The Dodgers are poaching a business executive from the San Diego Padres to fill a recently vacated role in their front office.
Caroline Perry, who was the Padres’ chief operating officer, was hired by the Dodgers to serve in the same role, the team announced Monday.
A long-time Padres executive who was promoted to her current post in 2023, Perry will replace former Dodgers COO Bob Wolfe, who announced last week he was set to retire at the end of this year and transition into an advisory role with the club.
Perry is one of the highest-ranking female executives in baseball, and is one of only three women currently in a COO role among the league’s 30 teams. She will also have the title of executive vice president with the Dodgers.
The San Diego native previously was a corporate attorney before joining the Padres as associate general counsel in 2011. Since then, she has overseen the club’s ballpark operations, including its recent renovation of Gallagher Square beyond the outfield.
In addition to Perry’s hiring, the Dodgers also announced that Royce Cohen has been promoted from senior vice president of business strategy to executive vice president and chief business officer.
Wolfe, the Dodgers former COO and executive vice president, had been with the club the last 14 years. He was also a longtime colleague of team president Stan Kasten, working alongside him in past stops with the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals.
Monday’s move comes amid what the Dodgers hope is a “business as usual” offseason, despite the ongoing federal investigation into the business empire of team owner Mark Walter.
Though Walter has recently sold his ownership stakes in the Lakers and Chelsea FC amid the probe, and is reportedly exploring sales of the WNBA’s Sparks and his Cadillac Formula 1 team, he told the California Post in an exclusive interview last week that his Guggenheim ownership group would keep the Dodgers “no matter what.”
Now, they have a new COO to help oversee their business operations.
“It is a tremendous honor to join the Dodgers,” Perry said in a team statement. “On the field, they have set an unparalleled standard of excellence in baseball under the current leadership. Off the field, their historic legacy, passionate fan base and service to the community speak for themselves. While I am incredibly grateful for my time with the Padres and for the colleagues who made those years so meaningful, I am excited to take my place with the Dodgers and to contribute to their continued success. Thank you to Mark Walter, Stan Kasten and the entire Dodger family for welcoming me.”
