A-Rod, J. Lo Reportedly Add Billionaire Mike Repole To Mets Bid
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have added some more clout to their bid to buy the Mets, bringing billionaire Mike Repole into their group, per ESPN’s Darren Rovell (Twitter link). The 51-year-old Queens native co-founded Glaceau/Energy Brands, the original creator of Vitamin Water, in addition to co-founding the BODYARMOR sports drink company. Repole also owns his own stable which has several notable racehorses.
It’s not the first time that Repole has expressed an interest in purchasing his hometown club, per Josh Kosman and Zach Braziller of the New York Post. He previously expressed interest in 2011 but did not make a formal bid. And while Repole’s roughly $1 billion net worth eclipses the combined worth of Rodriguez and Lopez by most calculations, Kosman and Braziller report that A-Rod and J. Lo are still expected to be the designated control owners of the team.
According to the Post, Repole is one of two investors working with Galatioto Sports Partners — an investment bank that could contribute approximately a quarter billion dollars to the bid. The A-Rod/J. Lo group has also been working with JPMorgan in their efforts to compile a bid, and other investors could yet join the fray. Rovell notes that the bid from Rodriguez and Lopez is “very real.”
The Rodriguez/Lopez group is up against a group headed up by Philadelphia 76ers/New Jersey Devils owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer in their pursuit to buy the Mets. No other suitors are known right now, although other groups could yet emerge. Regardless, it’s become increasingly clear in recent months that Mets ownership, led by the Wilpon family, are amenable to a sale of the team. Back in December, New York billionaire Steve Cohen reportedly agreed to a framework on a gradual sale that would see him increase his stake in the club to 80 percent by 2025. However, that deal fell apart in February, when Cohen officially pulled out of the deal.
Given the economic crash that has been brought about by the ongoing pandemic, it’s all but certain that the Mets would sell well shy of the $2.6 billion figure that was reported back in December. However, the lost revenue to date — and any further projected losses even if a 2020 season commences — could also increase the Wilpons’ urgency to sell a majority stake in the team.
Four Members Of Yankees Organization Test Positive For COVID-19
Four people in the Yankees organization have tested positive for the coronavirus, reports George A. King III of the New York Post. Training in Tampa, the Yankees are the latest team based in Florida to have reported positive tests, along with the Phillies (Clearwater) and the Blue Jays (Dunedin).
After administering tests on Friday, further results are pending and the number of cases in the organization could very well climb in the coming days. Needless to say, Yankees facilities in Tampa have been closed and private workouts held at George M. Steinbrenner Field have been suspended.
According to King III, at least three of the people who have contracted are staff members, two of whom work at Steinbrenner Field while the other two “have ties to the nearby minor league complex.” In March, two players in the Yankees minor league system tested positive for the virus shortly after Spring Training was put on hold.
Earlier today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that any potential continuation of spring training for the Yankees and Mets will take place in their home ballparks in New York rather than their typical stations in Florida. While New York has seen a lower infection rate than other states, Florida is in the midst of a substantial increase in cases.
It’s worth mentioning that the Mets have had one player test positive for the virus in recent months—as reported by Andy Martino of SNY—though that player was away from the team’s spring training facility in Port St. Lucie, so as of today there is no requirement for further testing of those at the camp. Nonetheless, they will transition their workouts back to their home ballpark, and quite soon: Cuomo stated that the organization will move forward with a “soft training camp reopening” next week.
Quick Hits: Spring Training Sites, James Loney, Alex Cora
Given the spike of coronavirus cases in Florida and Arizona, the Mets and Yankees are both planning on moving their spring facilities to New York for the time being, per MLB Network Insider Jon Heyman. Any potential 2020 season is likely to be heavily dependent upon regional play, so it makes a certain amount of sense for both New York franchises to get settled into their home state (especially considering the rash of breakouts that caused all 30 teams to shut down their training facilities for the time being). The Mets and Yankees might not be the only clubs making this move, as USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweets that all MLB clubs will be moving their spring training to their home cities. Nightengale does add the caveat that the Blue Jays may stay in Florida for the time being, and there were as many as five teams on Friday with thoughts of staying in Florida (Twitter links).
