Dodgers Sale Moves into Vetting Process

The sale and auction process of the Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball team has reached it’s next step. The vetting process. According to Ronald Blum  of the Associated Press, all of the bid finalists will be meeting with MLB starting early next month…..

Each finalist will be meeting with the vetting committee, which is being headed up by Atlanta Braves Chairman Bill Bartholomy. Apparently all of the finalists have received their interview dates. The ownership vetting committee is comprised of Orioles chairman Peter Angelos, Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt, Seattle Mariners chairman John Ellis, Tigers owner Mike Ilitch, Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, and Mets chairman Fred Wilpon. Each bid finalist will undergo a background check and an interview. Apparently according to Bartholomy, the vetting process and investigation into each finalist will be “very deep.”

The date for the next round of bids has not been set yet, but it appears it should be sometime in mid-March. All individuals from each group will be investigated thoroughly. This includes not only the group leaders, but the proposed partners, and all corporations that are investing in each group. Frank McCourt must approve the winning bidder, and all 30 MLB owners and commissioner Bud Selig must approve the winning bidder as well. McCourt must pick a winning bidder by April 1st, and the sale must be closed by April 30th. McCourt must also pay his ex-wife Jamie McCourt 131 million dollars by April 30th as a settlement from their divorce. The Dodgers have been in bankruptcy since last June.

We hope that the vetting committee can filter out the shady groups with questionable agendas. We will continue to keep you informed on the sale of the Dodgers, so keep it here.