New York mayor mum on proposed sale of Mets
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio deflected questions Thursday about whether he wants to block the sale of the New York Mets to hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen.
Asked about the proposed sale at a news briefing, de Blasio said the city law department is legally obligated to review the sale because Citi Field, where the Mets play, is on city land.
“It’s our land,” de Blasio said. “There is a legal requirement that if there’s an ownership change, it has to be evaluated. Our law department is doing that evaluation based on the law.”
A provision in the city’s lease agreement says any new owner of the team cannot be someone who has been convicted of a felony or is an organized crime figure.
Cohen’s former company, SAC Capital Partners, pleaded guilty in an insider-trading case in 2014 and paid $1.8 billion in fines. Cohen was not charged in the case.
Major League Baseball owners are expected to vote Friday to approve the purchase of 95% of the Mets by Cohen.
Money saver? Cleveland reliever Brad Hand, an All-Star in 2017-19, was placed on waivers, the Athletic reported.
Hand, 30, has a $10 million option for 2021, and any team claiming him would be responsible for that. Should Hand go unclaimed, the Indians could decline the option and give him a $1 million buyout.
The team has not confirmed the move.
Roster moves: The Brewers declined a $15 million option on outfielder Ryan Braun. He instead will receive a $4 million buyout.
Braun, 37, batted a career-low .233 with seven homers and 27 RBIs in 39 games this year. The six-time All-Star, who was the 2007 Rookie of the Year and 2011 MVP in the National League, has hit .296 with 352 homers and 1,154 RBIs in 14 major-league seasons.
• The Yankees exercised...