J-Rod gain support in bid for Mets
The Final Four has begun.
No not that Final Four, that was canceled. The Final Four bidders for the New York Mets have advanced to the second stage of negotiations.
According to Sportico, Billionaires Steve Cohen and Josh Harris, as well as a group led by Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez and a fourth unidentified party, are the remaining bidders.
Cohen, who bought an eight percent stake in the Mets back in 2012, famously agreed to buy a majority stake in the team from the Wilpons back in December. By the time the Super Bowl rolled around in early February, the deal was dead. The Wilpons whiffed on $2.6 Billion because they wanted to hold onto power for another five years.
Fred Wilpon, the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) wanted to continue in that capacity past the initial agreed upon time. His son Jeff, the Chief Operating Officer (COO), also wanted to stay on with the team. Cohen decided against purchasing an 80% stake after the Wilpons changed the terms of the agreement.
Along came the number one power couple of 2019, J-Rod. The famous singer and her former baseball MVP boy toy decided to throw their hat into the ring. Backed by Florida Panthers owner Vinnie Viola and Vitaminwater co-founder Mike Repole, the group reportedly bid $1.7 Billion, $300 million shy of the current top bid by Cohen.
The biggest challenger to Cohen comes from Harris and Blackstone executive David Blitzer. Harris currently owns the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils.
Cohen’s bid included another $2 billion for SportsNet New York (SNY).
Knowing that even with Viola and Repole backing them up, Lopez and Rodriguez could not match the wealth of Cohen. So, the couple called in some help. ESPN reported that NFL stars Brian Urlacher, Travis Kelce, Joe Thomas, and DeMarco Murray have joined Lopez and Rodriguez in attempting to buy the Mets.
“Being a former athlete and having a chance to be a part of a group trying to purchase a professional team, it’s pretty cool…It’s especially cool to be involved with Alex. Alex is the man. You’ve got Kelce, Joe Thomas, DeMarco Murray. It’s great to be in a group with them.”
NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher said in an interview with ESPN
MLB and the Mets hope to finish the sale by the end of the calendar year.
