Steve Cohen Says He's 'Very Disappointed' Attempt to Purchase Mets Fell Through

Steve Cohen issued a statement Thursday after his deal to purchase a majority stake in the New York Mets fell through.

"I gave it my best shot," he said in a statement, per Tim Healey of Newsday. "I'm very disappointed we couldn’t work out a deal. But as an 8% holder I'm looking forward to a higher bid for the team."

Cohen had initially planned to purchase an 80 percent stake in the team from Fred and Jeff Wilpon for $2.6 billion. However, talks fell through, and Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Thursday the deal was dead.

The Mets provided their own statement on the failed transaction:

Per Heyman, MLB doesn't blame the Mets for the inability to complete a deal, and the team will look at other suitors in an "auction" style to sell the team. However, there were several reported stipulations that caused Cohen to back out.

The two sides had agreed upon a five-year period before Cohen would take over, but Thorton McEnery of the New York Post reported Jeff Wilpon wanted to maintain a senior role in the team's operations after the period.

Evan Roberts of WFAN added there was a demand to raise Wilpon's salary to $4 million by the end of the transition period, while also disallowing the use of Cohen's own analytics department.

The Wilpons had also planned to extend their control over SNY, the team's cable network, beyond their agreed-upon deal, per Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News.

These issues were apparently enough to end talks and force the Mets to look elsewhere for a new owner.