There will be no antitrust hold-up in the sale of the Chicago Cubs. Of course, given that there is not an even remotely conceivable anti-competitive element to the sale of the Cubs from one owner to another, this is kind of like reporting that the Earth did not split in half yesterday.
But hey. It wouldn’t be obsessive if we didn’t let you know.
The antitrust approval was disclosed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on a list of proposed mergers permitted by antitrust officials.
Tribune filed for bankruptcy court protection in December, about a year after billionaire real estate developer Sam Zell led the $8.3 billion purchase of the publishing and television company. Tribune owns the Los Angeles Times and the namesake Chicago newspaper among other properties. Daily Herald.
The hope is for MLB owner approval to come down very soon after the season ends so that the Cubs face no hold-up in the free agency period.