Add The California Post on Google All eyes are on the Los Angeles Dodgers — and it’s not because they’re winning.
Rather, the FBI investigation surrounding Dodgers owner Mark Walter has overshadowed anything the team has done in recent weeks. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen was asked by reporters his thoughts on the evolving situation.
“It’s an investigation, we don’t really know exactly where it’s going. I hope Mark can figure it out and put it behind him. The Dodgers are still a strong team, strong revenues, solid process. I think the Dodgers are going to continue to be a good team,” Cohen said.
Cohen, like Walter, has continuously invested in the product on the field. The Mets owner has made it clear he wants the team to be a contender every year and the front office has followed suit.
The Mets were one of three finalists in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, though the Dodgers emerged as the winner of the free agent race. But New York still had quite the offseason, headlined by Bo Bichette’s three-year, $126 million deal and Devin Williams’ three-year, $51 million deal.
The Dodgers have been the recipients of much criticism for what some would call gluttonous spending, but the team has always expressed a desire to be the very best while keeping their efforts to improve within the rules.
The ongoing investigation surrounding Walter has propelled serious doubt surrounding the Dodgers’ methods and whether their success has been a result of fraudulent business decisions by the franchise’s majority owner.
Walter, who has established himself as a sports mogul, recently sold the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion after only 10 months of owning the team and has sold his shares in Chelsea FC.
The flash sale spurned speculation that Walter will indeed sell the Dodgers in order to aid his efforts in the ongoing FBI probe. There is, of course, no guarantee that the Dodgers will be sold but it’s a tale the organization is hauntingly familiar with.
In 2012, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt sold the team to Guggenheim Baseball Management (led by Walter and Stan Kasten) after filing for bankruptcy. Guggenheim appeared to be LA’s saving grace as the Dodgers have transformed over the last decade into a baseball juggernaut.
Walter’s investigation may very well be catalyst to the Dodgers’ demise as the team is in the midst of chasing a third consecutive World Series title with a dark cloud looming over their heads.
