Forbes: Yankees worth $4B, still most valuable MLB franchise
Another year, another financial windfall in the Bronx.
For the 21st consecutive year, the New York Yankees are MLB's most valuable franchise. In their 2018 valuations released Wednesday, Forbes pegged the Yankees' value at $4 billion, the first team to ever be worth that much money. That's also an 8 percent increase from their value in 2017 ($3.7 billion).
The Yankees took in a whopping $619 million in revenue last year, a total that's 20 percent higher than any other team. Only one other team besides the Yankees - the Los Angeles Dodgers - is even worth $3 billion in total value.
While no new names entered the top 10 most valuable franchises, the order did change slightly, as the Chicago Cubs leapfrogged both the Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants to enter the top three.
Here is Forbes' list of the 10 most valuable franchises:
| Rk. | Team | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York Yankees | $4B | 8% |
| 2 | Los Angeles Dodgers | $3B | 9% |
| 3 | Chicago Cubs | $2.9B | 8% |
| 4 | San Francisco Giants | $2.85B | 8% |
| 5 | Boston Red Sox | $2.8B | 4% |
| 6 | New York Mets | $2.1B | 5% |
| 7 | St. Louis Cardinals | $1.9B | 6% |
| 8 | Los Angeles Angels | $1.8B | 6% |
| 9 | Philadelphia Phillies | $1.7B | 3% |
| 10 | Washington Nationals | $1.675B | 5% |
As a whole, Forbes' Mike Ozanian reports that the average value of an MLB franchise increased by 7 percent from 2017, to $1.645 billion.
The Tampa Bay Rays once again found themselves in the basement financially, at a league-low value of just $900 million. While that's still a 9 percent increase from 2017, the Rays are now the only MLB franchise judged to be worth less than $1 billion; last year, three teams came in below that mark.
Just above Rays are their Florida rivals, the Miami Marlins, now worth an even $1 billion - slightly less than their $1.2-billion sale price in October, but still a 6 percent increase in value from last year. The Marlins' minus-$53-million operating income ranks last in the league, however. The new owners drastically decreased payroll after taking over, and are also fighting a profit-sharing lawsuit brought against both the new and old ownership groups by Miami-Dade County.