Cohen wasn’t the only potential buyer the Wilpons talked to during the second half of 2019, but he emerged as the favorite because of his apparent willingness to agree to the unique provision, according to two of the people familiar with the process.

In some ways, the floor price for the Mets has been set. Anyone willing to buy a majority stake at a valuation of around $2.5 billion — the amount Cohen and the Wilpons were negotiating over — and allow Fred and Jeff Wilpon to remain in their roles for a number of years can come forward.

The identities of Fred and his eldest son, Jeff, are closely tied to the Mets. They are intimately involved with all of the team’s operations, so few were surprised they wanted to maintain some level of control over the franchise despite selling a majority stake.

As the Mets return to the market, the conditions that caused the Wilpons to agree to sell the team in the first place endure.

The potential sale to Cohen, according to interviews with a dozen people who are directly involved with the Mets and the Wilpon family, was driven by family members who are wary of having Jeff Wilpon in charge of such a valuable asset as his father and uncle step back from the franchise. They would rather take the huge profit from a sale. Fred Wilpon is 83 and his brother-in-law Saul Katz, who is also involved with the Mets, is 80.

Whether a deep-pocketed buyer who would accede to the Wilpons’ terms with Cohen exists or whether someone would end up paying more than Cohen offered to gain immediate control remains to be seen. The sale talks broke down over the exact issue that most buyers wouldn’t even consider entertaining: There are not many willing to spend billions for a franchise while letting other people run it for five years.

The Wilpon family became co-owners of the Mets in 1986, and became controlling owners in 2002. While the team has reached the World Series twice under their stewardship, they have been largely unsuccessful, qualifying for the playoffs just six times in the past 33 seasons.