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Leave it to Wall Street to figure out a way to try to buy the New York Mets using money from the fans.
A group of Big Apple wheelers and dealers from investment bank and brokerage firm Tritaurian Capital have concocted an ingenious plan to buy the Major League Baseball team from financially-troubled owner Fred Wilpon by selling $999 shares to thousands of Mets fans.
Or possibly hundreds of thousands of Mets fans.
The financial team is expected to make its opening pitch to fans today.
“Looking at the [Green Bay] Packers and what they have done in the past, I think there’s no reason why the fans of the Mets can’t accomplish something similar,” said James Preissler, chairman and CEO of the start-up venture, BuytheMets.com Ltd.
The clever move faces stiff odds, however. Currently, the biggest strike in Preissler’s plan is that the Mets aren’t actually up for sale — not yet anyway.
But Preissler and his partners, John Calce and William Heyn, are planning ahead in case the Wilpons are forced to sell the entire team to pay off a claim of up to $1 billion being pressed by Bernie Madoff trustee Irving Picard.
The Wall Street trio is currently seeking investment partners through the Web site BuytheMets.com, which launches today.
Late last month, Fred Wilpon and his co-owners, including his son, Jeff, announced plans to sell a minority stake in the Amazin’s — about 20 percent to 25 percent — citing financial pressure from a lawsuit over ties to Ponzi king Bernie Madoff.
Picard is seeking to claw back improper profits allegedly pocketed by the Wilpons’ Sterling Equities.
But experts warn that the Wilpons may have to sell the team, worth about $845 million, if Picard prevails.
Factoring in their massive debt load, the team has a negative net worth of $225 million, according to Forbes.
Fans interested in buying a piece of their favorite team need not fork over any cash now. BuytheMets.-com isn’t yet prepped to collect money — just names of interested parties.
Preissler says that’s because the partners are trying to figure out the economics of the deal, including fees, which could depend in part on the interest the venture generates.
The $999 per-share price does not include credit-card processing and other fees, which Preissler says will range from $40 to $100 per transaction.
As with any so-called blank check company, the financial sponsors, in this case Preissler and his pals, raise the money and put it in escrow.
If the offer is accepted, the money will be used to buy the Mets.
In exchange for managing the deal and fronting the start-up costs, such as legal and marketing fees, Preissler and his buds could land a large, controlling stake in the new entity — up to 35 percent, in fact — together with other big-monied investors they hope to bring into the deal.
If the deal falls through, the investors get their money back, minus the fees, Preissler said.
Scott Rosner, a sports expert with the Wharton School of Business, doesn’t see an issue with a blank-check company bidding for a team — but he warned that if the Wilpons ever decide to sell, the competition will be fierce.
“They are the second most popular team on the market,” said Rosner.
And there are “a lot of people with a lot of means” taking a closer look amid the view that the Wilpons need the cash, he added. kwhitehouse@nypost.com