An MMO Fan Shot by Gabriel Pariente
As news of Zack Wheeler signing with the Phillies and Cole Hamels agreeing to play for Braves in 2020 filtered in earlier this week, the usual anger with the Mets’ financial limitations and ineptitude once again reared its ugly head.
Then suddenly, a report came across my phone saying the Wilpons were in talks to sell the Mets. I dismissed it at first as a joke. The Wilpons would never sell. Jeff would never agree to step down from his role and Fred would want to keep it in the family and not give the team to an outsider. Then I went on Google, and to my shock, multiple outlets including SNY, Ken Rosenthal and others confirmed the story.
For many Mets fans, what happened in Flushing on Wednesday has the potential to be the start of a new era filled with ecstasy that the Mets will be supported by someone who loves the team and will stop at nothing to ensure their success.
Steve Cohen, who is currently a minority investor with the team, (if the deal is approved by MLB) would have the chance to acquire 80 percent ownership stake of the team (according to Bloomberg), outside of SNY which the Wilpons would still control as per Newsday.
The need to sell appears to have come from the recent fallout between Jeff Wilpon and Saul Katz, Fred Wilpon’s brother-in law and the team’s President.
The report from the New York Post indicates that Katz had no interest in helping Jeff run the team when Fred eventually steps down at majority owner, and thus the family saw no other course except to sell. This could be devastating to GM Brodie Van Wagenen who while not under serious threat yet, could be in trouble if Cohen wants to bring in his own people to assist in baseball operations.
Cohen, a Wall Street investor whose personal wealth is estimated at $9.2 billion as per Bloomberg would encourage big spending and allow the Mets to operate like a big-market team. Too often over nearly two decades, the Wilpons have refused to even inform their baseball operations staff of the team budget, pushed players to play when injured and micromanaged every phase of the organization from the bottom-up.
Cohen, also as per the New York Post is a big believer in analytics, something which the Mets have been behind in over the past few years as teams like the Yankees, Astros, Dodgers and Nationals have embraced which has led to postseason success and winning on a consistent level.
Cohen, who may overhaul the Mets analytics department, could also help encourage more free agents to come New York, while the Wilpons had never endeared themselves to several executives, agents or players due to their penny-pinching, and willingness to verbally attack their fans and players at times.
While the Wilpons will be in the picture over the next five years. Cohen can invest his money into the team as soon as next winter, and if the deal is approved Forbes is reporting Cohen would instantly own 50 percent therefore having leeway to run the team as he sees fit.
For all Mets fans, this week has been arguably the greatest one since the Mets swept the Cubs in the 2015 NLCS. With the Wilpons, the old expression has always been true: “a fish rots from its head.” Here’s hoping that with new leadership in place, the Mets will finally be run like a well-oiled, professional franchise that will finally see a consistent winning culture for the first time in forever.
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This Fan Shot was contributed by MMO reader Gabriel Pariente. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 26,000 Met fans who read this site daily.
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