Michael Heisley teams with Tony Ressler in Dodgers bid

Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley and Los Angeles investor Tony Ressler have joined forces and reentered the bidding for the Dodgers, a person familiar with the sale process said Monday. Ressler, a minority investor in the Milwaukee Brewers, is believed to be the only remaining bidder currently involved in MLB.

The Heisley-Ressler bid would be the eighth submitted to Major League Baseball for consideration. MLB has agreed to approve up to 10 bidders, after which outgoing owner Frank McCourt will select the winner.

MLB is working this week to complete its investigations into the bid groups and their proposed financing. Two committees of owners are scheduled to meet with prospective owners next week, with bidders then subject to a vote of all 30 owners. A bid group must receive 23 votes for approval.

—Bill Shaikin

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The Pittsburgh Pirates and All-Star center fielder Andrew McCutchen are closing in on a new contract that will keep the promising 25-year-old with the team through the 2017 season, with a club option for 2018. A formal announcement is expected Tuesday.

ETC.

NCAA investigates Syracuse

Syracuse University has self-reported possible violations of its internal drug policy and an NCAA inquiry is underway, according to school officials.

Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs for the university, said the inquiry does not involve any current student-athletes.

In a report Monday, Yahoo Sports said a three-month investigation it conducted showed that the Syracuse men’s basketball program failed to adhere to the drug policy while playing ineligible players over the last decade.

The report, which cited anonymous individuals, said at least 10 players since 2001 had tested positive for a banned recreational substance or substances. The individuals said all 10 players were allowed to practice and play at times when they should have been suspended by the athletic department, including instances when some may not have known of their own ineligibility.

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Running back Arian Foster got what he wanted from the Houston Texans, agreeing to a new five-year contract.

Foster’s agent, Mike McCartney, said that a deal was done, though Foster had not yet signed it.

His new deal is worth up to $43.5 million, with $20.75 million guaranteed. He’ll make $18 million in base salary next season, plus incentives.

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New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez has a sprained right ankle and will miss three weeks.

Lopez was injured in the third quarter of the Nets’ 104-101 win over Charlotte on Sunday. He will have his foot put in a walking boot as a precautionary measure.

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Megumi Takase scored on a header in the 84th minute, and world champion Japan beat the United States, 1-0, at Faro, Portugal, in a rematch of last year’s Women’s World Cup championship game. With the win, Japan advanced to the final of the Algarve Cup. The Americans, who had been seeking their third straight title and ninth overall in the annual tournament, finished second in Group B with a 2-1 record and will play Sweden in the third-place game Wednesday. Japan (3-0) plays Germany in the final.