Steve Cohen isn’t pretending to know how the Mark Walter situation will shake out, but he does think the Dodgers should be able to keep moving forward.
The Mets owner was asked about Walter after last week’s stunning news that the Lakers majority owner is selling that franchise. Walter is also the subject of a federal investigation, and that appears to have played a role in the sudden decision to move on from the Lakers less than a year after taking control.
“Listen, I read what you read. 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. Dodgers are still a strong team, they have strong revenues, solid process.
I think the Dodgers are going to continue to be a good team.”
That public message lines up with what has come out of Los Angeles so far. Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said Walter’s role and commitment to the team have not changed. Kasten also said the Guggenheim group does not plan to sell the Dodgers, and reports have said that putting the club on the market is not part of Walter’s plan.
Still, the Lakers sale was a reminder that these things can move fast. That deal came together in just a few days.
The ripple effect hasn’t stopped there, either. Not long after the Lakers news broke, it was also reported that Walter and business partner Todd Boehly are exploring the sale of their stakes in Chelsea Football Club.
Cohen has been in this lane before. Back in 2012, he made a significant bid to buy the Dodgers before the franchise went to Guggenheim Baseball Management, the group led by Walter and Kasten.
Walter has not spoken publicly since the Lakers announcement, though he did release a statement.
There’s also the Shohei Ohtani angle, and that one matters. When Ohtani signed with the Dodgers in 2023, his 10-year deal included a key-man clause tied to Walter and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
That has created some concern about what might happen if Walter eventually sells the Dodgers. But reports have said Ohtani is not expected to opt out of his contract even if that scenario comes to pass.
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For the Dodgers, the move fits a larger pattern of constant churn around the edges of the roster, where even veteran utility help has to produce quickly to stick. The other notable off-field development for the franchise is a longtime TV change, with Cox subscribers now able to watch Dodgers games on SportsNet LA for the first time in 13 years, a long-awaited distribution update that gives the fan base one more reason to keep an eye on the team beyond the standings. [Read more 🡒]
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Leiter also recently turned in one of his sharper outings, striking out five across three scoreless innings, the kind of brief but encouraging work that can start to separate a prospect from the pack. For a Dodgers system that always seems to have another arm in motion, his rise is worth watching because the next step will help answer how close he really is to joining the conversation as a legitimate rotation candidate. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Have A New Late-Inning Weapon Drawing Serious All-MLB Buzz
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For Dodgers fans, it is the kind of landscape worth watching closely, because the National League race has a way of turning on exactly this sort of bullpen edge. The position-player side of the debate has its own heavy hitters, from Austin Dingler to Matt Olson and Bobby Witt Jr., but the relief mix is where the most intrigue seems to be building, with a few final spots still there for the taking. [Read more 🡒]