Wilpons Reportedly Are Not Among Owners Trying to Cancel MLB Season
By Jerry Trotta
Prior to Tuesday's potential breakthrough progress, Major League Baseball and the players association were locked in a stalemate in negotiations about a plan for the 2020 season. What reportedly played a prominent role in the failure to gain momentum is that six or more owners were reportedly lobbying for the campaign to be canceled altogether.
Per SNY insider Andy Martino, New York Mets bosses Fred and Jeff Wilpon are not on that list.
The Mets are not one of the teams advocating for no season, I’m told
— Andy Martino (@martinonyc) June 17, 2020
This makes sense when you realize where the Wilpons currently stand financially. As with any team, a cancelled season would see the Mets take a seismic revenue hit -- one the Wilpons might not be able to recover from. Such a reality could prompt the father-son tandem to sell the team once and for all at far below their intended asking price.
As evidenced by the recent botched sale to billionaire Steve Cohen, the Wilpons aren't keen on relinquishing their power anytime soon.
In light of this report, Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic quoted a player agent who said that "there are definitely more than eight owners who don't want to play." Whether that's truly the case or simply loose talk is unclear; none of the suspected hardlining owners are named either way.
Sources told The Athletic that the commissioner’s office is loathe to impose a season on players against their will when the Players Association likely would counter such a move by filing a claim for financial damages. The league says it wants to negotiatehttps://t.co/jbG96PuQdu
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) June 16, 2020
Don't be deceived by the Wilpons advocating for an actual 2020 season, however. Like always, their decision probably came down to money and the fact that they wouldn't be able to withstand the financial burden that would come as a result of a terminated campaign.