New York Mets: Can MLB force the Wilpon’s to sell the team?

Do New York Mets fans have any hope that Major League Baseball can step in and force the Wilpon’s to sell the franchise?

Until Wednesday’s win against the Padres, the New York Mets had gone since May without winning a series. This was supposed to be a moment of relief for fans of the Orange and Blue.

However, Mets fans had to deal with Yoenis Cespedes electing for career-altering heel surgery, Noah Syndergaard’s bout with hand, foot, and mouth disease, and the front office’s botched trade of closer Jeurys Familia.

All of this has left Mets fans with no trust in the front office to make any of the trades vital to starting the team’s rebuild, and with a newfound hatred for Fred and Jeff Wilpon.

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That hostility towards ownership was only worsened when it was revealed that the team will more than likely not reinvest the money saved from Cespedes’ contract due to the insurance on the deal.

The same thing has been true with the money saved on David Wright’s contract, with insurance paying for 75% of the money owed.

Mets fans have clearly been through it all with the Wilpon’s, and many want Rob Manfred’s office to step in and force them out.

Is this even possible?

There is precedent in Major League Baseball to force out an owner due to a lack of financial stability.

Frank McCourt, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was forced to sell the team in March of 2012 after it was discovered that he needed to take out a loan to cover the team’s payroll for April and May of the prior year.

Bud Selig, the commissioner at the time, did the right thing and helped save the Dodgers.

The eventual new ownership group, which includes NBA legend Magic Johnson, have led the Dodgers to 5 straight NL West titles, with an NL Pennant going there way in 2017.

Now, how does this relate to the situation the Mets are in?

Fred Wilpon invested heavily with Bernie Madoff during the 2000’s, which later turned out to be part of the largest Ponzi scheme in human history.

The Wilpon’s strategy was to sign player’s to deferred contracts (the most infamous example is Bobby Bonilla) so they could invest that money with Madoff and pay the player at a later date.

This would, in theory, make the Wilpon’s more money before they had to pay off the player, lessening the impact it had on their finance’s.

All of this came crumbling down when the Ponzi scheme was revealed.

Before the Ponzi scheme came to light, the Mets would go into rebuilds and then support the young, homegrown talent with prized free agents. The 2006 Mets team was the perfect example of this model, leading to an NL East crown.

The new Mets plan seems to be to grow young talent and then see how far that can take them without providing real support.

The Mets had a great core beginning with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, and Michael Conforto.

Yet, all that was provided to help was Yoenis Cespedes, the oft-injured outfielder.

This lack of investment into the team has led to a steep decline in the franchise, and has the Mets looking at another rebuild just three years after a World Series berth.

All of this leads to the question of whether or not MLB can force the Wilpon’s out?

It does not bode well for Mets fans looking for that outcome.

The problem comes down to the fact that there is no concrete evidence that the Wilpon’s can’t fund the team.

Sure, everyone can point to the fact that they rarely spend the amount needed to compete.

Of course, everyone can point to the fact that the team is run like they’re in Kansas City and not New York, the largest market in the country.

Sure, everyone can point to the owner’s connection to the largest financial fraud in American history.

Once again, everyone can point to the fact that all of their assets traded in the last two seasons have been for salary relief.

None of that matters.

Until there is irrefutable evidence that the Wilpon’s are hemorrhaging money, and they no longer can afford to run a Major League Baseball team, there is nothing that Rob Manfred can do.