Even as a global pandemic rages, threatening the 2020 MLB season and leaving a murky economic outlook for the game of baseball, the Wilpon family continues to pursue a sale of the Mets. Indeed, it seems the desire has only increased since the collapse of a deal earlier this year with minority owner Steve Cohen.
The Wilpons would surely like to be able to reanimate that agreement, which crumbled just before the scope of the coronavirus crisis became evident. Now, as Thornton McEnery and Josh Kosman of the New York Post report, the Mets are feeling the pinch of the shutdown with the revenue spigot turned off.
Despite that apparent motivation, the Wilpon family isn’t willing to part with the profitable SNY sports network in the deal, per the report. That guaranteed cash flow would obviously be of particular interest under the circumstances, though that’s also the motivation for keeping it.
The Wilpons have reportedly set a $2.6B asking price — without the franchise control strings that had been involved in the Cohen agreement but also sans SNY. Most chatter suggests that’s now a fanciful figure under the dire economic circumstances, though as ever the market will provide the answer.
There’s even now some banter around the idea that Alex Rodriguez and fiancee Jenifer Lopez could benefit from the Wilpons’ tough spot. The celebrity duo seems to be taking serious steps towards a real bid. The Post reports that they could team up with former Marlins bidder Wayne Rothbaum to land the New York franchise. It’s anyone’s guess how this situation will develop over the coming weeks, but the stage is obviously set for a rather interesting process with quite the cast of characters.
Wilpon’s need to sell but I don’t think ARoid/Jho is the best option. It would be like trading a pyramid (scheme) for a 3 ring circus.
*clap *clap *clap
You forgot to work in a DemocRATS or Trumptard
Huh?
This is a charade. The Wilpons won’t include the part of the business with positive cash flow? They are not serious about selling.
Wake up. You are being played. They will not sell.. They may bring on more minority owners to buy out Saul Katz. But the Wilpons won’t leave. .
When they finally sell my life will be complete. Worst owners ever in the history of sports
Fox were the worst owners in sports history
Mc Court was the worst.
Touche’. In both instances, Fox and McCourt were my favorite owners of the Dodgers. X
Because as a Giants fan they dragged that team down. We cheered during those years
Agree!
Mark Cuban says that there are only 2 sports owners. Those that hate to lose money and those to hate to lose games. ARod has always seemed like a guy that hates to lose games. He would be an upgrade on the Wilpons, a big one…
I don’t know bout that he ran quick to Texas for $$$$
I dunno about that. his ex teamate in Miami is (was) sure losing a ton of games, traded away every star calibur player he had for crumbs and i’m betting they sure weren’t making money with all those empty seats after that ownership vowed to turn the organization around.
ARod, never much popular outside of NY? Just how would his name translate to working magic? could any team with his name on it even get approval to own a team?
A-rod is buddy buddy w the MLB again and he calls baseball games for ESPN. You’ve been asleep since the steroid scandal if you think it’d be a problem for him to own a team.
Also, Marlins comments are way off base. They had to sell of pieces. Other than the Yelich deal, it was what had to be done. The team had no farm. No one was ever going to spend another 100 million bucks to make them a fringe playoff contender.
Jeter also owns a completely insignificant amount of the Marlins… 5% isn’t much.
Jeter must hate losing money I suppose
He did forgo his salary this year
A-Rod unfortunately doesn’t have Mark Cuban’s money
They will hamstring the franchise under these terms since the team has a bad tv deal as most teams that have ownership do so that more goes to them and less to revenue sharing. I dont see how they can sell the team and keep the network without tearing up the teams current tv deal.
Worse than Jeffrey Loria? Or the idiots who bought the TB Lightning in the late 2000s?
Obviously your not a redskins fan
Schneider is a good one
As in good example of who not to hope for
Norman Braiman was bad too
I read on TMZ that if J Lo and A Rod are successful in their bid in acquiring The Mets. The first order of business J Lo wants all the seats in Citi Field replaced with seats that are 6 inches wider. A Fraud wants all Mets season ticket holders to show documentation that they have never taken any steroids. In his words its ” Shameful and Disrespectful and will not be tolerated.
The Wilsons set the bar so low that other ownership of any kind is am upgrade. Don’t hate on JLo because you never had a shot…
We got an incel at the top of the page calling her Jho. He’s definitely jelly that he doesn’t get to do her every night
And you’re not? Lol. I’m not even trying to troll here. Who would pass up the chance to hit that?
You were going for funny but this one was not funny.
No one cares
Thank you for sharing
I predict Bezos will buy the team, then in a couple years buy some Midwest state which he will then rename Amazon, everyone there will call the team the Amazin’ Amazon Mets. They will win several championships, surpass the luxury tax by such a degree at the end that they spend more on tax than every other team does in payroll collectively. The league will begin to disband, then the country, then monkeys take over.
forgot to mention he relocates the team to his new land where he sets up headquarters and a thriving economy..
you had me until you said Bezos would be paying luxury tax
Right. Perhaps my vision for his eventual success was skewed. Maybe he sets up an espionage of other teams’ intel and a sign stealing scheme involving drones or satellites that puts every other attempt at cheating to shame….
Ah well, back to my stash of drugs to help me through these times.
How do buy a state? Lay off the weed.
You look for an opportunity where the economy tanks so much that it’s the only viable bailout people must accept. Pretty apocalyptic vision, who knows how long it may be before things are that dire financially…
Not the most off the wall idea I’ve heard, but you definitely gave it a good shot.
This is some BASEketball stuff. Hilarious.
Pretty much every other sports team has followed the Bezos model of “oh we need free money to build our playgrounds because jobs”
I hope if they buy the Mets they have a provision in case of divorce! Figures ARod wants NYC.
We want a billionaire owner.
Would baseball really okay a convicted cheater like A-roid buy a team? Doesn’t make sense!
yes, because Arod the player and Arod the business man are separate. His money is as green as Jeter’s/
Anybody know if the stadium and the RSN come with the deal?
The article states the Wilpons are unwilling to sell SNY, which means the deal is dead in the water.
$1