OUT OF LEFT FIELD
Jeter’s bid to buy Marlins may face Twinkie king
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Derek Jeter could soon face a deep-pocketed roadblock in his bid to buy the Miami Marlins, The Post has learned.
Billionaire Charles Dean Metropoulos, whose buyout firm controls Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies, is interested in making an offer for the money-losing Major League Baseball team, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
Metropoulos, worth $2.4 billion according to Forbes, has long coveted buying a sports team for sons Evan and Daren.
The businessman met with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in the last several weeks at The Breakers resort in Palm Beach, Fla., about making a joint offer, the source said. Bush is partnered with Yankees great Jeter in bidding for the Marlins — one of two known suitors.
Tagg Romney, the 47-yearold son of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, using family money, is leading a second bidding group. Tagg Romney, like the Bush/Jeter team, has been looking for co-investors, sources said.
The Hostess honcho lives in Palm Beach,
The Bush/Jeter group has been lining up co-investors so they can make a better-than $1 billion proposal for the team.
Metropoulos, unlike Bush and Jeter, has the money to buy the team himself and is interested ina purchase of the Marlins only if he or his sons become the general partner, the source with direct knowl- edge of the situation said.
Major League Baseball recognizes only one general partner per team.
“I think it’s bad news for Bush and Jeter,” that he’s interested, a sports banker said, believing Metropoulos, if he bids, would likely end up doing so on his own.
It is not known if Bush would accept a minor, nonactive role in the group. Earlier this week, Bush told The Post during the Milken Institute Global Conference here, that he was “confident” of becoming the exclusive bidder for the Marlins.
All thing being equal, MLB would likely favor a bid that had more cash and less debt — an advantage Metropoulos would seem to have over the Bush and Romney groups.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday evening told The Post on the sidelines of the Milken conference, “The next step for the Marlins is to decide who they want to sell to.”
“We hope that happens in days and not months,” Manfred added.
As of a few weeks ago, neither the Bush/Jeter team nor Metropoulos had seen the Marlins’ financials, the source said.
The Marlins are among the poorest-performing teams in baseball, losing more than $50 million a year, sources told The Post. Their poor on-field performance has resulted in the team being among the four lowest in average attendance in each of the last four seasons.
Metropoulos is known as a value investor, and has bought companies, including brands from bankrupt Hostess, that were losing money. However, he also has a reputation for being a disciplined buyer.
He was a serious suitor in 2011 to buy the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars but in the end lost out to Shahid Khan, who paid $770 million.
Metropoulos declined comment.