Let’s check in on other news from around the game…
- Former Dodgers first baseman James Loney has been hired by the GEM Agency in an advisory role, tweets Robert Murray. GEM launched in October 2019 based out of Dallas, Texas. They rep current big leaguers Justin Turner, Tommy Pham, and Roberto Osuna – which are all tracked in MLBTR’s Agency Database. Loney played 11 seasons in the big leagues, with his most productive years coming with the Dodgers from 2006 to 2012. He was eventually traded to the Boston Red Sox in the Dodgers’ monster deal for Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, and Nick Punto. Loney would play just half a season in Boston before going on to post a pair of productive years with the Rays. He finished his playing career in 2016 as a 32-year-old with the New York Mets. For his career, the southpaw first baseman put up a line of .284/.336/.410 with 108 home runs in 5,487 plate appearances.
- Alex Cora will be eligible to return to Major League Baseball in 2021, and the former Red Sox skipper would love to return to the managing ranks, Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe writes. How soon there will be interest in Cora as a manager remains to be seen given his role in the investigations into both the Astros and Red Sox sign-stealing allegations. Still, he has a tremendous track record in his short time as the Red Sox manager. Like many of us, Cora remains in wait-and-see mode for the time being. Said Cora, “If this was a regular time and they were playing games, I would say yes [to managing in 2021]. I would love to be back in 2021 in some capacity. I love managing at the big league level. But right now, I’m still kind of like putting my game plan together. It’s not where I want it to be. But obviously with everything that’s going on, with my daughter going into her senior year of high school, we as a family have to see what we want to do.”
Mets Agree To Terms With Second-Rounder Isaiah Greene
The Mets have agreed to terms on a bonus with second round selection Isaiah Greene, according to MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (via Twitter). He’ll receive $850K.
The 69th overall selection used to nab Greene came with a $929,800 pool allocation. Accordingly, the New York organization will actually save some funds to apply to other drafted players.
That seems like a solid result for the Mets, given that they had to convince Greene to turn pro rather than attending the University of Missouri. The club has yet to lock up its first two selections, high school outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Mississippi State hurler J.T. Ginn.
Entering the draft, Greene was on the rise. He reached 62nd on the MLB.com board and 49th on the ranking of Baseball America. Greene is said to have strong existing hit and speed tools, real potential to stick in center field, and some power projection.
Additional Amateur Draft Signings: 6/16/20
We caught up on draft signings earlier today, but a few more trickled out this evening …
- The Tigers have a deal with third-rounder Trei Cruz, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis (via Twitter). A shortstop out of Rice University, Cruz will secure a $900K bonus that lands just over the slot value of $857,400. None of the major draft pundits ranked Cruz among the hundred best draft-eligible prospects, but the Detroit organization was obviously intrigued. If you’re a believer in bloodlines, you can’t do much better than this. Cruz will aim to follow his father, grandfather, and great uncles in appearing in the majors.
- Mets fourth-rounder Matthew Dyer is on board with a $350K bonus, per MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo (Twitter link). That’ll save the New York org nearly $230K to apply to other draftees. Dyer, an Arizona product, ranked 333rd on Baseball America’s final draft board. Mayo credits him with a strong throwing arm and good athleticism for a backstop.
- The Blue Jays have added Zach Britton — not to be confused with Yankees reliever Zack (formerly Zach) Britton. This new Zach Britton landed $97,500 from the Toronto organization, freeing the club to allocate the rest of the $410,100 slot value elsewhere. Britton spent time in the outfield and behind the dish at Louisville. BA graded him just inside the top 200 prospects available for selection this year. Britton was slashing .322/.446/.542 when the season was cut short.
- Fifth rounder Jeff Hakanson is in agreement with the Rays on a bonus, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Dollar values aren’t yet known publicly, but it seems likely to be an under-slot deal. Hakanson, a righty out of Central Florida, wasn’t ranked on any of the major boards. His slot comes with a $340K bonus pool allocation.
- The Cardinals announced an agreement with their own fifth-round selection, Long Beach State outfielder LJ Jones IV. MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo tweets that Jones has picked up a $100K bonus, meaning the Cards have another $250,300 to work with in signing other players. Jones didn’t merit mention in any rankings either, though the redshirt sophomore never really got a chance to showcase himself in college owing to injuries and the coronavirus situation.
