Major League Baseball teams are enjoying a 13-percent jump in value, according to CNBC’s annual report.
The New York Yankees are once again the most valuable franchise, this time at $9 billion, and remain the biggest brand in the game. However, the reigning back-to-back World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers are gaining ground, rising 38 percent to a reported $9 billion.
Although unlike the Yankees, which have a reported $90 million in debt, the Dodgers owe something closer to $640 million, according to CNBC.
It’s unclear how LA’s strategy of back loading contacts impacted its overall valuation. Shohei Ohtani, for instance, signed a record 10-year, $700 million deal in 2023 that included $680 million in deferred income.
CNBC’s report included a number of surprises.
New York Mets fans were well aware of the team’s gargantuan payroll in 2025, but it may shock some to learn the team still lost a reported $280 million last season before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. Keep in mind, the Mets absorbed these losses while ranking fifth in attendance and sixth in revenue last season.
Dodgers teammates Shohei Ohtani,Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki pictured in Tokyo
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge shares a laugh with Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
The San Diego Padres ranked 10th in revenue last season as team owner John Seidler prepares for what could be a record sale of the club. The Padres’ value shot up 48 percent to $3.1 billion, according to CNBC.
The MLB record for a team sale remains Cohen’s 2020 purchase of the Mets for $2.42 billion, but banking sources contacted by CNBC believe the Padres could fetch more than $3 billion.
San Diego does present an interesting opportunity for investors.
The city lost its NFL franchise, the Chargers, in 2016 and its NBA team, the Clippers, in 1984, leaving the Padres without any major competition on the local sports scene. What’s more, Petco Park has become a year-round venue for a number of big acts, such as the WWE, Comic Con, rodeos and a number of major concerts.
The Athletics shot up 25 percent in value, according to CNBC. That uptick is credited to the team’s anticipated move from its temporary home in Sacramento to its new stadium in Las Vegas, where the A’s will begin playing in 2028.
The worst valuation belonged to the Miami Marlins ($1.4 billion), which had a league-low $304 million in revenue last season while carrying a reported $406 million in debt, according to CNBC.
