Then they sent out the equivalent of a casting call to smaller investors -- not super-rich Wall Street financiers but wealthy fans who could afford to part with $10 million or $20 million. The Mets wanted to get 10 in all, and they were confident they could, maybe even quickly. It might be a surgeon from Manhasset, or an orthodontist from Douglaston.

As it turned out, at least half the money may be coming from a much different cast. One of the investors is Steven A. Cohen, a hedge fund wizard. The others -- in a rather striking development given the latest stated plan of the Mets' owners -- would be the team's partners in the SNY cable network.

 Time Warner Cable and Comcast are nearing a plan to finance SNY's purchase of four shares in the Mets, worth $80 million, said one person e with knowledge of the plan who was not authorized to speak publicly.

If the deal is completed, the Mets would appear to have buyers for the 10 shares they are selling.

That means they will have much-needed cash to pay off their substantial debts. But it would be a slightly quirky way of doing it. The deal would mean 16 percent of the Mets would be owned by SNY. The Mets' parent company, Sterling Equities, owns 70 percent of the network.

To an extent, it is all in the family.

Lee Berke, the president of a media consulting company, said that Time Warner Cable and Comcast "don't want to see the team stumble as it has been, because it directly impacts what they're putting on TV. This is shaping up as a multiyear downswing for the Mets, and this is a way to keep them above water."

Cohen, as it happens, was one of the first people asked by the Wilpon family to buy a large chunk of the team. Cohen, the founder of SAC Capital Advisors, grew up a Mets fan in Great Neck and is a season ticket-holder at Citi Field. He chose not to buy into the team last year, but now is almost certain to purchase a single share worth $20 million. His plans to do so were first reported by The Los Angeles Times.

A person familiar with his plan to buy a share in the Mets said he was doing it as a favor to his friend Fred Wilpon, the team's principal owner. Jonathan Gasthalter, a spokesman for Cohen, declined to comment, as did executives for Comcast and Time Warner Cable.

But Cohen might not own a bit of the Mets for long. If he beats a crowded field of rivals bidding for the Dodgers, he would have to sell his Mets' stake. Wilpon, however, would be able to use his money until then and have first dibs on buying back the share. Major League Baseball would give the Mets a reasonable amount of time to find a buyer to replace Cohen.

As for Time Warner Cable and Comcast, it was not immediately clear why they would not invest directly in the Mets. But the two companies clearly want to put money into Wilpon's financially beleaguered hands (the club has lost some $120 million in the last two years), even if it has to be routed through SNY, to ensure that the team meets its $200 million goal.

"Their interests are aligned with the team's doing well," said Chris Bevilacqua, a sports media investor and adviser. "They were probably monitoring the situation very closely and probably made a judgment that there'd be a point in time where they'd have an opportunity to do what they're doing."

Together, Time Warner Cable and Comcast own about 30 percent of SNY. The network started carrying Mets games in 2006.

The ownership profile that the Mets envisioned last September, after the Einhorn deal blew up, was described by Steve Greenberg, the Mets' investment banker, who is also advising Cohen on the Dodgers.

"We've had calls from people who said, 'We can't put up $200 million, but we can put up $20 million,' " he said at the time. "There are dozens who have contacted us." He said a lineup of "legitimate Mets fans" who wanted a small slice of the team would be "more collegial, a lot of fun and a lot less stressful" than having a single minority owner.

An early term sheet provided to potential Mets investors said that buyers of the $20 million minority shares would have to hold on to them for at least three years.

The Mets need the $200 million to repay a $25 million loan to Major League Baseball and a $40 million loan to Bank of America.

In another inside-the-family transaction, the Mets recently sold two additional shares, worth $40 million, to Sterling, their parent. The money was earmarked to offset losses.

The piece in the cash-strapped Mets wouldn't bar Cohen from owning the Dodgers, who are being sold in an auction by Frank McCourt, said the person, who was granted anonymity because no one is authorized to discuss either sale publicly.

Should Cohen, 55, get the Dodgers, the person said, he would over time divest his stake in the Mets, who lost $70 million last season. Cohen's net worth is $8 billion, according to Forbes.

Cohen's investment in the Mets might give him an advantage over others should the National League team be put up for sale, the person said.

Cohen was reportedly outbid by Einhorn for a bigger partnership in May, 2011. At least someone is excited about putting money into this team.