Joe Pantorno of AM New York is reporting that a shortened (or even no) 2020 MLB season will force Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon to “essentially stop pumping money into the team.”
The notion is based off of Pantorno’s sources and the fact that the Mets stand to lose many millions in a shortened season. The Associated Press reported in May that the team would lose about $214 million over a potential 82-game season, third-most behind the Yankees and Dodgers.
“They run such a cheap operation,” a source told Pantorno. “Given the fan base and market, they should be spending two times more than what they are. They are doing just enough to keep the fans coming, nothing more.”
It’s safe to say that the current state of Major League Baseball, which is claiming billions of dollars in losses to the effects of the coronavirus, is only increasing the Wilpon’s need to sell the team.
Unfortunately for them, COVID-19 hasn’t exactly fostered a busy market.
The pandemic broke out in the United States shortly after negotiations with billionaire Steve Cohen fell through in February.
Since then, rumors of potential buyers have been plentiful but simultaneously fruitless.
The power duo of Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez had reportedly expressed interest, backed off, then put their names back in the hat.
Devils and 76ers co-owners David Blitzer and Joshua Harris are apparently serious about making a bid, while the New York Post reported that at least one potential suitor is “international.”
Perhaps Cohen is still lurking in the weeds somewhere.
In any case, it appears that the Wilpons are only facing continued losses the longer they hold on to the team. It’s hard to say right now how much the timeline for a sale will be sped up or slowed down as a result of the current state of affairs.
