Hedge fund manager Steve Cohen’s $2.6 billion deal to buy the Mets is on life support, and fans of the ball club are not happy.
On Tuesday it was revealed Cohen grew deeply unhappy with the current ownership group headed by the Wilpons after it changed terms of the deal late in negotiations, sources told The Post’s Thornton McEnery.
While the deal is not dead, it is in jeopardy.
The Mets said they could not comment on the status of the deal due to “a mutual non-disclosure agreement”.
Cohen, a 63-year-old Mets minority owner since 2012 whose net worth is an estimated $13 billion, was slated to purchase an 80 percent stake in the team, which had Mets fans jumping for joy just two months ago when the negotiations were first reported. The Wilpons have long been criticized for not spending as much as other big-market teams.
Under terms of the agreement, owner Fred Wilpon would retain the title of CEO and his son Jeff would remain COO for five years, though it had been reported Cohen could start spreading his wealth to the team as soon as next offseason.
It was initially reported that the Wilpons and fellow owner Saul Katz would maintain ownership of SNY, the team’s cable network.
At the MLB winter meetings in December, commissioner Rob Manfred indicated that the two sides were on the right track to a deal.This latest development adds to an already chaotic offseason, which saw the Mets fire Mickey Callaway, hire Carlos Beltran as their new manager only to dump Beltran months later for Luis Rojas, amid the Astros sign-stealing scandal that implicated Beltran.
When there’s rumors Steve Cohen might not buy the Mets pic.twitter.com/0QHdb0Jt5c
— Alex Buhse (@RubaDubBub) February 4, 2020
Mets fans: Finally, a new owner to come in and save this franchise!
Steve Cohen: pic.twitter.com/U7nxvKidv0
— Freddie Benson (@DeeH_NYC) February 4, 2020
Please don't leave us, Steve Cohen. You're our only hope. #Metspic.twitter.com/YEa7de2x1f
— Vas Drimalitis (@vasdrimalitis) February 4, 2020
‘Steve Cohen is pulling out from buying the Mets ‘
Mets Twitter: pic.twitter.com/C9H7IP2Evl
— King⭑ 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐞⭑♠️ (@FrankiesTooLoud) February 4, 2020
Was Steve Cohen using an app to buy the Mets?
— JT Terán (@jt_teran) February 4, 2020
Everybody relax. I'm sure another billionaire Met fan will come along any day now. Yup, any day now.
— Vicky @ MessForLess (@MessForLess) February 4, 2020
One the same day the knicks fire Steve Mills, The Wilpons might have ruined their sale to Steve Cohen… Spring training hasn’t even started yet and the mets are already giving me anxiety/ruining the day
— Tyler (@thayden3325) February 4, 2020
Steve Cohen wil Save the Mets #metspic.twitter.com/rOYTp2Ug8K
— dino (@theRealDino1) February 4, 2020
Just woke up and can't tell the #IowaCaucus tweets from the Steve Cohen tweets. #mets
— Ozymetsdias (@Ozymetsdias) February 4, 2020
if steve cohen is really done with this mets deal im gonna lose it. we could’ve had money…
— sad baseball fans (@sadbaseballfans) February 4, 2020
