MLB Rumors: A-Rod Becomes Unlikely Bidder For Mets, Influenced By Jeter?

Earlier this month, it was announced that the New York Mets are for sale. This occurred after billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen walked away from a $2.6 million deal to get 80-percent control of the team. Factoring into this was the Wilpon family reportedly unwilling to surrender control for the first five years of his ownership.

Though Cohen has reportedly not entirely given up, things are not looking swell. The Wilpons own about 70 percent of the team and it appears the ideal buyer should be filthy rich that he or she would not be concerned about losses and negotiating with the family, The New York Times reported. Could former New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez be among them?

Multiple sources claim that the newest suitor to join the Mets sale is the retired baseball player who is married to Jennifer Lopez. Ironically, Rodriguez almost signed with the Mets in 2000 but things just did not fall into place. The 44-year-old is a professed childhood Mets fan who idolized Keith Hernandez, the New York Post reported.

“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?”

While the sudden interest of Rodriguez may have caught some by surprise, critics believe a lot had to do with Derek Jeter buying the Miami Marlins. Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria agreed to sell the team to a group led by Jeter and businessman Bruce Sherman for $1.2 billion back in 2017, the Miami Herald reported. It appears Rodriguez wants to follow Jeter's lead.

Unfortunately, A-Rod will have to pool together a group to make it happen. Most believe that even though he and Lopez are wealthy, it will not be enough to pull off a successful bid to buy the Mets. Jeter's net worth is reportedly around $350 million while J.Lo is somewhere near the $400 million mark. The two could be a good foundation for an investing group although another obstacle lies ahead.

Sources claim that large ownership groups are not the kind of buyers that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and his owners. However, the thought of seeing Rodriguez and Jeter in the same division and as owners could be intriguing. The auction is expected to happen in the coming days with the team expected to fetch $3 billion. That does not include the five-year transfer window and the team's cable TV station SNY.