MLB commissioner Rob Manfred believes The Wilpons will not be selling the New York Mets to Steven Cohen, after all.
On Thursday afternoon, Erik Boland of Newsday tweeted that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred believes the Wilpons will not be selling the New York Mets to Steven Cohen.
Rob Manfred on Mets situation with the Wilsons and Cohen: “My belief is there’s not going to be a transaction.”
— Erik Boland (@eboland11) February 6, 2020
This is the latest update in a very messy, dramatic and Mets-like series of events that has occurred over the past few days.
On Dec. 4, the Mets released a statement in which they announced Cohen would become the majority owner of the team and that the process would occur over the span of the next five years.
On Tuesday, it was revealed to the public that negotiations between the two parties had reached an impasse. The two sides cannot comment on the situation because they signed a non-disclosure agreement; but, apparently, the Wilpons changed some terms of the deal and that upset Cohen.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed, it appears as though the Wilpons have changed their minds and want team control for longer than the next five years. Additionally, the family wants to have control of SNY, the Mets’ cable network, for longer than the 20-year rights deal.
Neither of these conditions was in the original agreement and Cohen is clearly displeased by the sudden changes. Until now, it was unclear how serious the situation was: no one knew if it was a minor disagreement that could be resolved or a serious issue that the parties would not recover from.
Now that Manfred has spoken, it seems as though the deal is dead.
The Wilpon family has owned the Mets since 2002 and the fanbase is ready for a change. Fans have been frustrated by the owners’ actions, specifically for not being willing to spend. For that reason, the family is referred to as “The Coupons.”
A change in ownership is something fans had been hoping for since the Cohen news broke. The Mets’ fanbase that knows disappointment all too well will now be reacquainted with it, once again.
