New York Mets could still lose from winning
By David Hill
The New York Mets sale is expected to be approved by Major League Baseball on Friday, but a wrench could still be thrown into the works.
The long standing nightmare for New York Mets fans is soon to be over. Despite the best efforts of White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, and his continued dislike of Steve Cohen, the billionaire is set to officially take over the franchise. He is expected to get the 22 votes needed for his purchase to be complete, allowing the Mets to finally have an owner that cares more about the team that exists than the Brooklyn Dodgers.
But there is one potential wrench that could be thrown into the gears. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio could decide that the city will hold up the sale. While he expects approval to be granted soon, the matter is still being looked into.
Bill de Blasio on Mets sale: City’s law department is still doing its “due diligence,” announcement coming “at some point in the next few days.”
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) October 28, 2020
As we have reported, de Blasio’s involvement is not expected to be a serious impediment to the completion of Cohen’s Mets purchase.
That ‘next few days’ section is where the potential trouble lies. It is expected that Cohen will look to revamp the front office, with a potential change of general manager. But that will take time, especially when it comes to the hiring process.
Of course, that could change. According to the New York Post, de Blasio is attempting to kill the Mets deal behind closed doors, which is the real reason for the city’s “due diligence.” Those statements go against what he has said in public, but no one really knows what the thought process is in City Hall.
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Meanwhile, the offseason has officially begun. The free agent list has been created by the Player’s Union, and teams are going to be preparing their offers. While free agency may be slow due to the losses suffered throughout the game, the top players on the market are going to get paid. Trades are going to happen.
The Mets? Well, they have a lot to figure out first. As much as Cohen may be willing to increase the budget and bring in the best players possible to fill out the roster, they may not have that chance. Unless the sale is approved quickly, and Cohen already has the pieces in place that he wants, the Mets could miss out.
In time, the culture will change. The Mets will go from spending enough to be sort of competitive, but not enough to reach the postseason, to a team that will actually go out and get that final piece. New York will stop being an afterthought. But it’s going to take time.
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The New York Mets fanbase will win with new ownership. But for one offseason, depending on how quickly it takes to get everything in place, everything could stay the same.