It’s official* – Steve Cohen has been accepted by Major League Baseball’s owners, per Jon Heyman, and will complete his purchase of the New York Mets, ending the long-standing Mets fan nightmare that has been the Wilpon Family ownership.
*… unless Mayor Bill de Blasio finds a way to sink the deal. It’s a ridiculous drama, and I still think it only amounts to Cohen having to grease the right palms. But it’s still a hurdle.
Presuming that part doesn’t actually kill the deal, all accounts expect Cohen’s Mets to operate far less austerely than the Wilpon Mets. That is to say, a major market team with the richest owner in baseball, spending relatively lavishly to be competitive. Cohen and the Mets might be one saving grace for a few free agents this offseason. I am going to be very interested to see what Cohen and Sandy Alderson do right out of the gate.
UPDATE: There it is – somebody said or did the right things:
The New York City Law Department has completed its legal review of the proposed sale of the @Mets. New York City has no objections and the Mets can now proceed with the transaction.#LGM
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) October 30, 2020
And now we see what happens when, by far, the richest owner in MLB gets the reins. If I’m an NL East team, I’m a little nervous about just how different the Mets could become.