Steve Cohen approved as owner of Mets

NEW YORK — Here he is. The incomparable, invincible, unbeatable Steve Cohen is finally the new principal owner of the New York Mets.

The hedge-find titan was approved by Major League Baseball’s owners Friday afternoon to take over the franchise from Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz. The $2.4 billion deal is the highest price ever paid for a North American sports team. Cohen, who has an estimated net worth of $14 billion, is now baseball’s wealthiest owner.

Mayor Bill de Blasio signed off on the transaction immediately after MLB owners casted their “yes” votes. In a statement, MLB said the approval is contingent upon the closing of the sale transaction with the Wilpons, which is expected within the next 10 days.

“The New York City Law Department has completed its legal review of the proposed sale of the @Mets,” de Blasio announced on Twitter. “New York City has no objections and the Mets can now proceed with the transaction. #LGM”

The Wilpons end a decades-long run as Mets owners tainted by few highs and toomany-to-count lows. Fred Wilpon first bought a 5% stake in the franchise in 1980. He purchased partner Nelson Doubleday’s remaining 50% stake in the club in 2002 and became the team’s sole owner. Fred’s son, Jeff Wilpon, was named COO of the Mets in Aug. 2002 and handled the bulk of baseball operations in recent years. Friday marked the culmination of the Wilpons’ 40-year tenure of ownership in the Mets.

The 64-year-old Cohen first began his pursuit of owning the franchise 11 months ago. His original deal with Sterling Equities, the group headed by chairman and co-founder Fred Wilpon, was announced on Dec. 4, 2019 and collapsed just two months later over disagreements and complications regarding Fred and Jeff Wilpon’s continued involvement. Under the current deal, the Wilpons own a 5% stake in the Mets and will be removed from dayto-day operations.