Mets' problems a long way from being over

For the many Mets fans who have seen their perpetual pain fester, Fred Wilpon and company found a Band-Aid Thursday.

A high-quality Band-Aid, for sure. It'll provide a much appreciated sense of relief.

But David Einhorn's potential minority investment is still, for now, just a Band-Aid. His presence doesn't bring closure to chaos that has existed inside the Mets since Bernard Madoff's arrest in December 2008. It doesn't significantly increase the likelihood of the Mets committing long term to Jose Reyes.

We know that thanks to Wilpon himself, who recently told Sports Illustrated that his ownership of the club is "in jeopardy" because of the Mets' entanglement with Madoff trustee Irving Picard. As long as the Wilpons are running the team, and as long as they remain at odds with Picard -- and maybe beyond then -- you can set your watch to more unwanted drama despite the presence of ultra-capable general manager Sandy Alderson.

The better news for Mets fans is that a stronger, longer-term resolution now lurks in the periphery, and that's hedge-fund mogul Einhorn purchasing controlling interest of the team from the Wilpons and Saul Katz. At the outset, he looks like a welcome arrival to the Mets' universe.

"This is the transaction that we're working on right now," Einhorn said in a telephone news conference. "What happens later, we'll have to take care of down the road."

You don't attain Einhorn's level of success, especially by age 42, without (excuse the mixed metaphor) possessing excellent court vision. The Wilpons' grasp on the Mets is tenuous, and it might not survive even with a favorable outcome against Picard.

SEE PHOTOSThe Mets under Fred Wilpon

By buying in now for $200 million, Einhorn puts himself in position to take full ownership of the team he purportedly loved as a New Jersey child. That would seem to be a best-case scenario, at least from what we know about Einhorn right now.

You don't become super-rich without accruing some bruises along the way, but Einhorn carries a strong reputation in the hedge-fund world. He is regarded as a "character" in the best sense of the term who hasn't hesitated to speak his mind, and he usually has looked prescient when doing so, most notably on the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.

Einhorn and Bud Selig have friends in common from Milwaukee, where Einhorn spent some of his formative years, so Selig's approval should not be an issue. Einhorn also is very involved in charitable ventures.

And he's willing to be patient. To open his checkbook, sit in his luxury suite and stay silent for a year or two while the Wilpon drama plays out to its organic conclusion.

"The Wilpons remain in control of the team," Einhorn said. "That's the way everyone should view it."

Uh huh. By proactively announcing Einhorn as their "preferred partner," even though a complete deal is a month away, the Mets clearly tried to steer the conversation away from Wilpon's verbal missteps to SI and The New Yorker. Away from the probability that Reyes will play elsewhere in 2012, if not later this year.

And the news should bear some fruit. Certainly, life as a Mets fan is better today than it was yesterday.

There is renewed hope for the future. But the storm hasn't passed yet.