Forbes announced today its 20th annual valuations of Major League Baseball’s 30 teams, reporting that the average MLB team is worth $1.54 billion, 19 percent more than a year ago. The New York Yankees remain the most valuable team in MLB for the 20th consecutive year, worth $3.7 billion. The team has held the top spot since Forbes began tracking MLB finances in 1998 and generates more revenue ($526 million after revenue sharing) than any other MLB team.
Values were driven higher by new local television deals that are increasing at roughly a two-fold rate, as well as surge in profitability. The Chicago Cubs (worth $2.68 billion, up 22 percent) overtook the San Francisco Giants (worth $2.65 billion, up 18 percent) to claim the fourth place on this year’s rankings. The Toronto Blue Jays (No. 16) climbed six spots, with a valuation of $1.3 billion, a 44 percent increase from 2016.
During the 2016 season, MLB’s 30 teams posted a record average operating income of $34 million, 52 percent more than the 2015 season, which was the previous record.
“During the past 19 years, the average MLB team has increased in value at an 11.5 percent rate unlike, say, 15 years ago when as many as a third of the teams were losing money on an operating basis,” said Mike Ozanian, Forbes Assistant Managing Editor. “There are a few teams losing money today, which is a big reason why values have increased.”
This year’s Top 10 Most Valuable Major League Baseball Teams are:
| Rank | Team | Owners | Value
($mil) |
1-year change % | Revenue
($mil) |
Operating Income ($mil) |
| 1 | New York Yankees | Steinbrenner Family | 3,700 | 9 | 526 | 39.0 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Guggenheim Baseball Management | 2,750 | 10 | 462 | -20.5 |
| 3 | Boston Red Sox | John Henry, Thomas Werner | 2,700 | 17 | 434 | 78.6 |
| 4 | Chicago Cubs | Ricketts Family | 2,675 | 22 | 434 | 83.8 |
| 5 | San Francisco Giants | Charles Johnson | 2,650 | 18 | 428 | 78.1 |
| 6 | New York Mets | Fred & Jeff Wilpon, Saul Katz | 2,000 | 21 | 332 | 31.7 |
| 7 | St Louis Cardinals | William DeWitt Jr | 1,800 | 12 | 310 | 40.5 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim | Arturo Moreno | 1,750 | 31 | 350 | 68.1 |
| 9 | Philadelphia Phillies | John Middleton | 1,650 | 34 | 325 | 87.7 |
| 10 | Washington Nationals | Lerner Family | 1,600 | 23 | 304 | 37.6 |
For the complete list, click here.
By Christina Vega
Christina Vega is the publicity manager for Forbes Media.