Undrafted Free Agent Signings: 6/16/20
This year’s five-round draft left a lot of deserving players looking for deals on the open market. Here’s a roundup of some of the many recent undrafted players who have reached agreements with MLB organizations:
- White Sox (link)
- Ty Madrigal, LHP, St. Mary’s
- Rangers (link)
- Fernando Amaro, C, HS (PR)
- Nick Krauth, RHP, Connecticut
- DJ McCarty, RHP, HS (CA)
- Connor Sechler, RHP, Drury
- Brady Smith, C, Florida
- Colton Snyder, RHP, Concordia
- Josh Stephan, RHP, South Grand Prairie
- Mets (link)
- Austin Faith, RHP, Lamar
- Dylan Hall, RHP, Central Oklahoma
- Brandon McIlwain, OF, California
- Drake Nightengale, RHP, South Alabama
- Joe Suozzi, OF, Boston College
- Nationals (link)
- Jackson Coutts, 1B/OF, Rhode Island
- Gio Diaz, INF, Saint Mary’s
- Raymond Torres Jr., C, San Jacinto JC
- Astros (link)
- Peter Zimmermann, Missouri
- Cesar Gomez, Texas
- Jimmy Endersby, RHP, Concordia
- Justin Dirden, OF, Southeast Missouri State
- Kyle Gruller, RHP, Houston Baptist
- Jonathan Sprinkle, RHP, Central Missouri
- Zack Matthews, RHP, Oklahoma
- Cody Orr, OF, Tiffin
- Yankees (link)
- Carson Coleman, RHP, Kentucky
- Ocean Gabonia, RHP, Everett Community College
- Trevor Holloway, RHP, Central Florida
- Jarod Lessar, RHP, BYU
- Phillies (team announcement)
- Chase Antle, RHP, Coastal Carolina
- Jordan Fowler, LHP Central Missouri
- Jonathan Hughes, RHP, Georgia Tech
- Sam Jacobsak, RHP, Northeastern
- Jake McKenna, LHP, Ocean City HS (NJ)
- Noah Skirrow, RHP, Liberty University
- Billy Sullivan, RHP, Delaware
- JP Woodward, LHP, Lafayette College
- Orioles (link 1; link 2)
- Ryan Watson, RHP, Auburn
- JD Mundy, 1B, Radford
- Brandon Young, RHP, UL-Lafayette
- Thomas Girard, RHP, Duke
- Isaiah Kearns, RHP, Pitt-Johnstown
- Cubs (link)
- Matt Mervis, 1B/RHP, Duke
- Marlins (link)
- Antonio Velez, RHP, Florida State
- Cardinals (link)
- Jacob Buchberger, RHP, Davenport
- Matt Chamberlain, OF, New Haven HS (CT)
- Gianluca Dalatri, RHP, North Carolina
- Matt Koperniak, 3B/OF, Trinity
- Mac Lardner, LHP, Gonzaga
- Nick Raposo, C, Wheaton
- Omar Sanchez, LHP, B-You Prospects Academy (PR)
- Nick Trogrlic-Iverson, RHP, Gonzaga
- Indians (link)
- Joe Donovan, C, Michigan
- Twins (link)
- Lucas Sweany, LHP, University of the Pacific
- Allante Hall, C, Pensacola State JuCo
Amateur Draft Signings: 6/16/20
We’ll keep track of the latest amateur draft signings here…
- The Cardinals announced the signing of outfielder Alec Burleson, whom they drafted 70th overall. He’ll earn $700K, quite a bit less than the $906,800 value of his pick, according Jim Callis of MLB.com. The Cards landed the choice they used on Burleson as compensation for the departure of outfielder Marcell Ozuna in free agency. An East Carolina University product, Burleson topped out as FanGraphs’ 108th-ranked prospect before the draft. Burleson was a successful first baseman and left-handed pitcher in college, but he’s regarded as a much better hitting prospect, MLB.com notes.
- The Mets have signed third-round pick Anthony Walters for $20K, Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com tweets. It’s a stunningly low amount for a player whose pick, No. 91, was said to be worth $647,300. The total Walters received only matches the maximum sum an undrafted player can get this year. Walters, a former San Diego State shortstop, didn’t rank among Baseball America’s top 500 before the draft. However, Mayo observes that Walters brings “good hands” as a defender and “sneaky pop” at the plate.
