People deep inside the Mets sale said Wednesday that two mystery bidders have been revealed, but those bidders tell The Post that they are not bidders at all. Instead it appears names are being leaked to influence the bidding as the process enters a later phase of innuendo and brinkmanship.
Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and private equity giant Silver Lake Partners were named by multiple sources as having joined the bidding group led by Josh Harris and David Blitzer, but spokespersons for both Adelson and Silver Lake are denying The Post’s reporting, saying that any chatter about their interest in the Mets is simply Amazin’ rumors.
Rumors about a fourth mystery bidder and the info about Silver Lake and Adelson have been swirling in the last few days according to an insider, leading a source close to the Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez camp to muse that forces are at work inside the process to push up the offer prices from J-Rod and Steve Cohen.
With reports the Harris Blitzer Sports group appears to have a ceiling of $2 billion on its offer, that source told The Post that leaking info about people and groups who might have shown previous interest and linking them to the low bidder would be a textbook tactic to put pressure on the leading parties.
That said, Silver Lake and Adelson made it clear that they are not currently in the mix for the Mets.
In a statement to The Post, Silver Lake shot down reports of its participation, writing “Any claim that Silver Lake is making or joining a bid for the NY Mets is entirely false and inaccurate.”
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the 86-year-old billionaire told The Post that “Mr. Adelson has no interest in purchasing the Mets.”
Considering that Adelson is worth an estimated $30 billion and that Silver Lake is a $43 billion fund, their massive combined wealth would have presented the first real threat to Steve Cohen’s status as frontrunner for the team.
Another source persisted that Adelson might not be interested in the Mets but is very interested in building a casino next to Citi Field. The next owner of the Mets will have the opportunity to develop much of the Willets Point neighborhood adjacent to the ballpark, and the idea of a casino project is a plan thought to be embraced by only the Harris Blitzer Sports Group.
When pressed on whether Adelson was interested in developing a casino in Queens, his spokespersons did not respond to comment.
“He talked to A-Rod and he’s been talking to Harris,” another source said of Adelson.
What all sources said in the wake of the denials was that misinformation being spread about the Harris Blitzer Sports bid makes it appear likely that Cohen and J-Rod have emerged as the two most likely winners of the Round 2 bidding process.
“If they’re really not involved, then someone really wanted Cohen and A-Rod to think they were,” one source told The Post when confronted with the twin denials.