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        <title><![CDATA[Wayne Rothbaum emerges as potential Mets buyer for ‘fire sale only’]]></title>
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            <media:title type="html">Wayne Rothbaum emerges as potential Mets buyer for ‘fire sale only’</media:title>
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        <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The latest billionaire bidder for the Mets might actually be more of a bargain shopper.</p><p>According to multiple sources familiar with the situation, biotech investor Wayne Rothbaum is still interested in buying the money-losing MLB franchise from the Wilpons, but without the team’s money-making cable network SNY included, Rothbaum would only pony up at an amazin’ discount.</p><p>“I think he likes the idea of $1 billion,” one source told The Post. “It’s a round number and the Wilpons are not holding any cards without SNY.”</p><p>If Rothbaum is indeed looking at a number as low as $1 billion, that is a bad sign for Fred and Jeff Wilpon, who scuttled a $2.6 billion deal with hedge funder Steve Cohen for their majority share of the Mets without SNY back in February. Since that pact imploded, COVID-19 has upended the global economy and put the MLB season at risk, making it likely that the Wilpons could lose as much as $150 million if the team plays only half a season in the end stages of a virus pandemic.</p><p>Recent valuations peg the Mets without SNY at $1.6 billion.</p><p>Rothbaum’s “fire sale only” stance on the Mets also calls into question <strong>where he stands</strong> with Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez. Reports have swirled that J-Rod tapped Rothbaum as a heavy financial hitter in their plan to acquire the Mets, but their offer would more than likely <strong>require a billionaire looking to spend</strong>.</p><p>Recent reports indicate J-Rod might be moving on in their search for a deep-pocketed partner.</p><p>Major League Baseball, sources said, would also prefer that a more profligate member of the three commas club ends up with a franchise in the league’s biggest market, using the new owner&#8217;s wealth to then build a contender.</p><p>Speculation like that inevitably leads back to Cohen. While sources close to the $11 billion financier have made it abundantly clear that he’s not preparing a new bid for his childhood team, speculation remains rampant that he will emerge as the team’s new owner.</p><p>“I don’t see how Steve Cohen doesn’t end up with the Mets at this point,” one insider mused. “I wouldn’t bid again right now if I was him either, but he’s the only one that makes sense.”</p>]]></content:encoded>
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