NY Mets Ownership Candidates: Who will buy the Amazins?

With the initial news of the Wilpon Family’s intentions to sell the New York Mets franchise long past, here’s an updated look at the three remaining groups still in on a potential deal.

In typical New York Mets fashion, nothing is ever easy – not even what should be considered ‘welcomed news’ for their fans – like the reality of new ownership in the not-so-distant future.

However, ever since the rumors of a potential franchise sale to minority owner, Steve Cohen, was revealed to be in the works back in December of 2019, those of us relieved by this news have continued to wait patiently for an outcome – or any new developments on the subject since said deal fell through in February of this year as neither side could come to an agreement.

But with the team now edging closer to a deal, it appears that the only three remaining groups who advanced to the final round of bids are: billionaire hedge fund manager, Steve Cohen; former major league infielder, Alex Rodriguez and his group; and business partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.

With Citi Field Tour dates already beginning for these groups still in negotiations, it looks like a transaction could be reached as early as the end of August – according to Sportico – or as late as the end of the year, according to The Post.

While updates about the sale have been few and far between from the Mets-end, or any insider close to each of these buying groups, here’s an in-depth look at the pros-and-cons each of these potential new owners could bring to the club.

Final offers are due to Allen & Co. – the company presiding over the sale process – on August 31st. Let’s hope the best owner wins out. Both Mets fans and the young players on their current roster deserve it.

Steve Cohen – New York Billionaire Titan

As the perceived front-runner to win the bidding for the team, Steve Cohen and his massive personal wealth is an intriguing prospect for Mets fans who have been subjected to the frugal ownership of the ‘Coupons’ since Fred Wilson bought Nelson Doubleday Jr’s majority stake in the franchise in 2002.

After Cohen’s initial offer for the team fell apart this past February 6th due to the Wilpon’s unreasonable terms that would have allowed them to remain part of the organization as controlling owners for a five-year period after the deal.

Then there was the issue of selling the team to Cohen without including the rights to SportsNet New York (SNY), which generates a large amount of revenue for the franchise.

Therefore, in order for a deal to be reached, the potential new owners should only come to an agreement that includes the team-owned cable network and controlling power of the organization in the deal. Once the check is signed, and the deal is closed, the new owners need to control everything in order to operate in full capacity.

Frankly, for north of $2 billion, the Wilpon’s have the nerve to ask to remain on the team with controlling interest. Luckily, I think these groups recognize the ludicrously of such terms.

Lastly, as Cohen is already a minority owner with an 8% stake in the team, there might not be much of a transitional period in terms of the front office along with the operations of the Mets Minor League affiliates.

This is important as the team gears up for a pivotal offseason that will see the end of several veteran contracts, multiple arbitration hearings, and maybe even a Conforto extension?

As the negotiations stand today, unless the price is right for Alex Rodriguez’s bid for the team, Cohen remains the most likely to close a deal by the end of the year.

Josh Harris and David Blitzer – Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

As the owners of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils – along with their ventures into the English Premier League (Crystal Palace F.C.), the AHL (Binghamton Devils), the NBA G League (Delaware Blue Coats), and their most recent minority stake in the NFL’s Pittsburg Steelers, it doesn’t feel like the New York Mets would be their top priority.

And quite frankly, it also doesn’t appear that they would be any different than the Wilpons despite each of their own billionaire-statuses.

Ask yourselves: what have any of the above franchises won in the last ten, five, or even three years?  In fact, none of their ventures have managed to win a championship nor reach their postseason on a semi-consistent basis.

At least with Steve Cohen comes the potential a massive bankroll (larger than Harris and Blitzer combined) to rival the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers in terms of spending on talent. Even A-Rod brings a unique and tested passion to win as a former 14x All-Star and World Series champion along with his partners’ playing experience.

Josh Harris and David Blitzer on the other hand would not bring anything new or different to the table in terms of winning championships. Plus, it’s already been reported that they’re having money trouble raising cash on hand to put forward their final bid for the organization.

Regardless of which group wins out, there’s no denying that each would be an instant improvement over the Coupons. But in the case of this particular duo, it doesn’t seem like their emergence would be conducive to success in 2021 or the years to follow.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

Who do you think ends up buying the Mets?