Report: A-Rod and JLo's late Mets bid 'total bullshit,' Cohen sale close

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez's last-ditch effort to purchase the New York Mets appears to have been a whole lot of smoke.

The celebrity couple made waves earlier this week by announcing they weren't abandoning their bid for the Mets, despite billionaire Steve Cohen in exclusive negotiations with the Wilpon family. However, a source told Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News that the revamped J-Rod offer is "total bullshit."

Rodriguez and Lopez claimed this week their offer was either close to, or better than, Cohen's reported bid of around $2.35 billion. Lopez also revealed she would be the Mets' control person instead of Rodriguez. In reality, they didn't come close to matching Cohen's offer in cash or capital, a source told Thosar.

The Rodriguez-Lopez group also included Vitamin Water co-founder Mike Repole, and Vincent Viola, owner of the NHL's Florida Panthers. JP Morgan Chase was also involved on the financial side. Despite the group's financial mettle as a whole, they weren't adequately equipped to operate the Mets' debt, something Cohen - who is worth around $14 billion - can do, according to Thosar.

The sale to Cohen, a current minority shareholder in the team, is now "almost done," a source told Thosar. He's expected to receive the necessary 23 votes of approval at the owner's meetings in November.

The Wilpon family has owned at least a portion of the Mets since 1980 and became sole owners in 2002. They've been looking to sell amid financial losses that are said to have grown to around $100 million before the COVID-19 pandemic.