Which are the most valuable MLB teams?

Pedro Bernal April 12, 2019

61 3 minutes read

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The largest baseball league in the world continues to produce record profits. Here the most benefited teams

Leer en español: ¿Cuáles son los equipos más valiosos de la MLB?

It's already 16 years in a row that the Major League Baseball (MLB), the professional baseball league of the United States, records total record earnings. In 2017, the revenues exceeded the barrier of $ 10,000 million dollars and last year reached $ 10,300 million. Despite the fact that growth has declined, the overall balance of the league continues to be positive, which has been reflected in good financial performance for its 30 teams.

The future also augurs well for the league, because according to Forbes it is expected to enter into force new television transmission contracts with the Fox network and digital streaming with the DAZN platform, which is already well positioned by means of its boxing transmissions.

Also read: Find out which are the sports leagues that make more money!

As for the teams, they are also getting rich. The average value of an MLB team according to Forbes is $ 1,780 million dollars, representing an 8% growth over last year.

This growth came because of greater gains in national and international transmission, which is evenly distributed among the 30 teams in the league. The difference between one team and another then comes from your ticket office, sponsorships, local or regional transmission contracts and the value of your brand.

Which teams send the stop?

Among the five most valuable sports franchises in the world is only one baseball. It should not be surprising that this is the New York Yankees, who occupy fifth place behind only Barcelona, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and the Dallas Cowboys.

The Yankees are, with some difference, the most valuable team in the MLB. They are valued, according to a list of Forbes corresponding to this year, in $ 4,600 million dollars. According to the Statista portal, the New York team would have increased its value fivefold over the past 15 years to reach the current figure.

If you break down this figure, you can see that besides being the most valuable team in the league, the Yankees also have the stadium and the most valuable brand in the league. In addition, sponsorship revenues are considerable, with the support of companies such as AT & T, PepsiCo, Delta, and Canon.

The Yankees are followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers, valued by Forbes at $ 3.3 billion. This team has reached two consecutive world series, although it lost both, it can be seen an improvement in its performance both inside and outside the diamond.

By paying off their debts and complying with the financial guidelines of the league, the Dodgers have stopped receiving fines and have had to cut their players' salaries. The 2018 season, in fact, was the first since 2012 in which the Dodgers did not receive any fines. However, they still sustain a considerable debt, corresponding to 12% of the total value of the equipment.

The renewed financial responsibility has allowed the Dodgers to improve their position outside the courts and therefore, their valuation, which now exceeds that of the Boston Red Sox, the same team that defeated them in 5 games in the World Series of the season pass.

The Red Sox, valued at $ 3.2 billion, occupy third place in the list of the most valuable MLB teams compiled by Forbes. The Boston team owns its stadium, Fenway Park, which has become one of the most profitable in the league to lead the profits generated through events other than MLB, particularly through the ticket office of the concerts that take place in the stadium.

Here is the complete list: