And The New Owner Of The Dodgers Is?

Yesterday was the "soft" deadline for potential new owners to submit their initial bids to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers. The sale agreement calls for Frank McCourt to present the winning bid by April 1st, and the sale to be closed by April 30th. There are a rumored 10-12 interested parties, and I thought it was finally time to take a closer look at just who might be the new owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It's a very diverse group, starting with a collaboration of local public figures, Dodger legends, some big corporations, and a few fellas that have a seriously ridiculous amount of money. Most of these guys you have never heard of, with the exception of Mark Cuban, and the ones you have heard of aren't worth a whole lot of money on their own.

Probably the next biggest question is how much is the team going to sell for? That's a very difficult question these days. I've seen numbers that range from $1BB to $1.8BB, so your guess is as good as mine. Really though most analysts are saying the days of $1.2BB are long gone, and that $1.5BB is probably the starting point. When you get as many bidders going at it as the Dodgers do right now, things could definitely get to that $1.8BB number I've seen over the last few days. Remember this as you look through some of these bidders, it's not just about the final selling price. It's like the new owner is going to hand over the money and dust his shoulder off. There is some serious damage control once the new owner takes over. The fans are not happy right now, there are some stadium upgrades that desperately need to be done, starting with some brand new restrooms. The team payroll could go up $20MM-$50MM, as the Dodgers need to get Clayton Kershaw locked up long-term, re-sign Andre Ethier, and after missing out on Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols, a first-baseman will have to be found to replace James Loney, and an offensive upgrade should be in the works, and the Dodgers could be in line to make a huge splash perhaps as soon as the July trade deadline. But of course before the Dodgers are able to do that, the new owner is hopefully going to have fired Ned Colletti and found his replacement. But that's not all, there is lots and lots of work to be done. So how much is too much? Are all of these guys really qualified to purchase and run the Dodgers the way Bud Selig wants? Time to find out.

Stephen Cohen

Perhaps one of the richest, if not the richest independent bidder in the group. He's a hedge fund guru worth over $8BB, and Cohen has been rumored to be partnering up with Art Tellem and Steve Greenberg. Tellem was a long-time player agent, you might remember in 1995 he found the "voluntary retirement" loophole in Hideo Nomo's contract that allowed Nomo to leave Japan and sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tellem also recently orchestrated the brutal around-the-clock negotiations between the Texas Rangers and Yu Darvish. Greenberg was a former MLB deputy commissioner, so the two of them would provide the baseball cognition to the group to create one of the powerhouse favorites.

On the flip-side we got an East Coast group that has deep pockets but very little knowledge about baseball, and the Dodgers in general, and to make matters worse Cohen has never even been to a Dodger game. This to me is McCourt all over again. A lot of analysts out there are pinning Cohen as one of the very top favorites, but I don't think Selig and MLB are as enthused. He doesn't appear to have any love for baseball,  but Cohen will certainly help drive the price up for McCourt. The reality is between his brutally nasty divorce and the fact that his firm is under investigation for insider trading, I see this group as McCourt 2.0 and I hope the Dodgers and MLB can steer clear of this group entirely.

Rick Caruso/Joe Torre

Caruso is another one of those deep pocketed guys you know very little about. Caruso is a Los Angeles native,  and loves the city of Los Angeles. Caruso has an estimated net-worth of $1.7BB. Caruso made his millions with his company Caruso Affliated, a real estate development company based out of Los Angeles.  In addition to making a run at buying the Los Angeles Dodgers, Caruso, is also considering running for mayor of Los Angeles in 2013. His real estate development background could certainly come in handy as we all know how much Dodger Stadium needs a nice face-lift.

There aren't many more names that scream baseball louder than Joe Torre. Torre has a wealth of baseball knowledge and success, and most of all knows how to win a World Series. He's got over 50 years of experience and has the support of baseball fans of any age. He's extremely popular in the baseball realm, even though he's been primarily an East Coast guy, there is no doubt he loves Los Angeles, and he loves the Dodgers. The better part is that this is certainly a two-way street, as there is no doubt the Dodgers and the city of Los Angeles love him equally as much. Then you have the relationship between Torre and Selig, and nobody is as close to the MLB Commissioner as Torre is, and this will certainly play into their favor.

