Today is the final day for wild speculation about the bidding deadline for the prospective buyers of the New York Mets. The Wilpons gave a Thursday, July 9th date to submit purchase proposals. Rumor has it that the many interested buyers groups are looking to cash in on the Wilpon desperation by low-balling the offers. Remember, it was not that long ago that the Wilpons and Steve Cohen couldn’t meet eye-to-eye on a $2.6 billion offer. Now the stories circulating are that the bids are all under $2 million and must include immediate turnover of the team as well as an interest in the SNY television network. Even if the same $2.6 billion bid surfaced again, the Wilpons are going to walk away with less -- perhaps a lot less.
Of course the Wilpons now are publicly stating that if the bids are substandard then they will simply not accept them. What else do you expect them to say? Obviously they want to sell (and according to many, need to sell). Consequently the blustering about the price is probably just that. Their team is losing money, they have bills to pay and whatever shekels they can get for the club will relieve them of that stress and their public ridicule.
While Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez are getting the lion’s share of the press attention, together they have not put together the magnitude of offer that the club will cost. They have the most conspicuous names (though not always for the greater good). Alex has an extensive baseball career and knows what it takes to build a winning ballclub. J-Lo is obviously more than just window dressing considering the income she generates from her music and acting endeavors. To many fans they represent the high profile owners the folks who support the Mets really want when you consider the Wilpons only tended to get into headlines for misdeeds and illegal activities (like forcing out a pregnant, single executive).
Other folks are more interested in the part two appearance of Steve Cohen. He has the deep pockets himself to do the deal. He’s been on the previous ownership group and knows a thing or two about how the club as a business has been run. He’s not shy about making decisions nor acquisitions which have many fans breathing deeply about the prospect of inking the hottest free agents to lucrative contracts. In other words, they want to see the Mets operate like the Yankees or Dodgers.
There are many others in the mix of prospective customers to buy the Mets. You have people actively involved in the operations of other sports franchises. You have folks who are real estate moguls with a vested interest in the expansion of opportunities in the Citifield neighborhood. There are others who have not garnered as much media attention. This group falls into the ABW -- Anyone But Wilpons -- category of ownership. Even if it’s someone with no conspicuous baseball expertise, a great many would be happy simply to see new faces at the press conferences.
This time tomorrow the stories will start to filter out about the offers being made to become new owners of New York’s other baseball team. As the day rolls on the number of offers should increase substantially. By Friday (the day after the Thursday deadline) the media should be reporting as much as they could have gathered from the press releases and through leaks of personnel involved in the deal who serve on the Mets payroll.
No matter whose offer looks best, a great many folks (myself included) simply feel that a change is needed. I’m not specifically advocating for one ownership group over another. I’m just looking to remove the weight of the Wilpons from my ability to enjoy being a fan. We’ve all seen the many ways in which the Wilpons have mismanaged the club, failed to fill it with young talent, bidding on only the 2nd and 3rd tier free agents, bidding on many reclamation projects but never going toe-to-toe with the clubs earnestly trying to win.
Yes, last year’s surprise Opening Day promotion of Pete Alonso turned into a great thing, but we can recite any number of other personnel decisions that made no sense to anyone but the Wilpons. Perhaps it was the lack of cash flow. Perhaps it was pain from the Jason Bay contract. Whatever the justification, it seemed the Wilpons never made winning a high priority. It’s time to find someone who does.
9 comments:
Agreed - not that the Wilpons haven't wanted to win - they just haven't had the dedicated scratch to spend like a Bronxite or a Dodger. We need someone who does.
I don't know A Rod's finances, except in the past he was a very big tech stock investor - Amazon was $1,000 two years ago, $3,000 now, etc. etc. While his tech-driven spendable fortune has risen (not to mention J Lo's), the team's price has dropped. So he can afford a whole lot more Mets than he did back in March.
There are buyers; we need the Wilpons to be sellers, whether it is A Rod or Cohen.
Cohen should just bring Arod in as a minority owner and let him run the club. So we get the best of both worlds. The Money and determination to win.
Zozo, Iwould like to see that as well the problem is Cohen, from my understanding, is a control freak and I don't see him giving A-Rod Jeter like control as a minority investor.
Zozo, I would like to see A-Rod running the team with Cohen's money however Cohen, who from my understaning, is a control freak and would not give A-Rod Jeter like control to a minority owner.
Charlie Gasparino saying Cohen has made peace with the grifters. Cohen wants the team and he didnt get to $14 billion by not closing deals- This is the best Mets day in a long time. They did the groundwork the last time so maybe this is over by the weekend? Lets hope.
All in on Stevie boychick.
Holmer- I believe I remember reading that Cohen said to his investors that he would not stray away from his everyday obligations of running his stock portfolio and would have someone run it. That’s why I think Arod and JLo would be a good fit.
I really like that they may get some more coverage and of our team and may think outside the box on how to generate more money for them to spend it on our team.
Also Arod is supposedly a good baseball man and JLo can bring her star power in and help generate more revenue .
Also I hope that whoever buys the team musters up enough to buy the network as well. If not I would include a clause that network has to pay the going rate that any top tier club is getting from their cable provider. Or an out clause after a couple of years if they want.
Here's the difference between A-Rod and Cohen.
A-Rod would barely be able to raise all the money for the sale and have little left to secure top 2021 FAs out there like Realmuto or Springer.
Cohen has money to burn.
I like Cohen as the new owner, but I am intrigued with him including ARod/JRod as minority owners (if they want)....I hadn't thought of that angle before.
In any event, Cohen has the cash to make the Mets a serious player in MLB, like the change the Dodgers franchise went through with deep pocketed owners taking over for a miserable former owner.
Come to think of it, the Dodgers are also very savvy with their scouting and management team.......the Mets could be ready to
follow suit.
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