Dodgers president shuts down sale talk after Mark Walter's Lakers deal - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Dodgers president Stan Kasten attempted to calm online speculation about the future of the franchise under billionaire owner Mark Walter on Friday.

«The Dodgers are not being sold. They're not for sale. There's no process that has been started to sell it, period,» he told reporters on the field before the team's game against Pittsburgh. «We are planning only to win.»

The conjecture began earlier this month when Walter agreed to a stunning sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking price of $12.5 billion, according to multiple ESPN sources. Walter bought a controlling stake in the franchise from the Buss family last year.

«I can't tell you how important the Dodgers are to Mark,» Kasten said. «The Lakers thing? The Lakers were important to him, too, but it's kind of an extraordinary opportunity, which he took.»

Multiple media outlets last month reported that Walter's business empire is under scrutiny from federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission in tax fraud investigations. Walter is cooperating with the investigation.

«I know nothing involving the Dodgers is part of the investigation,» Kasten said, declining to go into specifics.

The 66-year-old Walter is based in Chicago, where he is CEO of Guggenheim Partners. He has overseen a run of success for the Dodgers that includes three World Series championships in six seasons and a penchant for lavishing big-money contracts on players such as four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani.

«I think Mark has done an extraordinary job as an owner,» Kasten said, «and all he's ever cared about is providing the best experience in order to make us more money, to make this project successful. I think so far it has