The man who has owned (and whose family still owns) an NBA and NHL team and who personally owns an NFL team and a soccer team in the English Premier League could soon be adding a Major League Baseball team to his multi-billion-dollar portfolio.
Rams owner Stan Kroenke has made it to the final three bidders for the Dodgers, according to the Los Angeles Times. The other two finalists consist of a group led by billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen and a group led by former Lakers star Magic Johnson and that includes former baseball executive Stan Kasten.
MLB owners will vote on the three remaining bidders this week, and final negotiations will then proceed with current Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. The new owner is expected to be named by April 1.
If Kroenke prevails, it will fuel speculation and rumor that the Rams will leave St. Louis after the 2014 season and return to L.A. At a minimum, Kroenke’s ownership of the Dodgers could create an unusual application of the league rules that prohibit an owner from holding a team in another NFL market, if Kroenke already has a presence in L.A. via the Dodgers and another NFL team relocates there.
In the end, who knows? There could be a Rosenbloom-Irsay-style franchise swap that would give Kroenke the team that moves to Los Angeles and the owner of the team moving to L.A. the St. Louis Rams.
After the events of the past week, it’s impossible to rule out anything.
