While it’s fun to imagine Alex Rodriguez and Jenifer Lopez overseeing the Mets from an ownership suite, they’re not alone in their bidding group … and there are plenty of other competing outfits eyeing the New York organization. At the moment, it’s far from clear just how the ownership transition will turn out.
Seven different groups have received pre-approval from Major League Baseball to pursue the Mets, Scott Soshnick reports at Sportico.com. That includes the three primary bidding groups that have already emerged publicly. The identity of the four other potential suitors remains unknown.
In recent years, we’ve seen teams change hands via differing mechanisms. Last year, John Sherman purchased his hometown Royals in a very quiet, tidy process. The 2017 Marlins sale occurred after a very public, long-running bidding process involving quite a few famous names.
It appears we’re headed for the latter scenario here. While the Mets had seemingly lined up an agreement with minority owner Steve Cohen, that prospective deal collapsed and left the Wilpon ownership group in need of outside bidders.
Under the circumstances, the Wilpons are surely interested in maintaining the interest of a fair number of reasonably serious bidders, at least for the initial phase of the process. First-round bids will be solicited in July, according to Soshnick.
this should be interesting
Hopefully the seven prospective ownership groups are all in on winning instead of tanking which many new owners are fine with
It depends on what the realistic competitive timeframe of the team you buy is. Wouldn’t make much sense for a team to buy the Orioles or Royals and go all in tomorrow.
No way do the Wilpons get to stick around 5 years, which is why the orginal deal collapsed.
The original deal collapsed because Cohen wanted to change the terms he had already agreed to. I dislike the Wilpons as much as the next guy, but you have to know the facts before commenting
There are stories in both camps. Impossible for us on the outside to know what really happened. That said, it seems like the original price which did not include SNY or real estate holdings will not be met.
And you do?
right because you know all that went on, and like cohen agreed to buy the team and let little jeff remain in control of it? here, ill sell you my car, oh, i still get to drive it everyday for the next 5 years….. that seems fair, lets write up the agreement….
I don’t think it will be fun to imagine the POS, Alex Rodriguez in any owners box.
Or his attention needy old lady. It’s bad enough those two took over Sunday night baseball making it unwatchable with Mendoza stomping all over the broadcast. I have no idea how ARod got back into the media’s good graces but I sure wish he would disappear
If he buys the Mets, I imagine he wouldn’t be on the ESPN broadcasts anymore.
I would just turn off the volume and watch the Sunday night games with music playing
Exactly what I do Metsfan
haha, you jelly
As a Marlins fan, I think it will be great to see A*Roids and J-Lo in the ownership box for the Mets. I think Phillies, Nats and Braves fans feel the same way too. We could see the headlines….all the time.
I’ll be rooting for them! And if the words of rival fans aren’t enough, I’m pretty sure the rival owners of the other NL East teams will be rooting for it too – especially Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan.
You’re gonna be awfully disappointed when Steve Cohen ends up buying the team.
Yes, I will be disappointed if Cohen buys the team. A*Roids and J-Lo are my hopes to buy the Mets. That will make everyone in the NL East happy.
You are quite a petty person aren’t you?
Yet they will be more successful than Jeter… I love how y’all think you’re going to be a dynasty bc of a few prospects….. in the 20 years the only thing in this world that will stay the same is that the Marlins will still not have a division championship…..
If you say so.
Why? No one ever accused ARod of not wanting to win, at any cost. If I were a fan of a rival team, a guy who has proven he will do anything to win– take PEDs, slap fielder’s gloves, yell at opposing fielders trying to catch flies– would be a guy I would NOT want owning a rival team. Especially if the guy actually knew something about baseball.
Perfect, list all of the reasons that ARod is a joke that the media built back up for some unknown reason. ARod being an owner would be the most Mets thing ever
I agree totally… I guess he could teach Mets players how to use steroids and get suspended for a year!!
@Gasu1
Did you not know about the story about him tipping his team’s pitcher to opposing players in exchange for them tipping their pitchers to help each other pad stats?
Helping opposing hitters to get inside tips for yourself does not sound like doing anything to win. It sounds like doing anything to help yourself.
ARod vs Jeter might stir up a healthy and competitive rivalry.
With the Marlins, the unrivaled worst franchise in baseball?
Informal poll:
If J-Roids’ group is successful and Alex is put in charge of Performance Enhancement, I mean Skills Optimization, will a Met or Marlin get the first PED suspension?
Although it might be interesting to see A-roid and Jeter’s teams competing in the NL East against each another, A-roid has no business owning a MLB team. Then again, they shouldn’t be allowing him to do broadcasting either, but they are. He’s a cheater and a liar. The Mets can do better, for themselves and their fans.
Agreed. He had a lot of talent but much of his wealth was fraudulently obtained by his PED usage. I still can’t understand the comparison with greenies of the 60s. One was out in the open prescribed by team physicians to stay alert and the other was done hidden at all costs.
Baseball players are entertainers who are paid based on very real factors, like the ability to draw a crowd, sell tickets, and increase the value of broadcasts. Whether or not someone does steroids is irrelevant, especially when it started at a time when there was no rules explicitly forbidding it. You can say his stats may be fradualent, but his money is obviously not.
