Retired Major League All-Star Alex Rodriguez’s name has surfaced as a potential buyer for the New York Mets now that the team’s sale to billionaire Steve Cohen has reportedly fallen through.
Rodriguez, who played for the crosstown Yankees and has been working as an analyst for ESPN, is ‘kicking the tires’ on a potential deal for a club that current owner Fred Wilpon hopes will sell for over $3 billion, according to the New York Post.
The 44-year-old Rodriguez is reportedly worth an estimated $350 million, while his entertainer fiancée Jennifer Lopez is said to be worth $400 million; so even if they did pool their resources, they would likely need to find other investors before making a bid.
Rodriguez’s former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter did exactly that in 2017, contributing just $25 million to buy the Miami Marlins in a $1.2 billion deal. Despite being one of 15 investors, Jeter is the face of that ownership group and the CEO of the last-place team.
‘[Rodriguez] genuinely loves the Mets,’ a source close to Rodriguez told the Post. ‘He and J-Lo have talked about him buying a team ever since Jeter got the Marlins.’
The 44-year-old Rodriguez is reportedly worth an estimated $350 million, while his entertainer fiancée Jennifer Lopez is said to be worth $400 million; so even if they did pool their resources, they would likely need to find other investors before making a bid
Rodriguez’s former Yankees teammate Derek Jeter was part of the investment group that bought the Marlins in 2017 for $1.2 billion. He contributed just $25 million and is now the CEO
Rodriguez spokesman Ron Berkowicz said he has no statement as this time, adding that his client is currently celebrating Valentine’s Day with his family.
Cohen, a hedge fund investor, had reportedly agreed to purchase 80 percent of the Mets from the Wilpon family for $2.6 billion. However that deal fell apart amid reported disagreements over the five-year transfer of the club to Cohen and the future role of Jeff Wilpon, the team’s current COO and the son of Fred.
One reason Rodriguez’s deal for the team faces tough odds, the Post reports, is that Cohen’s bid to buy the Mets may not be off the table.
‘No chance A-Rod pulls that off, especially with Steve Cohen still out there playing safety on this thing,’ a banker familiar with Cohen and the deal told the Post. ‘This auction will not get close to $3 billion, and it will be lucky to get over $2 billion. Steve knows that, he’s talking to people and he’s waiting for the Wilpons to come back begging for $2.6 billion and no five-year window.’
Steve Cohen, owner of Point72 Asset Management LP, right, stands for a photograph with Julie Macklowe, founder and chief executive officer of the skin-care company Vbeaute, at the Lincoln Center Alternative Investment Industry Gala. Cohen, a hedge fund investor, had reportedly agreed to purchase 80 percent of the Mets from the Wilpon family for $2.6 billion
Cohen’s $2.6 billion deal for the New York Mets fell apart amid reported disagreements over the five-year transfer of the club and the future role of Jeff Wilpon (right), the team’s current COO and the son of Fred (left)
Born in Washington Heights on the northern tip of Manhattan, Rodriguez claims to have been a Mets fan as a child, saying that his favorite player was slick-fielding first baseman Keith Hernandez. (Rodriguez’s family would later move to the Dominican Republic and then onto Miami)
Rodriguez claims to have been a Mets fan as a child, saying that his favorite player was slick-fielding first baseman Keith Hernandez
He nearly signed with the Mets in 2000, but then-general manager Steve Phillips famously balked at Rodriguez’s asking price. Rodriguez, who played shortstop at the time, ultimately left the Seattle Mariners for the Texas Rangers on a landmark 10-year, $252 million deal.
In 2003, Rodriguez was traded to Yankees and switched to third base out of deference to his long-time friend, Jeter.
Rodriguez earned an estimated $450 million over his 24-year career. That figure does not include the $40 million in salary he said he lost during his suspension for performance-enhancing drugs in 2014.
These days Rodriguez reportedly has significant real estate investments.
‘He’s a businessman and a baseball man based in New York,’ said one A-Rod ally. ‘Why wouldn’t he be looking at this?’
The Mets are coming off an up-and-down season in which they stumbled to a 46-55 start before getting hot in late July and ultimately finishing third in the N.L. East with an 86-76 record.
Promisingly, 24-year-old rookie first baseman Pete Alonso set a team record with 53 home runs, while 26-year-old right fielder Michael Conforto added 33 of his own, which bodes well for the future of the team.
The Mets are coming off an up-and-down season in which they stumbled to a 46-55 start before getting hot in late July and finishing third in the N.L. East with an 86-76 record