Sources expect Cohen to receive the needed support from 23 MLB ownersGETTY IMAGES
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league is "going to try to process" the sale of the Mets from the Wilpon family to hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen "as quickly as possible." Appearing on the "Big Time Baseball" podcast on Monday with Jon Heyman and Tony Gwynn Jr., Manfred said it is "up to the owners ultimately" as to whether Cohen "will be approved." Manfred: "But given the time of year, we would like to move this along as quickly as possible so that the Mets have certainty as they go into the offseason and it's absolutely clear who is making the decisions about how the roster's going to be put together, what the budget is and what the 2021 version of the New York Mets is going to look like" ("Big Time Baseball," 9/28). On Long Island, Tim Healey writes before Cohen "officially takes control of the Mets," he "needs to get the OK from 23 of 30 team owners." MLB has "not revealed a date for such a vote, but sources previously said it is expected to happen well before the mid-November owners' meetings -- and that Cohen is expected to have the required support." For now, MLB "remains in the process of vetting Cohen and the details of a deal that values the Mets" at about $2.475B. Typically, the vote itself is a "mere formality, once it gets to that stage" (NEWSDAY, 9/30).
