Report: 76ers' Managing Partners Could Look to Buy MLB's New York Mets

Philadelphia 76ers Managing Partners Josh Harris and David Blitzer have reported interest in buying MLB's New York Mets.

Josh Harris and David Blitzer might be the Managing Partners of the Philadelphia 76ers, but it doesn't mean they aren't looking to acquire additional franchises. 

Harris and Blitzer are businessmen first, and sports fans second. If an opportunity to expand their portfolio's as sports partners comes about, then you have to assume they will look into the situation to capitalize on it potentially.

The Sixers were the first organization that Harris and Blitzer acquired. Then, they added the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils into the mix. Now according to a report from Variety's Scott Soshnick, Harris and Blitzer could look to make moves in Major League Baseball as well, by acquiring the New York Mets. 

"Josh Harris, the billionaire co-founder of Apollo Global Management, and David Blitzer, an executive at private equity firm Blackstone, are among the suitors for the New York Mets, according to people familiar with the matter. The Mets have retained Steve Greenberg at Allen & Co. to oversee the sale process."

"Greenberg declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman for Harris. Talks are still in the early stages, said one of the people, who was granted anonymity because the matter is private."

As we know, the New York Mets are currently for sale. Initially, a deal was in place for a billionaire hedge fund manager, Steve Cohen, to buy the organization, but everything fell through after Cohen "sought to alter the part of the deal that pertained to the timetable for control," according to Soshnick. 

That opened up the door for a celebrity couple to try and obtain the team. Baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and pop star/actress Jennifer Lopez had rumored interest in buying the Mets a couple of months back. Unfortunately for both parties, talks quickly quieted down. Now, Harris and Blitzer are reportedly up to the plate. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_