Steve Cohen's Purchase of Mets Reportedly Approved by MLB's Ownership Committee

Steve Cohen took another step closer toward purchasing the New York Mets.

The New York Post's Joel Sherman and Sportico's Scott Soshnick and Barry M. Bloom reported Tuesday that MLB's Ownership Committee voted 7-1 in favor of approving Cohen as the Mets' next owner.

He still needs to pass a vote of the Executive Council. Then at least 23 fellow owners will need to sign off on the move before the transaction is official.

Cohen already owns a minority stake in the Mets. The team announced in September it had begun the process of making him the majority owner.

According to Newsday's Tim Healey, his stake will climb to 95 percent, and his bid valued the Mets at around $2.48 billion.

Cohen and the Wilpon family were working toward a sale earlier in the year before negotiations broke down. The New York Post's Thornton McEnery reported Cohen was "deeply unhappy with the Wilpons changing the terms of the deal at a very late stage and has decided to walk away."

The Wilpons continued to explore a change in ownership.

Soshnick reported in July that four groups had moved on to the second round of bidding. Cohen was joined by Josh Harris, principal owner of the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia 76ers, a group led by former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, and a fourth faction that wasn't identified.

According to Sportico, a final vote on Cohen could happen "soon" upon the conclusion of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays.