When the Mets let a potential pricey mid-season acquisition slide or are curiously quiet next Hot Stove season, this might be why:

CNN’s Larry King says that close friend Fred Wilpon lost a staggering $700 million in the Bernie Madoff scheme.
[...]
Earlier reports had put Wilpon’s loss at between $300 million-$500 million.

Wilpon and the Mets have insisted repeatedly since the Madoff scam erupted last December that the losses would not impact the team’s ability to take on payroll or sign free agents, but their actions since then indicate otherwise.

Have fun with that, Metsies.