L.A. Times:  Frank McCourt claims to be low on cash in court filing

In the latest filing in his contentious divorce, Frank McCourt said his personal account was low on cash, raising new questions about the team’s ability to sign top players and retain the core of the National League West champions.

Responding to his estranged wife Jamie’s request for monthly financial support, McCourt said his checking account had fallen as low as $167,000 in recent weeks, before he received $1 million from a quarterly distribution. In a separate filing, Jeffrey Ingram, chief operating officer of the McCourt Group, said McCourt’s annual income from the team is capped at $5 million under a credit agreement with Bank of America.

Bert Fields, an attorney for Jamie McCourt, said Frank McCourt’s claims raise the question of whether he can continue to field a team with a $100-million payroll.

“If it were true that he really doesn’t have the resources to pay anything, then you’d have serious concern about his ability to run a baseball team,” Fields said.

“If Mr. McCourt meant what he said, how is he going to pay all these guys?”

Frank McCourt claims sole ownership of the team. His attorney, Marshall Grossman, said player payroll would not be a problem.

“The players play for the Dodgers and get paid by the Dodgers,” Grossman said. “Frank doesn’t meet the payroll out of his own bank account any more than any other shareholder of any other company does.”