On the flip-side, I have some concerns, some serious concerns. My first concern is the cash, does Caruso really have enough to be a serious bidder? Furthermore, does he have the cash to make all the necessary changes and make the Dodgers franchise profitable again. Another thing I am having a hard time with is to me Caruso and Torre seem too "old school" for me. A lot of things have to happen to get the fans' trust again, starting with the firing of Ned Colletti. I'm not sure of the relationship between Colletti, his front office staff and Joe Torre, but I am very concerned that the much needed housecleaning might not take place. In fact, my gut feeling is that this would almost certainly help Colletti stay on board. How Torre secretly feels about Colletti I don't know, but on the outside it seems like they had a very good relationship. Torre was working with Colletti on a lot of the questionable things that have happened over the last few years. I can always hope Torre recruits Kim Ng back to the Dodgers as these two worked very well together when they were with the Dodgers, and they had a very good relationship when they worked together in Commissioner Selig's office. Obviously the big issue here is the cash, but this group is certainly at the top of the list. Perhaps another partner gets involved, or there is more here than we see, because I just can't believe Torre would quit his job with Bud Selig to take a long-shot at purchasing the Dodgers.

Time Warner Cable
I'm trying to look for some positive things to say here but I'm struggling. Sure they got a lot of money, billions and billions of it. TWC would instantly make the Dodgers in play for every single player in baseball. The Dodgers would be the MLB's West Coast powerhouse. But there is more to it than just that. It's Los Angeles, it's baseball, it's Dodger baseball. Do you remember when Fox owned the Dodgers? It was a nightmare. Mike Piazza got traded and things went downhill in a hurry. Ticket prices soared, parking, concession stands, the whole thing was a mess. Sure TWC is a powerhouse corporation that certainly doesn't have to worry about making payroll like McCourt did, but TWC cares just as much about the Dodgers as McCourt did. Remember actions speak louder than words, and when TWC talks all you hear is  cash is king. They don't care about Los Angeles, the history of the franchise, heck they don't care about the Dodgers at all. They see dollar signs plain and simple. They don't know how to run a baseball team, they know how to run a business, and it scares me to think if these bigshots took over as owners. It really seems like all TWC cares about is the television rights, and if they can secure ownership of the Dodgers, guarantee television rights, they just landed a multi-billionare operation.

Disney Family/Stanley Gold/Peter O'Malley
Probably the newest name of the bunch and one of the more interesting ones as well. Gold is another Los Angeles native who made his name for himself by pushing Michael Eisner out of the Walt Disney Company. He is said to love baseball, as he has a baseball collection in his private home with personalized autographs of Babe Ruth and Stan Musial. You might remember when the Disney Family owned the Angels of Anaheim, and back in 2002 brought them to their first ever World Series Championship. They are certainly one of my favorites. The Disney family loves baseball, they love success, they love to win, and they have a proven business model on running a successful and profitable business and baseball team. The only thing I don't love is the lack of baseball experience, sure 1996-2003 is some good experience. I have heard rumors that Peter O'Malley and Disney may be joining forces for what would make them one of the heavy favorites.

Peter O'Malley brings a whole to the table. The O'Malley family is the one of the most powerful and influential owners in the history of baseball. They owned the Dodgers from 1950-1998, and Peter owned the team from 1979-1998 when he sold the team to Rupert Murdoch/Fox Corp. Peter O'Malley was known for running the Dodgers as one of the most professional owners in all of sports. He was highly respected, operating the team in a consistent, profitable way, with great values, a style that was known as "The Dodger Way." I've long felt that it was time to get back to "The Dodger Way," and I really think the time is now. O'Malley loves Los Angeles, he loves the Dodgers, and there is no doubt he bleeds blue. He has been very outspoken about his desire to buy his old team back, and he has also been very opinionated about how he feels about Frank McCourt. This guy wants to get the Dodgers back to a World Series, he wants the fans to be happy again, he wants to sell out every game, he's ready to make it happen. I would have no reluctance about O'Malley coming back, especially if backed by someone as wealthy as the multi-billionare Disney family. He's the one person I can count on to clean house, starting with firing that donkey we got running our front office.

