Major League Baseball is closely observing the investigation concerning Dodgers owner Mark Walter.
Federal authorities have taken an interest in Walter due to a whistleblower complaint about potentially misrepresented loans involving his companies. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, along with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is investigating this complaint. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has acknowledged the league’s attentiveness to the matter.
“As always when we have an investigation, external law enforcement, whatever, we monitor that and that’s where we are right now,” Manfred explained to the press.
In response to the ongoing investigation, Walter has already divested several parts of his sports holdings. Notably, he sold the Lakers for a staggering $12.5 billion and also offloaded his shares in Chelsea FC.
Recent reports indicate that Walter is considering selling his controlling stake in the Sparks at a new record valuation.
The investigation has raised many questions about Walter’s sports portfolio, which has notably decreased in size over the past few months. Currently, he still owns the Dodgers, the Cadillac F1 team, and has interests in the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
This summer, Dodgers president Stan Kasten reassured fans that the MLB team is not on the block.
“I wanted to make sure everyone understood one thing very clearly: The Dodgers are not being sold,” Kasten asserted.
“They’re not gonna be sold. They’re not for sale. There’s no process that has been started to sell it, period,” he added. “We are planning only to win. That is what we are always doing. And we are still continuing to do that.”
Yet, the outcome of the federal investigation could have repercussions for the back-to-back World Series champions.
