With the World Series set to end next Wednesday at the latest, a vote on Steve Cohen’s bid to purchase the Mets could come as soon as next Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, according to executives familiar with the process.
But the vote is not yet scheduled, in part because the parties involved in the sale want to be sure that any outstanding issue with New York City mayor Bill de Blasio is resolved before the league’s owners decide if they are going to approve Cohen, according to sources.
Cohen needs 23 out of 30 votes in order to take control of the Mets.
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As USA Today first reported, de Blasio technically has the right to block the sale to “any person that has been convicted in a criminal proceeding for a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude.’’
The company that Cohen founded, S.A.C. Capital, pleaded guilty in 2018 to securities fraud and wire fraud and paid $1.8 billion in fines. But Cohen was not personally charged with a crime, making it unclear what grounds de Blasio would have to block the deal.
But, per sources, the parties involved in the sale were aware of the de Blasio situation long before it surfaced publicly. League officials want it fully settled before the MLB vote.
If there is a delay beyond next week, this will be the likely reason. Both the Mets’ current ownership and Cohen hope for de Blasio’s blessing by then, so they can proceed with the vote.
Once Cohen is approved -- and, as SNY has been reporting, that is the expected outcome -- he and incoming team president Sandy Alderson will be able to move forward with both their search for a head of baseball operations and building a roster for 2021.
