As each day marches forward towards the end of the season, we get closer to the New York Mets being handed off to Steve Cohen. Unfortunately, Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez see that differently and attempt to brainwash people into thinking the same way. Despite it being a 99% chance for Cohen to own the team, they continue to hang on to the 1% of hope, and they are making a circus out of it.
The Wilpon’s personal reporter, Andy Martino, dropped a new report that Mayor Bill de Blasio could stop the sale. Martino’s reporting is the baseball world’s equivalent of Rudy Giuliani leaks to the NY Post. It is not just the de Blasio report that is continuing the Cohen slander. ESPN’s First Take made it a topic of discussion that Lopez should be the owner because she is a woman and minority.
Alex Rodriguez is employed by ESPN and has made plenty of friends with the higher-ups of the network. It became another play by Rodriguez to have this topic discussed on the channel’s most-watched show so it could become a trending topic on social media. Using the media and other people is exactly how this process has gone since Rodriguez lost the team.
Nothing But Talk
This is the “sore loser” game Rodriguez loves to play when his back is up against the wall, but it does not stop there. White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is Rodriguez’s mentor and also joined A-Rod in his quest to stop Cohen. In 2013, the two coupled to work with Bud Selig to reduce Rodriguez’s record 211 game suspension. Reinsdorf and A-Rod were in cahoots again as the White Sox owner was the one person in the ownership committee who voted against Cohen’s bid on the ownership committee. Reinsdorf also successfully lobbied against Cohen’s run to buy the Dodgers in 2012, but no such miracle is in place to stop Cohen now.
Rodriguez continued his imaginary promises to Mets fans when he stated that he would raise the Mets payroll to $225 million if he became the team’s owner. The statement in itself is laughable, and it does not take a brilliant accountant to understand making that happen under A-Rod’s ownership would be impossible. The reason Cohen is getting the team is because of the enormous amount of money he brings to the table.
At the moment, Cohen would absorb the debt left by the Wilpons and still have plenty left over to continue to improve the franchise. On the other hand, Rodriguez’s net worth ($350 million) is equal to the amount the debt the Mets are in. The money would have to come from other investors instead of A-Rod himself.
Why Cohen Gets the Team
People outside the situation still do not understand who Steve Cohen really is. Whether people like him or not, there is no denying that he is a brilliant businessman. Cohen shows his strategic abilities to escape trouble by avoiding any financial criminal charges while making his fortune. His hedge fund was the focal point of a prior investigation. The advisors plead guilty, but Cohen got nothing despite being the heart of S.A.C. Capital.
A prime example of this “4D Chess” game that Cohen has mastered shows his decision to pay the Mets seasonal employees during the offseason. The $2,500 committed money to each of the 1,140 workers is a move Rodriguez cannot make. This was announced way before the de Blasio news broke, which is why paying the workers came first.
Should de Blasio halt the deal he is making a statement against Cohen, the workers, and the unions representing them. The mayor is disliked in his state by teachers and law enforcement unions due to prior mistakes. Should he want any future political career in NY or even the country he cannot afford more enemies.
Cohen also did the same by hiring Sandy Alderson to a key position in his front office. Alderson is widely respected throughout baseball and shows his commitment to bettering the franchise. This is a classic case of someone playing chess while the opponent is playing checkers. Cohen has everything to become the owner despite any distractions his opponent tries to put out. The final vote for Cohen could come as soon as the first week of November. Should this be an action movie, Cohen is standing over A-Rod while he tries to hang on to the ledge by his fingernails with Lopez dangling from his ankle.
