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Let’s do the math: What are the Dodgers actually worth?

Dodgers' Andre Ethier celebrates in the dugout after his two-run home run against the Oakland Athletics on Sunday.
(Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press)
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The courageous bid of the Dilbeck Investment Group to purchase the Dodgers having fallen just a tad short, I’m thinking of selling my 2006 Honda Accord. I know, and all that sentiment.

So what’s it worth?

Kelly Blue Book said I should be able to get about $7,500, what with it having only 100,000 easy freeway miles on it. Yet I know this guy who says he’ll happily pay me $8,500.

What is it worth?

Hey, $8,500 sounds good to me. It’s the old economic adage, the value of an item is what someone is willing to pay for it.

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Which naturally, leads me to the Dodgers. Forbes has released its annual baseball team evaluations, and it claims the Dodgers are worth $1.615 billion.

Sounds like lots of money, until you recall the Dodgers were just purchased last year for $2.15 billion.

No doubt the high school algebra teacher would argue otherwise, but I’m no math wiz. Still, if seems like if someone is willing to pay the higher figure, that’s what team is worth. The new owners think the team is now worth approximately $3 billion, which I think they may have confused with the cost of their current payroll.

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Understand, when the team went up for sale, Forbes said the Dodgers were worth $800 million. So it’s doubled its previous valuation, though it somehow claims the Dodgers have only gone up 16% in value in the last year. Overall, baseball has gone up 23%.

Now Forbes does the best it can. Clearly it is not privy to the team’s books. And because the Dodgers have not submitted their $7-billion TV deal with Time Warner, there is no real information on that to consider. It’s kind of best-estimate scenario.

Jamie McCourt is suspicious of what ex-hubby Frank McCourt valued the team at in their divorce agreement before the sale, and in a stunning development, is back in court suing him to reap a greater reward.

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Now if the team sold for $2.15 billion not even a year ago and nothing has happened to decrease its value since, seems to me it’s worth at least $2.15 billion now.

That’s my sophisticated evaluation. Now anybody want to bid $9,000 for the Accord?

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