Magic Johnson/Stan Kasten/Mark Walter

There are few bigger names in the history of Los Angeles bigger than Magic Johnson, and he remains a very popular public figure even today. Johnson currently owns part of the Cincinnatti's farm team, the Dayton Dragons, perhaps the most successful farm team in all of baseball. Johnson is partnering up with Stan Kasten, long-time President of the Atlanta Braves, which propelled him to being one of the most respected men in baseball. Yep, he's got a very nice track record, while President of the Braves he won 12 straight division titles, 5 National League pennants, and the 1995 World Series. Walter is the head of Guggenheim Partners, an investment firm with an estimated $125BB in holdings. Magic went out and recruited some pretty big guns, as Buster Olney recently put it, "their ownership of the Dodgers — if it happens — would work this way: Walter would write the big checks; Kasten would oversee the baseball operations; and Johnson, who recently sold his ownership share of the Los Angeles Lakers, would work as a president or vice president on both the business side and in recruiting players, when needed." I'm sold!

On the flip-side...uhhh wait there isn't any. Johnson brings the winning tradition, the love of Los Angeles, and face of the franchise that isn't a deep pocketed weasel. Kasten provides some of the best baseball experience available right now, and Walter has $125BB to write check after check to get this franchise back on track.

Dennis Gilbert

Gilbert is a former player agent and current executive with the Chicago White Sox organization. Gilbert is a longtime season ticket holder and is a very respected professional in the world of baseball. His credentials are just as solid as Kasten's and knows the game of baseball. Gilbert tried to purchase the Texas Rangers last season, but obviously things didn't go his way. Gilbert is backed by Los Angeles investors Jason Reese and Randy Wooster.

The flip-side here is that I am skeptical just how competitive this group can be. This is the Los Angeles Dodgers and I am convinced that there is enough financial backing here. I couldn't find any financial numbers and that concerned me. Gilbert has solid baseball experience and a lot of appeal, but I'm just sure if these guys will be able to hang with the big boys.

Mark Cuban

I am really not sure where to begin with this guy. He's definitely a love him or hate him kinda guy, and he has one of our planets biggest egos, however, he is young, charesmatic, and has a great business sense. He has a net worth of $2.5BB and Cuban is more than capable of pulling this off all on his own. He loves being in the public, chilling at local bars with fans, and he would likely come into Los Angeles and immediately win the fans over with his "in your face" way of doing things. He likes to go big, bold, and has the ability to put the Dodgers back on top. After all he turned the Dallas Mavericks, the NBA's equivalent of the Kansas City Royals, into the 2011 NBA World Champions. He knows what it takes to win, he's not afraid to spend money, his 2011 NBA Champion Mavericks had the NBA's third highest payroll at $85.8MM. It's hard to argue his love for baseball after bidding on both the Texas Rangers and Chicago Cubs, so at least the passion and desire are there.

On the flip-side, I don't think Bud Selig is Cuban's number one fan. I think these two would butt heads and I am not convinced Selig will ever let Cuban into baseball. I like the idea of Cuban, I'm just not optimistic of his chances being very high. Probably my biggest concern is that he has no baseball experience and he has no history with Los Angeles in any way. I'm also concerned that already owning the Dallas Mavericks perhaps Cuban is biting off more than he can chew. I also have some concerns about the billions of dollars that it would take to own two franchises. $2.5BB is a lot of money don't get me wrong, but when you use $1.5BB minimum to buy the Dodgers that doesn't really leave a whole lot of money to operate two powerhouse franchises. I'm guessing Cuban may get some investors involved but then that just complicates things and turns one of Cuban's bigger pro's of being independently successful into a con. So as the selling price of the Dodgers increases I expect Cuban's chances of owning the Dodgers to decrease.

