Steve Cohen has not given up on buying the Mets, but sources close to the situation say he would want the team’s majority stake in cable network SNY to justify a new bid anywhere near the Wilpons’ $3 billion valuation.
What remains unclear is whether the Wilpons have any interest in selling SNY or dealing with Cohen a second time.
The Wilpons own 65 percent of the cable network in partnership with Spectrum and Comcast. Banking sources tell The Post the network is valued between $850 million-$1 billion, with gross earnings near $150 million annually. Considering the Mets are thought to lose $50 million in an average year, the network would be hugely useful in any sale of the organization.
“Cohen wants SNY, and he wants it at fair value,” one banker familiar with the deal said. “The team loses $50 million a year in a good year, so he wants SNY’s revenue, and he might pay a small premium to never have to deal with Fred and Jeff [Wilpon] ever again.”
After being spurned by Cohen at the altar when the deal to purchase the Mets collapsed earlier in the month, the Wilpons are moving forward with the plan to sell the Mets in an auction, being conducted by the team’s longtime investment banker Allen & Co. However, attempting to determine how far along they are in that process results in a murky picture. The Wilpons’ displeasure with Cohen, and the beating they took from fans after the deal failed, have left very sour feelings.
“They clearly don’t want to sell to Steve Cohen,” one former Mets employee said. “But who is going to come close to paying what he will?”
According to people with knowledge of Cohen’s perspective, he is equally not thrilled by the idea of negotiating with the Wilpons again, thanks to the fallout over the infamous five-year window clause that would have kept the Wilpons in control of the Mets after cashing the majority of Cohen’s check in Year 1. Because of that disaster, and what Cohen saw during his up-close look at the Mets’ balance sheet, sources say his offer might not be much higher than the $2.6 billion he offered without SNY and with the five-year window in place. Those sources also tell The Post that Cohen is increasingly certain no bid will come close, even with SNY in the mix.
A Wednesday report from The Athletic mentioned the possibility that the Wilpons are increasingly open to parting with SNY in any deal but also cited multiple reports claiming that the mere $13 billion specter of Cohen’s interest has kept a lot of other billionaires on the sidelines. But fear of Cohen could stall the Mets sale indefinitely, as the hedge fund mogul is waiting for other bidders to emerge and provide him with the leverage to make a better offer, giving the Wilpons no choice but to sell to him.
“He’s definitely still out there,” one person following both the process and Cohen said. “But if no one else is [ready to show interest] because they’re afraid he’s going to blow out their offer, this thing might last forever.”
The Mets declined comment and referred The Post to a quote from Jeff Wilpon from earlier this month confirming the team will be moving forward with a sale but cannot discuss what happened with Cohen due to a nondisclosure agreement. Cohen’s spokespeople also declined comment.