New York Mets owner Steve Cohen isn't letting hurt feelings get in the way of trying to re-build his team - especially after missing out on the free agent of a generation.

The Mets were one of three finalists in the race for Japanese pitching phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto - who agreed to a 12-year, $325million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.

Cohen told the New York Post that he's not regretting his efforts in trying to convince Yamamoto to move to Flushing.

'I think the whole organization tried our hardest, and someone was going to win and someone was going to lose and that is the way it goes,' Cohen said while on a Caribbean vacation. 

'I feel good about our efforts and I left it all on the field. Life goes on.'

Among Cohen's efforts included a trip to Japan along with David Stearns, his president of baseball operations, to meet with the pitcher just before the winter meetings. 

Cohen also hosted Yamamoto for a dinner party at his home in Connecticut last weekend - giving the player time to get introduced to manager Carlos Mendoza and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

The owner says his team's offer was the exact same term and price as the Dodgers'. 

While Cohen didn't discuss specifics, sources told the Post that New York was one of the first to offer Yamamoto and they never got the chance to up their bid.

Yamamoto was also heavily pursued by the New York Yankees - who similarly rolled out the red carpet for the 25-year-old. 

Now the Mets say they won't be scrambling for arms to put into their bullpen by offering top free agents like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

'We're going to be thoughtful and not impulsive and thinking about sustainability over the intermediate long-term, but not focused on winning the headlines over the next week,' Cohen said. 'I think there's a couple of ways to build a team.'

Cohen added: 'Last I looked, there's never one player that is going to make or break your team. 

'We'll build it. It will happen. Slowly and surely you will see changes and improvements. We have got the right management in place with a shared vision.'