After the Wilpons’ failed sale of the New York Mets to Steve Cohen, many fans thought that they wouldn’t be selling anytime soon. That doesn’t appear to be the case, though.
Shortly after the deal Cohen and the Wilpons fell through, the current owners clarified that they would still consider giving up control of the team. Now, a new buying option appeared on the horizon.
According to the New York Post, which cites sources and reports, former MLB star and current baseball analyst Alex Rodriguez is interested in buying the New York Mets.
That means that the soap opera regarding the Mets’ ownership is far from over and got yet another shade of craziness to it.
“Kicking the tires” on the Mets
The Post wrote that baseball and Wall Street insiders revealed to it that A-Rod is “kicking the tires” on the idea of getting into an auction for the Mets.
Cohen backed out of the deal on the table last week upon learning that the Wilpons wouldn’t be surrendering control of the team for the first five years of his ownership. That pact was worth $2.6 billion for 80 percent of the Mets.
A potential issue is that Cohen, a noted New York Mets’ fan, isn’t giving up on his pursuit, according to sources. But A-Rod’s interest seems to be high. “He’s a businessman and a baseball man based in New York,†said one A-Rod ally. “Why wouldn’t he be looking at this?â€
As it turns out, Alex Rodriguez calls himself a Mets fan growing up. His idol was Keith Hernandez. He considered signing with the team back in 2000 but his contract demands were too high for then-GM Steve Phillips.
The sources, however, still think that the odds of a purchase are low, and caution that A-Rod would need to put together a wealthy ownership group of investors, like Derek Jeter did to buy the Miami Marlins.
“[Rodriguez] genuinely loves the Mets,†said one source familiar with A-Rod. “He and J.Lo have talked about him buying a team ever since Jeter got the Marlins.â€