Outside of these guys you also have some rumored names that haven't made any formal interest or bids quite yet. Orel Hershiser, Steve Garvey, Josh Macciello, Fox Corporation, Tony Ressler, Larry King, and former Dodgers GM Fred Claire. For what it's worth I am very anti all of the above. Claire, Hershisher, and Garvey are more likely to catch on and form a partnership than to buy the team independently. Fox is the worst idea out of any of the potentials, they are Time Warner times ten, and Ressler, don't really know who he is and I can't find anything about him really. Larry King, ummm, really?

The Wall Street Journal reported that New York investors Leo Hindery and Marc Utay submitted a joint bid. Hindery and Utay tried to buy the Chicago Cubs in their last sale but were obviously unsuccessful.

So that's where we are at. I expect as time passes that some of these groups will likely join forces or grab some of those aforementioned names to gain an edge against the competition. My personal favorite is the group led by Magic Johnson. They have the right mix in my opinion, the local presence, the experience, the necessary billions, and the desire to win. After them it's the Disney family paired with O'Malley and then the Torre/Caruso tandem. Of course Jon Heyman says many see Cohen as the biggest threat to buy the Dodgers, but I don't see it yet.  I expect a lot of details and information to surface this week so I guess you could say business is about to pick up.

Colletti Strikes Again: Kershaw Headed To Arbitration

Say it ain't so! Moments after hearing Loney and Ethier avoided arbitration, I hear from Jon Heyman that Clayton Kershaw filed for $10MM in preparation for his upcoming arbitration hearing. Ready for this? The Dodgers offer, $6.5MM. Say what!? I can not believe this goon we got running the show offered him $6.5MM. You don't low-ball the 2011 Cy Young winner and get away with it son! You man up and show 'em the money.

In 2011 Kershaw made his first All-Star appearance, won the 2011 NL Cy Young Award, won the NL Gold Glove, NL Triple Crown, he led the league in ERA, wins, strikeouts, and pitched over 200 innings for the second consecutive season. Oh I think I forgot to mention this is his first year in arbitration and he will be barely turning 24 this March. So yes this is about to get expensive, very expensive.

You gotta wonder if this adds some bitterness in getting a long-term deal done. I know this is part of the business, but you are talking about the cornerstone of the starting rotation, the staff ace. Is this a mistake? Time will surely tell, Clayton is going to get paid either way, so Clayton ain't worried. Kershaw isn't a free-agent until 2014, so the Dodgers figure they have time. I am thinking offering $8MM would've been a starting point, and wouldn't have left a bitter taste in Clayton's mouth. I'm projecting Kershaw will get somewhere right around $8.5MM when the dust settles after his hearing. So what is that? It's $2MM! Heck,  Colletti wasted a whole lot more than that this winter, priorities, it's so backwards right now it's ridiculous.

I've said it before and I will say it again, the longer the Dodgers wait to lock Clayton up the more expensive it's gonna get. You don't believe me? Tim Lincecum just filed for $21.5MM according to Heyman. So that will certainly help Clayton as he heads to arbitration. Kershaw is just getting started folks, and I see no reason he doesn't continue the trend as the best left-handed pitcher in the game right now. The reality is the Dodgers should be in a very big hurry to lock Kershaw up as affordable and as soon as possible. The long-term deal will provide security to both parties and that's always comforting, but in the end it's all about the mighty dollar, and Kershaw is going to want a lot of them. I still see Kershaw getting at least a six-year $90MM-$100MM from the Dodgers. The new owner is certainly going to have to do some damage control to do on this situation.

James Loney Avoids Arbitration

James Loney became the second Dodger to avoid arbitration today as he signed a one-year incentive laden deal worth $6.375MM. This was probably the smartest move for Loney, because the reality is he has nothing to bring to the bargaining table. I mean it would've hilarious right? Could you imagine sitting in the room listening to that hearing? "But he had the best September of his career." "He used to be an RBI machine." Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. Shenanigans.

