Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez reportedly are not giving up on their desire to purchase the New York Mets.
While the power couple’s first attempt at acquiring the team fell apart, they are working with JPMorgan Chase bankers to produce a second bid, the New York Post reported on Friday.
The newspaper quoted anonymous sources as saying that actress-singer Lopez and retired baseball star Rodriguez are willing to invest “hundreds of millions” out of their pockets to acquire the Mets.
Photo: AP
According to the Post, the Wilpon family, who own the Mets, are growing more eager to unload the team as their finances take a hit due to baseball’s shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Wilpons are now willing to package SNY, the Mets’ cable network, for sale along with the club, the newspaper added.
The Wilpons’ previous unwillingness to include SNY in the deal helped sink the first bid from Rodriguez and Lopez, the Post reported.
The Wilpons were initially reported to be shopping the Mets in December, when billionaire hedge fund founder Steve Cohen attempted to acquire 80 percent of the team.
Cohen, a minority owner of the team, announced in February that his bid to gain a controlling interest had failed, news that was followed shortly by reports of interest from Rodriguez and Lopez.
Forbes last month placed the Mets’ value at US$2.4 billion, a 4 percent increase from last year.
The Mets ranked sixth on Forbes’ list of most valuable Major League Baseball teams, trailing only the New York Yankees (US$5 billion), the Los Angeles Dodgers (US$3.4 billion), the Boston Red Sox (US$3.3 billion), the Chicago Cubs (US$3.2 billion) and the San Francisco Giants (US$3.1 billion).
Rodriguez, 44, was a three-time Most Valuable Player and 14-time All-Star in a 22-year major league career that included stints with the Seattle Mariners (1994-2000), the Texas Rangers (2001-03) and the New York Yankees (2004-13).
His accomplishments were tarnished by his admitted use of performance-enhancing drugs.
Lopez, 50, has enjoyed success as both a movie star and a singer, with Fox Business in February reporting her net worth to be between US$225 million and US$400 million, with Rodriguez’s net worth estimated at US$300 million to US$350 million.
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