In a surprising development, the Mets announced on Thursday that they had ended their protracted negotiations to sell a minority share of the team for $200 million to David Einhorn, a hedge fund manager.

In part, the deal broke down over Einhorn’s desire to be preapproved by Major League Baseball as the team’s majority owner in anticipation that he might be able to buy more than 50 percent of the team in coming years. He was also apparently seeking considerable input as a limited partner, which also may have factored in the talks’ breakdown.

That the issue of future majority ownership would help topple the negotiations was not surprising. There was always an inherent tension in the relationship between the Mets’ owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, who are in their 70s and want control of the team to remain in family hands, and Einhorn, 42, who clearly had his own aspirations about the club’s future.

The demise of the deal immediately raised questions as to what the Mets would now do to seek an influx of cash to address their continuing financial problems. And the answer came quickly, with the Mets making it clear they would now seek to recruit a group of investors willing to buy small stakes in the team for around $20 million apiece.