News surrounding the sale of the New York Mets has picked up in recent days. The latest is a bombshell that could change the game.
Thornton McEnery and Josh Kosman of the New York Post dropped a bombshell Tuesday night. They’re reporting that a new mystery bidder has been gaining steam in their pursuit of the New York Mets.
This comes on the heels of a previous report from the Post that an international buyer could be jumping into the race. That report was largely disregarded as most bankers believed it to just be the Wilpons trying to drum up interest. After all, there were only two known bidders, J-Rod and the Harris-Blitzer.
A new mystery bidder could change the game and the idea of an international owner could change everything. The closest thing that MLB currently has to an international owner is Rogers Communications, a Canadian company, owning the Toronto Blue Jays.
Sports leagues around the world know that foreign money can come in and fundamentally change a team. This is common in soccer and has changed the fortunes of teams like Chelsea and Manchester City. Without a cap, foreign billionaires are free to spend to their heart’s content to win games in soccer league’s around the world. The same could be true in a cap-less league like MLB.
The other big news out of McEnery and Kosman’s report is that Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have found some backers. With the help of the Galatioto Sports Partners, the couple has been able to find two partners who are willing to invest up to a combined $250 million.
This investment is a big first step for J-Rod, but it’s still far from enough. The power couple has a combined net worth of around $750-800 million. Even if they spend every penny of that along with the $250 million investment, they’d still have just barely over $1 billion. That’s far from enough to pry the Amazins’ away from the Wilpons.
It seems that Rodriguez and Lopez have one of two plans brewing. One, they are trying to put together an ownership group made up of smaller parts, much like the Marlins ownership group fronted by Derek Jeter. Two, they’re trying to use smaller investments like this one to prove to bigger fish that they’re worth their time.
Either way, this is just a small step in the right direction for the hopeful king and queen of Queens.
