Mark Cuban: 'I'll Answer The Phone' If Mets, Wilpons Call
NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) -- Memo to the Wilpons: Call Mark Cuban.
The Dallas Mavericks' owner, whose net worth is $2.3 billion according to Forbes, said on Wednesday that he would be "willing" to discuss purchasing part of the Mets, but won't go out of his way to bid on the team.
"If they want to sit down and sell me on it, I can be a willing buyer and a willing customer," Cuban said before last night's Knicks loss at MSG. "But I'm not going to be a bidder on anything."
Cuban, who has two failed MLB franchise bids under his belt, is not willing to "chase after it."
"If someone sees me as a potential owner, I'll take their call and discuss a deal," Cuban said. "I'm not going to get into a bidding situation ever again. ... Obviously, I feel like I'd be a good team owner in baseball, but I'm not going to go through the same process I did with the Rangers and the Cubs."
An investment group led by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan won a contentious auction for the Rangers in August, beating back a nearly $600 million offer from Cuban. He also reportedly lost out on an attempt to purchase the Cubs in 2007.
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The Mets are apparently under pressure as a result of a lawsuit from the trustee trying to reclaim money for victims of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme. On Friday, Owner Fred Wilpon and his son, Jeff, announced they were exploring a partial sale of the team that would raise several hundred million dollars.
Fred Wilpon said the Mets were looking to sell a non-controlling interest of 20 to 25 percent and he did not envision giving up control of the franchise, which his family first bought into in 1980.
Although he called the Mets a "great franchise," Cuban isn't entirely sold on the idea of buying a small chunk of the team.
"You take a small part of something that makes a ton of money, if the price is right, no matter who you are," said Cuban. "It'd be very unlikely that I'd choose to participate if they came to me for a minority stake unless there was a right to buy it in the event of that opportunity."
So, what's the bottom line for the Mavs' enigmatic owner?
"Like I said, I'm not going to be making any phone calls, but I'll answer the phone."
Would Cuban be a good fit for the Mets? Sound off in the comments below!
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