Busch Will Lead Transition Team

Corey Busch, who was Frank McCourt’s point man in negotiations to buy the Dodgers, will continue to lead the transition as managing control of the team shifts from News Corp. to McCourt, the new Dodger owner said Thursday.

But McCourt stopped short of saying whether Busch, who is expected to have a prominent role in a restructured Dodger front office -- probably as team president or the head of business operations -- would be part of his management team.

“We have not discussed my specific role,” said Busch, the 54-year-old UCLA graduate who grew up a Dodger fan in the San Fernando Valley. “Frank didn’t want to do that because he wants to come here and look at the team like a blank canvas, evaluate peoples’ strengths and weaknesses and move pieces around to the right places. Whatever role I can help in, I will gladly do.”

Busch worked for 14 years under former San Francisco Giant owner Bob Lurie, 1979 to ‘92, spending 10 years as the team’s executive vice president. He has spent the last four years as a consultant for Major League Baseball, evaluating cities as potential expansion or relocation sites.

In the last several months he has helped guide McCourt through the complex process of purchasing the team. He will spend the next few weeks meeting with employees throughout the team’s front office to determine what changes will be made, who will remain and who will be let go.

“I’ll be helping the McCourts get their arms around the organization to determine what needs to be done,” Busch said. “We want to move as quickly as we can, because spring training is just around the corner. ... There’s a host of things we have to address, and we have to bite off as much of it as we can.”