SNIGH 2023

[Edgy MD]

I'm starting to feel that there is a possible conflict of interest with the Mets former principal owner continuing to own and operate the cable outlet that holds the team's broadcast rights.



SNY owns broadcast rights to the Mets through 2035, but they attained that at a below-market rate, as it was a Sterling entity dealing with a Sterling entity, so Cohen would likely love to renegotiate that, but that's the contract. SNY is a big money-maker for Sterling, but cablecasting in the era of online streaming is a slowly dying industry, and so SNY, like all regional sports networks, is losing value.



Knowing this, the Wilpons have been looking to sell the entity off, but it's under a lot of debt (including debt incurred by the station buying a piece of the baseball team), so the family needs to get a sale at least as much as the debt obligation. The most obvious buyer would be Steve Cohen, but his motivation to buy is mixed, as it (again) is a fading asset.



Having the potential to bail the Wilpons out gives him leverage, though, so he can drive a hard price. But here's where the conflict occurs. The only leverage they have over him is their coverage of the Mets. They have motivation to devote fewer resources to a relationship that is no longer a sweetheart deal, no longer polishing their own apple.



As far as I can suss out, Keith Hernandez isn't under contract yet for 2023. Maybe (and I'm speculating here), the former team owners feel less motivated to put resources into a diminishing asset that serves to promote their former asset which is accruing value.



I'm totally spitballing here. But if Keith is demanding top dollar, SNY can hold out, knowing his absence really diminishes the Mets as much as or more than them. And however much it diminishes them, they make up for it with the far cheaper Todd Zeile in the SNY booth. There's no similar flipside for Cohen and the team if Keith walks.



And that way, maybe the former owners try to exercise some leverage over the current owners. If you want Keith so bad, you pay him, or better yet, buy us out for our asking price.



It's all speculation, most of it baseless, but with Keith unsigned, my mind wanders in such a direction.

[metirish]

Nicely summed up I think, I was just thinking this morning that the Wilpon's could be acting the maggots with Keith. I can't imagine a season of Todd .



Anyway , I'm sure Keith would be the type that says screw it and and enjoys full retirement

[Lefty Specialist]

I wish Cohen had bought the whole thing at once. I hate that the Wilpons still own SNY.



Losing Keith would be a disaster. Just For Men sales would crater.

[Fman99]

Yeah I mean you gonna play hardball with him? He's Keith Fucking Hernandez

[whippoorwill]

We should all go together and buy it. Then make the Mets available nationwide again



I'll chip in an extra dollar

[roger_that]

=whippoorwill post_id=116181 time=1672952052 user_id=79]
make the Mets available nationwide again

[kcmets]

Seema like a lot of drama.



And it would be 162 games, not 81.

[whippoorwill]

=roger_that post_id=116183 time=1672954284 user_id=128]
=whippoorwill post_id=116181 time=1672952052 user_id=79]
make the Mets available nationwide again

[batmagadanleadoff]

I don't see where there's a conflict of interest here. The Wilpons sold the Mets. They no longer have any obligations or fiduciary duties or responsibilities to the Mets or their investors/shareholders. They can play this as cutthroat and as hardball as they see fit. (Not that I'm rooting for them). This situation is no different than if Coca-Cola owned SNY instead of Sterling/Wilpon.

[Frayed Knot]

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=116216 time=1672989747 user_id=68] This situation is no different than if Coca-Cola owned SNY instead of Sterling/Wilpon.

[Edgy MD]

Also, if Coca-Cola owned the network, it wouldn't be carrying the debt load.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Frayed Knot wrote: =batmagadanleadoff post_id=116216 time=1672989747 user_id=68] This situation is no different than if Coca-Cola owned SNY instead of Sterling/Wilpon.

Except that Coca-Cola and Steve Cohen don't have (at least to my knowledge) prior bad blood between them.

The pre-existing Cohen/Wilpon feud does add an extra element to things. Enough for the 'Pons to decide that

a cheaper Keith replacement makes for a better SNY than one with Keith? Probably not.

But if they were known for making the best decisions all the time then they'd likely still own the team.

[metirish]

[kcmets]

He wrote some sentences. Said nothing. Gets paid for that.

[metirish]

[Frayed Knot]

Whenever I see this thread my first reaction is to wonder why we've got a discussion on the Baseball Forum

dedicated to golfer Vijay Singh, especially since he isn't even a regular on the tour anymore.



Then I read it more carefully.

[Fman99]

Good deal on the Mex re-sign. I really didn't want to listen to 100+ games worth of Todd Zeile.

[Lefty Specialist]

Our long national nightmare is over. Whew.

[Frayed Knot]

The length of the deal could be interesting as it could be his final one.

KH turns 70 this year and ... well let's just say that he didn't exactly inherit the 'Hardest working man in show business' title when James Brown checked out.

[metirish]

I should note that Boomer said it's from a reliable source , so take that with a pinch of salt... Nothing official

[Edgy MD]

It's pretty funny that Todd Zeile's continuing relationship with the Mets world has long been negatively affected by him replacing a smoother, more popular, lefty-swinging firstbaseman who was let walk under bitter circumstances, and folks have been afraid it was happening again 25 years later.

[kcmets]

I should note that Boomer said it's from a reliable source , so take that with a pinch of salt... Nothing official

MetsMerized Online says, "Hernandez confirmed the news on Instagram" so you

know it's a true done dealio. GKR together again!

[MFS62]

SNY reporting it will be a three year deal.

Later

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: The length of the deal could be interesting as it could be his final one. KH turns 70 this year and ... well let's just say that he didn't exactly inherit the 'Hardest working man in show business' title when James Brown checked out.

SNY reporting it will be a three year deal.

Later

[metirish]

[metirish]

Nice bit of information here

[Benjamin Grimm]

I wonder if there are any three-man crews with other teams that have lasted as long or longer?

[Frayed Knot]

SNY reporting it will be a three year deal.

My guess is that this will be followed by his retirement from the booth.

Not based on anything other than gut, but let's enjoy it while it lasts.

[The Hot Corner]

Yay!

[Edgy MD]

Here's a good place to note that Diamond Sports Group, the company that runs the host of Bally Sports regional sports networks, holders of the broadcast rights of 14 teams, is reportedly on the verge of bankruptcy. MLB could be facing opening day scrambling to find outlets to carry their games.



Rob Manfred is on fire.