Mets' latest cuts: About 15 employees
The cash-strapped Mets have laid off a portion of their full-time staff, the team confirmed Friday. The cuts affect about 15 people, according to a team source.
"Several weeks ago, we made workforce reductions in both the baseball and business operations departments, which amounted to less than 10 percent of our full-time staff," the club said in a statement.
General manager Sandy Alderson repeated Monday that the Mets' payroll for next season is expected to be in the $100-million range, or $40 million less than 2011.
The Mets have yet to repay a $25-million loan from Major League Baseball, made last November, and continue to battle a $1-billion lawsuit from Madoff clawback suit trustee Irving Picard. The team did settle two other lawsuits this week, including one by its own employees involving retirement-fund losses to Madoff's Ponzi scheme.
With so many financial issues, the ownership group has been trying to sell a minority stake in the franchise since early last year. But after a deal with hedge-fund manager David Einhorn collapsed in September, the Mets changed plans and announced they would sell smaller shares, at roughly $20 million each, to 10 or more investors.
Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said earlier this week that the selling of those shares was "going very well" but added that the names of those investors are unlikely to be released to the public.
