Dodgers not for sale despite Lakers deal, insists owner Mark Walter's company: 'The team is not being sold'

Dodgers controlling owner and chairman Mark Walter recently sold the NBA's Lakers barely a year after purchasing the franchise and amid an investigation by federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding potential loan fraud. The obvious next question is whether the Dodgers are next. TWG Global, Walter's holding company, released a statement Wednesday in defense of the owner, insisting that the Dodgers are not for sale.

Walter is also reportedly looking to sell his stake in Premier League club Chelsea F.C., but TWG said it is "not considering exiting its stake in the Cadillac Formula 1 team or any other part of TWG Motorsports." His ownership of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks and the Professional Women's Hockey League were not mentioned specifically. The company also insisted that any reports that Walter and/or his companies have been involved in any sort of fraud are erroneous or even misinformation. "There is no victim here.

No one has been harmed, and no one has claimed they were harmed," the statement reads. TWG is cooperating with authorities in the investigation. The Dodgers are currently the two-time defending World Series champions and run the highest payroll in all of baseball, so obviously there are a lot of eyes here on the ownership situation -- especially with the CBA expiring this coming offseason and the MLB owner side pushing heavily for a salary cap.

Also of note, Shohei Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million contract includes a clause that would allow him to opt out and become a free agent if Walter (or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman) is no longer with the team.