New York Mets: Projecting What the Mets Would Be Worth in a Sale

With the money troubles that the Mets are currently having and the recent sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion, some focus has of course been shifted to thinking about what the Mets would garner in a sale. If Fred Wilpon did, indeed, decide to sell the Mets, as he's said multiple times he doesn't want to do, there are a few things that will go into deciding a price.

Personally, I would love to see the Mets get sold because I have great disdain for Fred Wilpon, but that's a different issue. Also, this article is as if Wilpon didn't already sell a bunch of minority sales. The price decided will be the one price that would be for the entire team. Here are some of the things that would factor into deciding the price.

The NEW YORK Mets

Aside from all the championships, the "soulless team that shall not be named" across town has shown that New York is an extremely profitable city. Even with a team salary that is at the top of the league nearly every season, the Yankees remain extremely profitable and have a steady money flow. A new owner who thinks he can do a better job than the Wilpons at using New York to make money might be willing to pay more for the team in order to take that chance.

Brand New Stadium

The Mets moved into CitiField just three years ago. There are plenty of ways you can use an expensive, beautiful new stadium to make money, other than just drawing in the fans. There are different events and shows you can hold at a venue as nice as CitiField, and new owners might want to exploit that in order to make some money quickly in the beginning. A state of the art, brand new stadium will be sure to drive up the price in negotiations.

Los Angeles Dodgers Sale

As I previously stated, and most of you already know, the Los Angeles Dodgers just sold to a group represented by Magic Johnson for $2 billion. However, according to Forbes magazine, the Dodgers were only valued at $800 million. Point being, the Dodgers sold for their potential to make money and not what they were worth at the present time. This sets a precedent for future sales, as to what is expected when negotiating for the sale of a team. It might not have as big of an effect on a smaller-market team, but again, going back to the fact that the Mets play in New York, the biggest market in the country, it could greatly affect the prices being thrown around.

Forbes Magazine

The Mets are currently valued by Forbes Magazine as being worth $747 million. As I just said, the Dodgers were only valued at $800 million but sold for $2 billion. This goes to show that teams are being bought for much more than what they are valued at, for whatever reasons. It would definitely work in favor of the Wilpons that the Dodgers sold for so much, and the Mets are valued only slightly behind them.

My estimated price: $1.5 billion

I feel like the draw of New York and all of the money-making opportunities that come along with it will be enough in negotiations to drive up the price. Also, all of the money problems that the Mets are having are directly related to the Wilpons and the Madoff case and don't have anything to do with the team itself, so there won't be any worries for the new owners.