The top and bottom of this list won't surprise you, but the way in which some of these MLB franchises spend their money might. The New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox are atop Forbes' list of most valuable MLB franchises, as they've dominated baseball both inside and outside the ballpark.
The Yankees are again the richest baseball franchise for the 19th year in a row, ever since Forbes began tracking team values in 1998. And yes, while New York is among those that sell out crowds and (at least before the past two seasons) has been a consistent postseason team, it's the television deals and other outside-the-ballpark deals that propel them to the top spot.
Same goes for the rest of the organizations on this list. Check out Forbes' latest values of MLB franchises below:
1. New York Yankees ($3.4 billion)
2. Los Angeles Dodgers ($2.5 billion)
3. Boston Red Sox ($2.3 billion)
4. San Francisco Giants (2.25 billion)
5. Chicago Cubs ($2.2 billion)
6. New York Mets ($1.65 billion)
7. St. Louis Cardinals ($1.6 billion)
8. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ($1.34 billion)
9. Washington Nationals ($1.3 billion)
10. Philadelphia Phillies ($1.24 billion)
11. Texas Rangers ($1.23 billion)
12. Seattle Mariners ($1.2 billion)
13. Atlanta Braves ($1.18 billion)
14. Detroit Tigers ($1.15 billion)
15. Houston Astros ($1.1 billion)
16. Chicago White Sox ($1.05 billion)
17. Baltimore Orioles ($1 billion)
18. Pittsburgh Pirates ($975 million)
19. Arizona Diamondbacks ($925 million)
20. Minnesota Twins ($910 million)
21. Cincinnati Reds ($905 million)
22. Toronto Blue Jays ($900 million)
23. San Diego Padres ($890 million)
24. Milwaukee Brewers ($875 million)
25. Kansas City Royals ($865 million)
26. Colorado Rockies ($860 million)
27. Cleveland Indians ($800 million)
28. Oakland Athletics ($725 million)
29. Miami Marlins ($675 million)
30. Tampa Bay Rays ($650 million)
As you can see, the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals are an example of how parity is so great in baseball. With such weak spending power, the Royals were able to defeat other MLB juggernauts throughout the regular season and postseason to capture their first title in 30 years. They also spent a lot of money this offseason despite having one of the lowest overall values.
The Miami Marlins are also an interesting case of one of the least valuable MLB franchises. The team signed slugger Giancarlo Stanton to a $325 million contract last offseason (although they're likely relying on him to opt out of the deal), which is nearly half of their franchise's worth.
Then you have a team like the Chicago Cubs. They haven't won a World Series since 1908, and yet they're still among the richest franchises in all of sports. Talk about dedication and loyalty from their fans.
Additionally, now we can see why teams such as the Yankees (although not in the last two offseasons) and the Los Angeles Dodgers spend so much money in free agency. With payrolls nearing $200 million and $300 million, although it seems like that's an absurd amount of money (and it is), that figure is only a fraction of their worth.
And don't forget this friendly reminder: if it weren't for the fans, none of this would be possible.
