Mark Walter says he will keep the Dodgers 'no matter what' despite federal investigation into his businesses

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter has said he will not sell the baseball team even as a federal investigation into his businesses continues. Speaking to the California Post, he said, 'We're going to keep the team no matter what.'

Walter's remarks came after he recently sold his stakes in the Los Angeles Lakers and in English football club Chelsea. Those sales raised the question of whether the Dodgers would be next.

Walter bought the Dodgers in 2012 through his Guggenheim Baseball Management business. Asked by the California Post whether he planned to sell the Dodgers, he replied, 'We're going to be winning for 10 years or more. I think our commitment to do so will be just like it has been in the past. And, you know, we don't win every year, but we're going to try to.'

He added, 'I certainly hope we can look forward to winning another World Series next year under my ownership. And I think we're just trying to win consistently, and do so for not just next season, but for the next decade and decades beyond that.'

Dodgers president Stan Kasten and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman have also been saying that majority owner Walter plans to run the team as usual.

Under Walter's ownership, the Dodgers have become known for landing superstar talent on record-breaking contracts. The team's payroll is $322.39 million, the second-highest in Major League Baseball, according to the report.

Speculation has grown around the federal investigation. The inquiry concerns the alleged use of investment funds to make loans directly to other businesses, some of them within Walter's business. That speculation spread on social media to claims of fraud involving the Dodgers.

Walter's company, TWG Global, denied those conspiracy theories earlier this year. It said, 'Over the past several weeks, multipronged attacks against TWG have been advanced by unnamed sources with self-serving interests that have been reported in the media. It is important to set the record straight. TWG stands firmly behind the integrity of its business.'

The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into the allegations. Against that background, Walter's sale of his controlling stake in the Lakers raised alarms, especially as he had bought the majority stake from the Buss family just one year ago at a $10 billion valuation.

The Lakers were sold to Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger at a $12.5 billion valuation. Walter then began the process of selling his stake in Chelsea, the English Premier League club, which he held alongside business partner Todd Boehly, who is also a member of Guggenheim Baseball Management.

In a statement in August, TWG said, 'There is no victim here. No one has been harmed, and no one has claimed they were harmed.' It said TWG is committed to working with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve their inquiries, and that 'the Dodgers have the highest revenue in baseball, and it significantly exceeds the team's obligations to its players.'