THE L.A. GALAXY

The Dodgers are on the block—bids are due on Jan. 23; a winner will be chosen by April 1—and the market of potential buyers is crowded with marquee names. Here are the contenders

FOR SALE BY OWNER LA

THE FRONT: Steve Cohen

THE MONEY: Cohen

The founder of SAC Capital Advisors, a Connecticut-based hedge fund with $14 billion in assets, needs no financial help—Forbes estimates his personal wealth at $8.3 billion.

THE FRONT: Larry King, Dennis Gilbert

THE MONEY: Jason Reese

Former chatmeister King, a Brooklyn Dodgers fan as a kid, brings name recognition to a group assembled by Gilbert, a former player agent. Reese is the CEO of Imperial Capital, an L.A.-based investment banking giant.

Time Warner Cable®

The cable company wants the Dodgers to be the centerpiece of an L.A. sports network launching this year. Buying the team outright might be cheaper than the broadcast rights.

THE FRONT: Peter O'Malley

THE MONEY: Undisclosed

The sentimental favorite: O'Malley's family owned the Dodgers for nearly 50 years before he sold the team to Fox in 1998. O'Malley said last fall that he would put together an ownership group, but no details have emerged about potential investors.

THE FRONT: Fred Claire

THE MONEY: Ben Hwang, Andy Dolich

Claire, a longtime Dodgers exec, was G.M. of the franchise's last World Series champion, in 1988. Hwang, a former L.A. batboy and biotech executive, and Dolich, an A's exec in the '80s, are part of a diverse investor group.

THE FRONT: Steve Garvey, Orel Hershiser

THE MONEY: Joey Herrick and others

The heroes from the team's '70s and '80s glory days have assembled a group financed in part by Herrick, president of Natural Balance Pet Foods.

THE FRONT: Mark Cuban

THE MONEY: Cuban

The Mavericks' owner (estimated net worth, according to Forbes: $2.3 billion) has tried to buy the Cubs and the Rangers in recent years. One potential obstacle: He has said he's not interested in paying the $1 billion the Dodgers could command.

THE FRONT: Magic Johnson

THE MONEY: Mark Walter

The Lakers legend wants to restore the Dodgers' luster with backing from the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, a private financial services firm. Former Braves and Nationals president Stan Kasten is also on board.

THE FRONT: Joe Torre

THE MONEY: Rick Caruso

Last week Torre, who managed L.A. from 2008 to '10, resigned as MLB executive VP for baseball operations to join the group financed by Caruso, an L.A. real estate developer; Forbes estimates his net worth at $850 million.

FOLLOW @SInow

PHOTO

MARC STAMAS/WIREIMAGE

PHOTO

RICHARD DREW/AP

PHOTO

ALBERT PENA/CAL SPORT MEDIA/ZUMA PRESS

PHOTO

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES

PHOTO

ROBERT BECK

PHOTO

JEROD HARRIS/FILMMAGIC

PHOTO

GLOBE PHOTOS/ZUMAPRESS.COM

PHOTO

KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT/US PRESSWIRE

PHOTO