ON THE SIDELINES : Offer to Buy Cleveland Indians Told

Youngstown developer Edward DeBartolo Sr., whose son owns the San Francisco 49ers, has reportedly offered to buy the Cleveland Indians and develop a new stadium in the city’s Central Market area.

Cuyahoga County Commissioner Timothy F. Hagan, a mayoral candidate, told the Plain Dealer that DeBartolo told him he had offered to buy the team within the last month but that his offer was rejected by Indians’ owners Richard and David Jacobs.

Although Hagan would not disclose the details of the offer, sources told the newspaper it was $55 million, 62% more than the Jacobs’ 1982 purchase price of $34 million.

An aide to baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti told the newspaper, however, that as long as DeBartolo owns three race tracks, he would not be allowed to buy a major league baseball franchise. DeBartolo owns Thistledown Race Track in North Randall, Ohio; Louisiana Downs in Bossier, La., and Remington Park in Oklahoma City.