The Yankees are the richest – when it comes to baseball. But there are other good clubs in the top 10 list. Forbes and CBS always compile the lists of the wealthiest baseball teams. Let’s see who is in the top 10 ranks according to them. The determining factors are debt, opening income, brand value, market, and stadium deals.
Fun Facts about the World’s 5 Richest Baseball Teams
1. NY Yankees
NY Yankees is a part of Yankee Global Enterprises. Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman are managing the team.
Rooted back in 1901, the NY Yankees came a long way with big names like Babe Ruth, Yogi Berra, and Bill Dickey, who changed the history of baseball in the USA.
Now, with all the income calculated, they own a net worth of $6 Billion, becoming the world’s richest baseball team.
In a sense, they are the ones who created the craze in the old days, winning 27 World Series championships and 40 AL pennants.
Fun Fact
NY Yankees are often called – The Evil Empire., referring to the Star Wars franchise’s evil empire theme. The story goes back to 2002 when the Yankees contracted the Cuban defector Jose Contreras with $32M.
It was not a piece of very good news to the then Boston Red Sox President Larry Luicchiano.
He gave the New York Times one of the greatest comments in the History of American baseball – The evil empire extends its tentacles even into Latin America.
And the rest was history.
2. Los Angeles Dodgers
LA Dodgers competed with Yankees seven times in the World Series of MLB in the 50’s. But won two times. They also introduced Jackie Robinson, an African-American player in 1947. Another groundbreaking event that made history, broke the color taboo going on in the field and created equality.
Legendary pitchers like Donald Newcombe and Sandy Koufax were the parts of Dodgers. But the team actually originated in Brooklyn. Their name was Brooklyn Bridegrooms. According to the 6 players who got married during the 1888 season.
Their net value is now 4.8 Billion bucks, making them the second among the world’s richest baseball teams, and are a part of Guggenheim Baseball Management.
Fun Fact
The Dodgers relocated to LA from Brooklyn in 1932. And the name Dodgers was established.
But long before the name got stuck on them. The fact is, it was the fans who got the name for them in 1896. While they were dodging electrical trolleys in front of the Eastern park.
It was in 1933 when the team got their uniform written “Dodgers”. And still, the name is theirs. Along with the name – “Dem Bums” created by the late sports cartoonist Willard Mullin.
3. Boston Red Sox
The rivalry between the NY Yankees and the Red Sox is legendary. With a net value of $4.5 Billion, the club stands in third place of all the richest baseball teams right now. It has won 9 World Series Championships.
Right now, it is being managed by John W. Henry as an active owner, right now at the 22nd season under His ownership.
Red Sox Foundation, created by John W. Henry and His partners, is the largest MLB-based foundation in the USA. It has won awards like “Best Sports Charity” and “Commissioner’s Award for Philanthropic Excellence“.
Fun Fact
It is said that the century-old rivalry started between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in 1919, when the legendary player Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees by the Red Sox for financing the Broadway Musical “No, No, Nanette”.
While Babe Ruth was not the first, nor the last top player to be sold by the Boston Red Sox, the rivalry started there and then resulted in the selling of many more top players just to run the club.
And for the name, they grabbed the name from National League’s Boston Doves in 1907, while they ditched their Red Stockings due to possible infections in spike wounds. The Boston Doves later took the name Atlanta Braves.
4. Chicago Cubs
With a $4.7 Billion net worth, the Chicago Cubs are in fourth place among all the richest baseball teams.
The club won 3 World Championship Series and still, they rival the Yankees and the Sox. Thomas Ricketts and his three siblings are the owners of the team.
Since the beginning, they have played as one of the top teams in the game and till now, they have kept their title.
Ernie Banks, one of the greatest names in the history of baseball, a 14-time All-star, played for the Cubs,
The Cubs have a reputation for being one of the most clean clubs among all the MLB clubs.
Fun Fact
The Cubs were called Chicago White Stockings, due to their white socks for uniform. Now they are also called black stockings, ex-colons, and cowboys.
Ernie Banks played all his career with this team only. And that is one good history.
Besides other MLB teams, they have a long rivalry with the St. Louis Cardinals. It can be dated back to 1885. They met for the first time in the World Series which resulted in a no-winning game!
Later in 1886, they met again in the field, and the Cardinals, then called The Browns took the victory. That happened due to the famous “$15,000 slide” in the history of baseball.
Curt Welch, originally a centerfielder, stole home, which would have been a pitch-out. The winning money went directly to him. Thus, the rivalry was born. And now, more than a century later, the heat is still thriving.
5. San Fransisco Giants
Giants are one of the world’s richest baseball teams, with a net worth of $3.7 Billion, and their franchise is one of the most successful in the history of baseball itself.
They have won 8 World Championship Series and 23 NL Pennants. Now owned by Charles B. Johnson and Greg Johnson.
Rooted in the NY as the New York Gothams, the San Fransisco Giants moved to San Fransico in 1958, to move out from the shadow of the Yankees.
The time was the same as the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to LA.
Since the roots were in NY back in the days, till today, the Giants have a rivalry with the Yankees as well as the Dodgers.
Fun Fact
John Joseph McGraw, the famous manager for the Giants was a fan of scientific baseball. Rather than sheer willpower and talent, he implemented a calculated strategy for winning.
He was a fan of collegiate players and believed them to be assets who could find the errors and get rid of them.
But while the world sees a team manager changing the history of national leagues, the story behind it is quite personal.
Before coming to the Giants, McGraw was in the Orioles. On June 18, 1902, he met the owner of the Giants and decided to get back to Ban Johnson, who wanted to discard him from the team.
McGraw hated the AL, which was initiated by Johnson and his associates, and wanted to cripple it with the move he made. While he left the Orioles and joined the Giants, He took four other players with him.
Later is history. He finally got back to Johnson and refused to join the AL in 1904. Later he gifted the team with multiple winnings in the National League and created a history.
Ruthless but efficient – MacGraw will always be remembered in the history of baseball.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is the richest team in the MLB?
Depending on the opening and ending balance, along with brand, stadium deals, and market value, The NY Yankees are at the top of the world’s richest baseball teams. They have a net worth of $6 billion.
2. Are the Dodgers the richest team?
LA Dodgers rivals the NY Yankees and Boston Red Sox when it comes to the world’s richest baseball teams. But they are not actually at the top. With a net worth of $4.8 Billion, they are the second richest baseball team in the world.
3. What MLB team has the lowest budget?
While the Yankees are topping the richest baseball teams in the world, they are not the ones paying the highest. NY Mets has the highest payroll. They have an average payroll of $334M. On the other hand, the lowest payroll belongs to Oakland Athletics, which has an average payroll of $42M.
4. Who owns the Yankees?
NY Yankees, the world’s richest baseball team is part of Yankee Global Enterprise, a company of the late George Steinbrenner. His family is now managing the company.
Conclusion
There are many rich teams in the world. But when it comes to baseball, the teams have long histories of fun, winning, losing, and rivalry. Each one of the stories is as interesting as it goes. Hope I will tell more about them to you someday.
Hello everyone. My name is Jason Butler, and I live in California, America. I was a professional AAA Minor League Baseball player. I lost my chance of playing MLB for injury issues, but I did not lose my love for baseball. I attended the coaching training program and am now working as a coach in a small school in San Diego.
I always love to share my experience and knowledge if that can help you. Play baseball, and stay fit.