Mark Walter’s shocking sale of the Los Angeles Lakers—the NBA team he purchased less than a year ago—amid a federal probe into his other businesses has raised another multibillion-dollar sports question: What might happen with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Walter is part of the group that owns the two-time defending World Series champions. Under their stewardship, the Dodgers have become baseball’s dominant franchise both on and off the field. Their tax payroll is by far the highest in the sport; last year they became the first MLB team to top $1 billion in annual revenue.
Under normal circumstances, an owner selling one of his or her franchises might not immediately cast questions about the rest of their sports assets, but Walter is an extraordinary case. He’s currently facing a federal probe and parallel SEC investigation for his multibillion-dollar business empire, including loans made by the insurance companies that he controls. FBI agents seized his phone and laptop last year, Crain’s recently reported, and according to Bloomberg, Walter’s TWG Group is currently in talks with investors to raise money to pay down those very same loans.
There’s no indication the Dodgers are for sale, or that Walter is considering it, and he does not currently face any criminal charges. A rep for TWG—whose sports portfolio includes the Lakers, Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, Chelsea FC and the PWHL—didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
