Bill de Blasio says his role in Mets sale isn’t personal, and process is ‘winding down’

NEW YORK — Weeks ago, it seemed preposterous that Mayor Bill de Blasio would rather continue fielding questions about his role in the Mets sale than direct all of his energy on keeping his residents safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. But here we are.

De Blasio responded Thursday to the latest inquiries about his office grandstanding and dragging its feet on the signing over of a Citi Field lease transfer that was expected to be just a formality. De Blasio said Thursday he spoke to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to inform him that his office has a “legal responsibility” and it is “pursuing it and doing due diligence.”

The mayor plays a role in the Mets transfer of power from the Wilpons and Katz families to hedge-fund billionaire Steve Cohen because Citi Field is on land that is owned by the city.

“Some folks are trying to ascribe it to personal feelings — it’s not,” de Blasio said during his Thursday morning press conference. “It’s a legal responsibility that we have to undertake appropriately. That’s what this is all about.”

De Blasio is referring to a Wednesday night report that claimed the mayor is “trying to kill” the Mets sale to Cohen. The report also stated de Blasio “opposed the idea of a hedge-fund billionaire buying a local team” and would be using his power to prevent the sale from being finalized.

The mayor’s spokesperson, Bill Neidhardt, said that report was false in a tweet Wednesday. Neidhardt confirmed to the Daily News on Thursday that de Blasio reached out to Manfred to “tell him about the City’s process for reviewing incredibly valuable leases.” Neidhardt’s remarks match up with what de Blasio said publicly in his Thursday morning press conference.

MLB owners are expected to vote Friday on Cohen becoming sole majority owner of the Mets. Cohen will be operationally restricted if de Blasio does not sign over the lease transfer, regardless of whether he is approved by the league. The hedge-fund maven is expected to garner at least 22 of 29 votes to officially be approved by MLB.

A person familiar with the situation expects de Blasio to sign over the lease transfer Friday, or shortly after Cohen is approved by the league.

“It’s coming close to completion,” de Blasio told reporters Thursday. “It is winding down. I’m not going to give you an exact day or hour, but it will be very soon.”

The holdup from de Blasio’s office relates to a provision in the Citi Field lease which says the mayor can interfere with the sale if the prospective owner is a “prohibited person.” That term is defined as “any person that has been convicted in a criminal proceeding for a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude.”

Technically, Cohen has never been convicted or charged of a crime.