The Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme has been a terrible tragedy for many in the United States. For those not familiar with ponzi schemes, it refers to a financial “investment” company, where the person running the scheme pays dividends to those investing their money with the investments that new investors make.
Now how does this affect the New York Mets? Well, according to the lawsuit, Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon invested both team money and personal money into the team.
An upcoming lawsuit alleges that the Mets’ owners knowingly invested in this scheme, with full knowledge that it was either a scheme or that they turned a blind eye to what was probably an impossibility.
On MLB Network Radio on Monday, Jim Duquette reported that the lawsuit could be between $300 million and $1 billion, which could come close to the value of the New York Mets team, and debt payments would require a $30 million a year profit by the Mets.
The following is a list of suggestions for the Mets to pare down operating costs in order to afford those debt payments or lawsuit judgment.