, will go up for auction later this month in New York. The sale is expected to start near the melt value of the piece, which weighs roughly 101 kilograms.

Cohen purchased the artwork in 2017, years before he became the Mets’ majority owner. The gold toilet has long been one of Cattelan’s most recognizable works, having gained international attention when a similar version was displayed at New York’s Guggenheim Museum and later stolen from Blenheim Palace in England in 2019.

The version now being auctioned was acquired privately and has remained in Cohen’s collection since then. As soon as reports of Cohen’s auction plans surfaced, baseball fans quickly turned it into a running joke on social media.

"Gotta pay for Soto somehow," a fan wrote.

"If he sells it what will he use to flush the next Mets season?" another fan said.

"Investing in a gold toilet? Similar to his investment in the Mets." one fan commented.

"He needs the money to sign Patrick Corbin," another fan tweeted.

"Whatever it takes to re-sign Pete," one fan wrote.

"Soto fleeced the Mets so bad, the owner has to sell his crapper. LOLMETS," another fan said.

Steve Cohen issues public apology to Mets fans and promises offseason review

Steve Cohen has publicly apologized to fans following another disappointing season and pledged a complete internal review of the organization’s shortcomings. Cohen shared the message on Monday on X (formerly Twitter), after the Mets were officially eliminated from postseason contention.

"Mets fans everywhere, I owe you an apology," Cohen wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "You did your part by showing up and supporting the team. We didn’t do our part. We will do a post-mortem and figure out the obvious and less obvious reasons why the team didn’t perform up to your and my expectations."

Cohen called the season’s result "unacceptable" and thanked fans for their continued support, saying their passion "motivates the organization to do better."

Despite one of baseball’s highest payrolls with over $342 million this year, per Spotrac. Cohen’s message signals possible offseason changes across the front office and roster as the team looks to rebound in 2026.

Edited by Shubham Soni