Reese Kaplan -- Wanna Buy A Team? Step Right Up!

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.