Cohen makes initial highest
As one person familiar with the Mets sale process put it, now is when the fun starts.
With the first round of bidding completed Thursday evening, the Wilpons are now reviewing their offers from at least three bidders – including hedge-fund billionaire Steve Cohen, who made the highest bid out of groups interested in purchasing the Mets.
Cohen checked in with a $2 billion offer on Thursday, plus an additional $2 billion to purchase SNY, a source confirmed to the Daily News. Fox Business was the first to report how much capital the remaining suitors offered the team. However, a source familiar with the process is not convinced SNY will be for sale.
A group led by Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez also made a bid on Thursday, with Fox Business reporting an offer in the $1.7 billion range. Rodriguez and Lopez — who are worth a combined $750 million — hired JPMorgan Chase in April to raise money for their possible bid. The couple has since teamed up with billionaire investors in Vitaminwater co-founder Mike Repole and Florida Panthers owner Vinnie Viola.
Devils and 76ers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer — who have a combined net worth of $5.1 billion — also made an offer on Thursday. The amount of money Harris and Blitzer offered is unclear.
The Mets hope to close a deal before the end of the year.
Mets CEO Fred Wilpon and brother-in-law Saul Katz are interested in the highest bidder. The Wilpon/Katz family do not need Cohen to offer $250 million more than his nearest rival to buy the Mets, as false reports have suggested. COO Jeff Wilpon does not have a preference to sell exclusively to Rodriguez and Lopez, according to multiple sources.
In the end, the highest bidder is expected to secure the deal. Cohen, a lifelong Mets