Mets owner Fred Wilpon gave his annual state of the team press conference on the first day of full squad workouts today. It was more of the same spin that we’ve heard in recent years from Fred about the team’s woeful financial situation. Although he did attempt to deflect the reason for the team’s $52 million payroll reduction to Sandy Alderson’s philosophy. That was so laughable that he later admitted that Alderson had a set payroll that he had to work within.
The highlights of the press conference were:
- The Wilpons don’t intend to give up control of the team, if possible
- The team has sold 7 shares of ownership although all but one were bought by entities with connections to the team already
- He admitted that the Madoff lawsuit was having an effect on team finances contrary to his prior statements on the topic
- He’s excited about the group of young players on the team
There isn’t much new there that we didn’t already know. Wilpon has been in near seclusion as the team has sunk deeper into the financial abyss. He typically leaves Alderson or his son, Jeff, to deal with the tough questions from the media. So today was a rare opportunity to hear the state of affairs directly from the horses mouth.
The Mets Report 