Forbes Reveal Top Ten Richest MLB Sides, Mets Drop to 5th

March 24, 2011

The New York Mets fell from third to fifth in Forbes magazine’s list of Major League Baseball (MLB) team values, while the New York Yankees remained the sport’s richest team.

The Mets are worth 13 per cent less than this time last year, at US$747m, while the Yankees’ value rose 6 per cent to $1.7bn, almost doubling that of the Boston Red Sox, who at $912m are the second richest baseball team.

The Yankees trail only the National Football League’s (NFL) Dallas Cowboys as the most valuable team in U.S. sports, which Forbes valued at $1.805bn last August.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are third in value at $800m after a 10 per cent increase from last year, followed by the Chicago Cubs $773m, and the Mets.

According to Forbes, the average team is now worth an all-time high $523m, a 7 percent increase from last year as new ballparks and regional sports networks boosted revenue 4 per cent to $6.1bn.

The Philadelphia Phillies’ value rose 13 per cent to $609 million, making them the sixth most valuable team, while World Series champion San Francisco Giants were seventh at $563m, a 16 per cent increase.

Texas Rangers, who in 2010 reached the World Series for the first time in team history, were eighth at $561m after a 25 per cent increase in value, the highest among the top 10 teams on the list.

Completing the top ten were the Los Angeles Angels, worth $554m and the Chicago White Sox.