Of course there were rules. National and State laws were violated which is why everything was done in secrecy. As I recall in his case, he went to a fraudulent clinic front and even did it under an alias. Of course he knew he was cheating the sport and obtaining illegal drugs to perpetrate a fraud. Same thing with Roger the legal dodger who said the drugs delivered were for his wife..
“One was out in the open prescribed by team physicians to stay alert and the other was done hidden at all costs.”
How were steroids “hidden at all costs”? Throughout the ’90s/’00s most of us knew what was going on in baseball, both fans and members of the sport alike. If you didn’t realize it was happening you were either in denial or just foolish. So, yeah, the idea that it was “hidden” is silly.
You knew it was being done but for the most part it was guesswork on who and how many. I recall those debates at Yankee-Red Six games before A-Rod joined the Yankees. It was Alex most likely to definite, Nomar likely and Jeter doubtful.
HGH was prescribed by some doctors too.
Not in good faith unless they had a disorder like lack of height and could still grow. Those doctors were getting paid to circumvent the law.
Twitter reports indicate Steve Cohen is among the bid groups.
a-rod /j-low will do a total rebrand from head to toe of the Mets . To bring there look to the 2020’s J-Low will totally re-design do uniforms logo through her design company and a rod will totally re-design the entire front office marketing baseball operations
Totally
Can you imagine how gaudy the owners box will be if A-Rod & J-Lo win the bid? That alone might be worth seeing it happen.
I do find it funny how a guy who received the longest suspension in MLB history can be back on TV broadcasting games and bid to purchase a club while the all time hits leader can’t get into the Hall of Fame because he bet on his team to WIN while he was a coach.
Jenrry Mejia says to hold his beer.
Winning the bid and getting approved by the league aren’t necessarily the same.
If they sell it by October it’ll be like a World Series win for me!
I’m rooting for Arod and JLO big time, I think they would make great owners. I’m a Met Fan since 1962. And I mean that 100 percent. Good Luck Guys!!!!!!
If any one of the potential new owners dump BVM I will be very happy.
Wilpons and BVM gone will be enough for me; the rest will be icing on the cake
Arod and jlo would be worse than the wilpons. They don’t have the money to be the kind of owners the fans are demanding. In terms of team owners, they are poor.
Jeter wasn’t Unanimous HOF because he allowed the Marlins to Tank for the next 5 years. His SS skills (glove aside) yeah he’s 1st ballot but he lost unanimous voting tanking the Marlins. Being a terrible owner doesn’t get you in 100%. A Rod would try to win. He would be George Steinbrenner to his best abilities. I wish his group would win this one. The owners of the AL Central (besides the Twins/Tigers), Bob Nutting, Mariners owner, and especially the Marlins should be held to a public vote by the fans: Should you be forced to sell the team for your godawful and uncompetitive stewardship, or lack thereof, of an MLB Franchise? I vote yes.
Um, I’m a Marlins fan and the vast majority of informed Marlins fans are happy with what the Marlins have done and completely understand why they had to do it because Loria burned the Marlins in his effort to get the highest bid available, while not having to pay any of the bill that he ran up on contracts that were loaded with back money that began at the time after Loria sold the team. If you watch the old Batman Returns movie, Danny DeVito stated, “…I’ve played this stinkin’ city like a harp from hell!” That quote reflects what Loria did to the Marlins, Miami, and MLB.
Heck, this is the final year that we are paying Chen’s contract, which at $22 million, after the restructured money in contracts, after Chen’s release, he is one of the highest paid MLB players this year.
You can take the Marlins off of the vote Jeter to force a sale. We’re good with what the ownership has done. They’re building this thing. And while Michael Jordan and the other owners have stayed in the background behind the baseball guys, Jordan has been part of the culture building they are doing, and they have even occasionally have been in touch with Pat Riley to pick his brain on the way he built the “Heat Culture”, and this is along with Jordan’s ties to Phil Jackson and Jeter’s Yankees connections. Keep watching the Marlins and you’ll see.
That was a lot a word to not say very much
I have no problem with BVM if the new owner wants to win, Cohen coming back(rumor) into the bidding war would be sweet!
What does the “M” stand for in BVM? Brody Van Moron?
Seven different groups, eh? Doen’t do much for the optic that baseball isn’t very profitable.
Baseball teams are a good investment because their value accretes as revenues increase. Also, most clubs are cash flow positive at the end of the year but they all lose money on their financial statements so they don’t need to pay taxes. Just look at the Braves last year. $38M in operating profits, but -$50M in Net Income. Those losses can be rolled forward for 3-5 years on taxes too. So the owners make cash, but don’t pay any taxes, other than real estate taxes and payroll taxes.
Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and the owner if the Everton Football Club Bill Kenwright are collaborating on an ownership partnership. I guess they figure if Broadway won’t come back they might as well drive the tourists to Queens. They can rename the team the NY Cats. They can bring back the live organ (Remember Jane Jarvis) and have it played by the Phantom.
$50
Too bad. Mets apologists will soon be unable to blame Bernie Madoff every time the team refuses to spend.