He’s only had eyes for the Mets.
As Steve Cohen’s negotiations have continued with the Sterling partners that would leave him as the majority owner of the Mets, a famous friend of the billionaire hedge-fund investor says the organization will be getting the right man to lead it into the next decade.
Reggie Jackson told The Post on Friday he’s spoken with Cohen on several occasions over the last 10-15 years about forming an ownership group with him to purchase a major league team. Each time, the answer was a basic variation of Cohen saying the only team he wanted to own was the Mets.
“He was just dead stuck on the Mets,” the Hall of Fame outfielder said. “I have tried to talk to him about the Dodgers and the A’s and a couple of other teams and he said, ‘Reggie, I might be interested in the Dodgers, my daughter goes to college in that area, but I live [in Connecticut] and I’m a Mets fan and that is kind of where my focus is. If there is ever an opportunity, that is where it would be.’ ”
Cohen ultimately bid on the Dodgers in 2011, but the proposal never gained traction. The team went to a group headed by Mark Walter and included NBA legend Magic Johnson.
Cohen, a minority shareholder in the Mets since 2012, would own up 80 percent of the team under the proposed deal. The proposal also calls for Fred Wilpon to retain the CEO title for five years, with Jeff Wilpon remaining the team COO over the same period. But industry insiders expect Cohen to begin calling the shots once the sale is approved by MLB.
At the winter meetings this month, commissioner Rob Manfred indicated that established protocols have been followed by the Mets owners in their sale to the 63-year-old Cohen.
Jackson, a longtime Yankees advisor, said the Mets will be entering another universe under Cohen.
“The Mets got involved with [Bernie] Madoff and had some financial troubles and if you are going to compete in New York, you’ve got to be able to write a big check,” Jackson said. “Steve loves baseball. I take a look at the New York sports teams and there’s really only one that is successful [the Yankees], so it takes more money.”
But Cohen’s influence could reach beyond his estimated net worth of $13 billion.
“Certainly the technology and the ‘Harvard guys’ have gotten in, for the lack of a better term,” Jackson said. “You know the analytics and the analysis of different things. I am sure there are so many analytics in his world that he will be very comfortable with the understanding of it. I really think it’s a good thing.”
Jackson has visited Cohen’s mansion in Greenwich, Conn., on multiple occasions and was overwhelmed by the experience.
“He’s always interesting to be around because his world is so big and the things he says, the things he talks about, they are interesting,” Jackson said. “It’s what is going on globally, so I certainly think he understands what the Mets need and he will have the people around him.”
Would Jackson consider trading in his pinstripes to work for Cohen with the Mets?
“I have got a lot of Steinbrenner in me,” Jackson said. “I am very close to the family and they mention me as a family member, so it would be hard to pry me away from them. There would be a lot of tears.”