Mets owners searching for partners

NEW YORK, March 2 (UPI) -- The owners of baseball's cash-starved New York Mets say a handful of "legitimate" candidates are seriously interested in buying part of the ball club.

The team has given more than a dozen names of financial groups interested in a minority stake in the club to Major League Baseball for vetting, as the league must pre-approve their qualifications before the team opens the formal bidding process, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

But the Mets believe just a few of the contenders are strong enough financially to be a potential partner, sources told the Post.

The Mets are desperately seeking a buyer for a minority interest in the team, possibly up to 49 percent, to raise much-needed cash as team owners -- including majority owner Fred Wilpon and his brother-in-law Saul Katz -- are struggling with debts stemming from investments they had in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme.

In addition to the candidates currently being checked by MLB, the current majority owner of the Tampa Bay Rays may be interested in buying the Mets -- but not just a small piece, sources said.

Although Rays owner Stuart Sternberg, a Brooklyn native and current Mets season-ticket holder, told the Post, "The Wilpons have been great owners, and I have no interest in buying the Mets," sources say if the Wilpon family is forced to sell its majority stake in the club against its wishes then Sternberg would be interested.

Having baseball Commissioner Bud Selig as a strong ally would help Sternberg's interest but he would have to sell the Rays as a prerequisite to purchasing the Mets, the Post said.