- The Padres have inked fourth-rounder Levi Thomas for $80K, far below the $533K slot value of the 109th pick, Jim Callis of MLB.com reports. The right-hander from Troy “has an impressive history of throwing strikes and his fastball seems to have qualities that teams love,” Baseball America wrote in ranking Thomas as the 224th-best prospect in the 2020 class.
- The Nationals have reached a $20K agreement with fourth-round catcher Brady Lindsly, per Callis. The University of Oklahoma product, who was not one of BA’s top 500 prospects, did not expect to get drafted.
Jeff Wilpon On Potential Mets Sale
Although Mets owners Jeff Wilpon and Fred Wilpon have had the franchise on the block for months, the club remains under their control. It does appear that will change sometime soon, however.
During a panel for UJA-Federation of New York on Thursday, Jeff Wilpon said, “The team will have some kind of transaction,” according to Yaron Weltzman of Bleacher Report. “There’s four or five suitors that are out there to do something with.”
Unsurprisingly, Wilpon didn’t reveal who’s pursuing the team. A report earlier this week linked Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris to the Mets. David Blitzer, who also has ownership stakes in the 76ers and Devils, could join Harris’ group. There’s also the famous duo of Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, who are reportedly working with senior bankers from JPMorgan Chase to put together a Mets bid. Rodriguez and Lopez are aware of the interest Harris and Blitzer have shown in the Mets, but A-Rod and J-Lo are still confident they’ll be able to submit a legitimate offer, per Ted Holmlund of the New York Post.
It’s not clear how much money it would require to buy the Mets, especially because it’s uncertain whether the Wilpons will be open to giving up any part of the SNY network in a deal. A few months ago, it looked as if the Wilpons were on the cusp of selling 80 percent of the franchise to Steve Cohen for $2.6 billion. Those talks fell through, however, and with the coronavirus having wreaked havoc since then, the Wilpons may not make out as well as they hope on a possible sale.
Matt den Dekker Joins Charleston Southern Coaching Staff
Former Mets and Nationals outfielder Matt den Dekker has been named to the coaching staff at Charleston Southern University, the school announced today. He’ll work with the Buccaneers’ hitters and outfielders.
The 32-year-old den Dekker announced his retirement as a player last summer and, per CSU’s press release, returned to the University of Florida to serve as a student-assistant coach this past season. He’ll now take up a full-time coaching position at a Division-I program as he embarks on the next step in his baseball journey. At Charleston Southern, den Dekker will join a program that has produced a handful of draft picks over the past couple decades, including eventual big leaguers Tyler Thornburg, Bobby Parnell and R.J. Swindle.
“His time at Florida as a player and assistant yielded excellent results,” head coach Marc MacMillan said of den Dekker in today’s announcement, “and his Major League Baseball career earned him great respect from all that he came in contact with on a daily basis. The strong recommendations he received, his understanding of the importance of building relationships with our players; and both his knowledge and verbiage for hitting and outfield play made a lasting impression on me.”
We haven’t seen den Dekker in the big leagues since he briefly resurfaced with his original organization, the Mets, back in 2018. But he appeared in 166 games from 2013-18, batting a combined .223/.303/.337 while drawing plus marks for his defense at all three outfield positions.
What The Mets Owe In Player Contracts After 2020
2020 salary terms still need to be hammered out. But what about what’s owed to players beyond that point? The near-term economic picture remains questionable at best. That’ll make teams all the more cautious with guaranteed future salaries.
Every organization has some amount of future cash committed to players, all of it done before the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe. There are several different ways to look at salaries; for instance, for purposes of calculating the luxury tax, the average annual value is the touchstone, with up-front bonuses spread over the life of the deal. For this exercise, we’ll focus on actual cash outlays that still have yet to be paid.
We’ll run through every team, with a big assist from the Cot’s Baseball Contracts database. Next up is the Mets:
*Reflects signing bonus and salary deferrals in Jacob deGrom contract; contract includes partially deferred 2024 club option but deGrom can opt out after 2022
*Reflects remaining obligations to Robinson Cano retained by Mariners
*Reflects deferrals in Jeurys Familia contract
*Includes minimum value ($6MM) of variable-rate vesting/player option in Dellin Betances contract (Betances to receive $3MM buyout if he declines)
*Includes buyouts of club option over Wilson Ramos
*Includes player option of Brad Brach
*Does not include any money still owed Bobby Bonilla!
(click to expand/view detail list)
