Wilpon said in January that the Mets had hired Steve Greenberg, a managing director at Allen & Co., to seek investors for 25%, and the owners later said they would sell up to 49%.

In the Sports Illustrated story, 36 candidates were reported to have sought information about a possible stake, and that the list recently was narrowed to four finalists.

In terms of attendance, the Mets also have struggled, bringing fewer fans to the three-year-old Citi Field, which was built for $800 million three years ago. The Mets also have been shut out of a playoff berth since 2006, seen locally as a particular embarrassment because the combined Mets payroll is $537 million, topped only by that of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

The Mets averaged 38,941 fans a game in the inaugural 2009 Citi Field season, but last year the average at 41,800-seat park was 32,401, seventh best among MLB's 30 clubs. This year, it is drawing an average of 28,565 per game, and is mired deep in the National League East standings, with a 23-25 record. The team also announced last November that it was dropping ticket prices for 2011 by an average of 14%.