So luckily Colletti got a deal done with Loney because I'll tell ya, I was really worried the Dodgers were going to be stuck paying Loney $8MM or more in 2012. I know $6.375MM still sounds like an awful lot of money for a guy with the talent James Loney possesses. But you gotta remember the arbitration is a brutal process for front office teams, and they favor the player nine times out of 10. Who knows? Maybe Loney will have this huge breakout season and this will be the biggest steal of the winter. But he probably won't so get ready for the trade James Loney and all the mumbling and grumbling to start all over again. Remember tons of hope and no expectations, it works great in situations like this.

Ethier Cuts Dodgers Deal As He Avoids Arbitration

The Dodgers must be eager to get their payroll set for the 2012 season, as Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has been working all day to lock up all of the Dodgers arbitration eligible players. The first to sign, Andre Ethier, and though I was projecting a $12.25MM salary for Ethier, he agreed to a one-year $10.95MM deal, avoiding an arbitration hearing.

I'm very pleasantly surprised by the news, salary projections through arbitration for Ethier ranged from $12MM-$13MM depending on where you were reading, but this deal just made my day. I'm thinking a Gold Glove, and a repeat All-Star appearance pretty much lock him in at $12MM easily. Perhaps the down offensive numbers in 2011 and his battle with injuries got the discount, and incentives added instead. No word on the specifics of the incentives yet unfortunately.

So one step closer to finalizing the payroll for the Dodgers today, but with Ethier set for free agency after the 2012 season, you gotta wonder where the Dodgers and Andre stand on a long-term deal? Sadly, I sense some reluctance on the Dodgers part. Ethier while being a solid all-around player for the Dodgers, he hasn't been all that consistent, coupled with the disappointing 2011 season, I can see why we didn't hear anything about a long-term deal this winter. My guess is this doesn't get even on the table until the new owner takes over. It would be disappointing to see Ethier move on, but you gotta wonder if a trade goes down come July, or worse yet, he heads to the Angels or Giants one year from now.

Is The Prince Pendulum Shifting To The Dodgers?

Is it shocking to you that Prince Fielder is not signed yet? Some say yes, some say no. The market has been rough for Fielder either way. You see the big players like the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, and quite a few others were already out of the equation for Fielder before the off-season even began. That dwindled the market for Fielder significantly, plus you got Albert Pujols on the market, so everyone was waiting on him, low and behold he signs with another big player in the Angels.

So far the Mariners, Blue Jays, Rangers, and Nationals are the only teams to have made any real interest known. Not exactly the interest group top free agents hope for. Besides the Rangers I don't see any one of those teams winning anything for a very long time, pretty much eliminating them from the equation unless Boras and Fielder get desperate.

In the beginning the Dodgers were the heavy favorite for Fielder in most circles just because it made so much sense from every possible angle imaginable. Yes we all know he will cost millions, but c'mon, really? You think by the Dodgers signing Fielder it makes the team harder to sell? Nope! Quite the opposite actually. You get a guy like Prince locked up for 8 years, and have him paired up with Matt Kemp for 8 years and you got two of the best sluggers in the game anchored in the lineup. Adding Fielder immediately makes them the favorite for the NL West crown, and probably gets them back to the NLCS for another shot at a World Series appearance.

This immediately makes the team more marketable, a new TV deal is on the horizon for the Dodgers, having Fielder only helps that. The Dodgers' current TV rights deal with Fox calls for just less than $40 million in its final year, 2013. In the next contract, the annual payment the Dodgers receive in TV revenue is expected to be, at the bare minimum, $150MM, and could quite possibly go north of $200MM. Put Fielder in that equation and you could see it go north of $300MM no problem. So yes, doing the math you can see that the TV deal could pay for Fielder alone, that's not factoring in ticket sales, season ticket holders, concessions, merchandising, and not to mention it would increase the bids that McCourt would receive as the Dodgers are preparing to be sold.

So Fielders' agent Scott Boras said that he would like to have his prized slugger signed by March. Though Jon Paul Morosi tweets that the Dodgers are not currently involved in the Fielder sweepstakes, I'm kinda thinking that Fielder is holding out hoping the Dodgers do. I think the time is now for the Dodgers to strike, Buster Olney seems to agree, Olney says current owner Frank McCourt "probably flinches reflexively at the idea of spending money these days," but argues that spending on Fielder would be a smart investment since it would increase the bids for the team over the next few months.

So it's looking like the pendulum may be shifting in the Dodgers favor right now. Perhaps McCourt comes back to reality long enough to see the advantages and pulls the trigger. You see because if Fielder comes to Los Angeles it will be by way of McCourt, not the future owner. It's not complicated but the timing of all this is good and bad all at the same time. If, and it's a very big if, Fielder somehow lands in Los Angeles, it's not going to be because of a new owner. McCourt has got to be the one to make it happen plain and simple. Spring training starts in about five weeks, and McCourt isn't obligated to announce the winning bidder until about eleven weeks from now, and then you got all the final details taking about a month or so before the dust finally settles. I think McCourt and Colletti are quietly discussing the idea of bringing Fielder to Los Angeles, it just makes too much sense. I'm thinking the Dodgers would have to pony up an eight year deal worth $195MM to get Prince in Dodger blue. Opportunities like this don't happen often, the Dodgers are in a great position when you really look at it, and the time is now.

Sayonara Kuroda

Well, being free agent in a weak pitching market has to be good deal these days. With Hiroki Kuroda coming off his strongest season with the Dodgers, he now has a new home with former teammate Paul Lo Duca.

The New York Yankees have signed Kuroda to a 1-year $10m contract which keeps him from returning to Japan after a 4 season long career in Los Angeles.

Kuroda was a well-liked asset to the team, despite having a losing record in all but one season. Many interviews taken through an interpreter would often showcase a mild-mannered yet competitive player who pitched consistently despite losing many games.

Kuroda takes a slight pay cut, having earned an average of around $11m over the last four years, but at $10m he shouldn't be hurting too bad.

The Dodgers despite not signing the workhorse have paid out smaller contracts to 4th and 5th string pitchers to shore up what could have been a very shaky starting 5.

Some Dodger Randomness For You All

Mike Axisa over at MLBTR has a nice article about yesterdays news about Colletti having yet to discuss long-term deals with 2011 Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, and Andre Ethier.

The Dodgers signed third baseman Josh Fields to a minor league contract. Fields is a former first round pick. He was taken 18th overall in the 2004 draft by the Chicago White Sox. He has pretty much failed to perform in every aspect. He had a decent season back in 2007, but since has been absolute garbage. Didn't even appear at the major league level last season, and I doubt he will again in 2012.

This news comes from Nick Collias over at MLBTR, sources close to Amaury Sanit tell Fernando Ballesteros at Puro Béisbol in Mexico that the Dodgers are interested in signing the 32-year-old reliever. Sanit logged just seven innings out of the Yankees' pen last season before being released in June, but he has seen more action as the closer for the Culicán Tomateros in the Mexican League this winter, pitching to a 0.62 era in 36 appearances. I know absolutely nothing about this guy, but I am going to dig a little and see what else I can find out. The links I have found so far are all in spanish, soooo, yeah, haven't been able to find out much.

Colletti Rounds Off 2012 Roster, Re-signs MacDougal

The rumors have been pretty loud over the past couple months, well, it's finally official. The Dodgers are bringing Mike MacDougal back for 2012, and wait, what's this? An option for 2013 also? Shocking. That's right, according to Dylan Hernandez, MacDougal has signed a one-year deal worth $650K, the deal contains a $2.35MM option for 2013, or a $350K buyout. Hernandez also noted that Colletti said that he thought MacDougal benefited from the way Mattingly used him, as well as the instruction from Honeycutt and Howell.


MacDougal had a pretty solid 2011 season with the Dodgers, as he posted a 2.05 ERA with 6.5 K/9, 4.5 BB/9 in 57 innings. If MacDougal can post similar numbers in 2012, this could be the best free agent signing all winter. Even if MacDougal falls apart one way or the other, this deal is still a pretty good one. MacDougal was arguably our best reliever not named Javy Guerra last season, so $650K is well worth the risk. I am not a big fan of the option year especially at the ridiculous $2.35MM. So figuring the Dodgers go the obvious route of buying it out, the whole deal will cost $1MM, still worth the risk.

The Dodgers suddenly find themselves to be in a situation where they can actually be selective with the Opening Day bullpen. The Dodgers have Jansen, MacDougal, Elbert, Hawksworth, Belisario, Troncoso, Guerrier, Lindblom, and Guerra to choose from already. That's not counting non-roster invites like Grabow, Ledezma, Ascansio, and Castillo. I'm sure Mattingly and Honeycutt can scrap a bullpen together out of that, right?

This according to Dylan Hernandez should probably conclude the Dodgers free agent spending this winter. When asked by Colletti if he was done shopping, Colletti responded with "I think so." Which actually means, shouldn't I never had started spending in the first place? Hhave you seen what I have done to the poor franchise?

And The New Owner Is...Joe Torre?

Some breaking news in the world of baseball today, Joe Torre resigned from his position as Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations with Major League Baseball. Big news right? Yes, but you see that's not all, as Dylan Hernandez is tweeting that Joe Torre has joined Rick Caruso in a bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers. I don't know about you but I was stunned by this report. We heard a couple months ago that Torre may be connected with Caruso in a bid for the Dodgers, but at the time it didn't seem like anything was going to happen. I'm thinking Torre is pretty serious about this decision if he is going to walk away from that position within less than a year.

Bill Shaikin reported yesterday that the deadline to submit bids for the purchase of the Dodgers has been extended to January 23rd. The winning bidder will be identified by April 1st, and the sale will be finalized by April 30th. So the team of Caruso/Torre will join the list of prospective bidders that already includes Mark Cuban, Magic Johnson, Steven Cohen, Dennis Gilbert, the team of Steve Garvey and Orel Hershiser, Peter O'Malley, and Tom Galisano. I'm sure there are some more out there that I have forgotten, and it really doesn't matter until January 23rd anyway.

Rick Caruso certainly has the financial ability to purchase the Dodgers, he is a multi-billionare and is well educated. Joe Torre, well, not many more know the game of baseball better than Torre. He of course is no stranger to the Dodgers franchise as he was managing and was very much involved with some of the decision making for the Dodgers not that long ago. I am saying right now Torre just became a major front-runner and the stage is almost set for the battle of the century. With things is Dodgertown being exceptionally boring now that the roster is all but set. But the ownership battle will certainly be fun, but you gotta wonder, if Torre does become owner does Ned Colletti remain GM? You gotta figure Donnie will remain the manager, as there are few closer relationships in baseball today. What I'm not sure about is the relationship between Colletti and Torre. I would think Torre would pry Kim Ng back to the Dodgers before he would keep Colletti around, but you never know. All I know is I am excited about this one, someone that knows baseball paired up with someone that has deep pockets. Fasten your seat belts folks it's gonna be a wild and bumpy ride! It's gonna be fun!

Happy New Years From Dodger Rumors

Well we had quite a year didn't we? The ups and downs of a new manager, a Cy Young Winner, a would-be MVP, a bankrupt team, a lousy owner, an awful and tragic fan injury, a multitude of potential new owners all trying to stick their neck in the spotlight.

Yes, it has been a crazy year for the Dodgers and us over here at DodgerRumors.com, but I can wholeheartedly say I love it. I love the Dodgers, I love the game, I love everything about this sport and I am very much so looking forward to a new and productive season from our boys in blue. We will encounter some bumps along the way but maybe, just maybe it'll be a bright future this year.

From the team at Dodger Rumors, have a happy and healthy New Year!