The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the most recognizable teams in baseball. As a historic franchise enjoying a strong run of success in one of America’s biggest cities, they are also traditionally one of the most valuable Major League Baseball franchises as well.
In its most recent annual rankings of all 30 MLB teams by financial value, Forbes once again ranked the Dodgers second, with the New York Yankees coming in first.
Forbes estimated the Dodgers’ total value at $3.3 billion, well above the $2.15 billion that the team’s current owners, Guggenheim Baseball Management, paid to purchase the team in 2012. That marks $300 million above their 2018 valuation at $3 billion, which was a $250 million improvement over their 2017 mark at $2.75 billion.
The Yankees, owned by the late George Steinbrenner and his descendants since 1973, have a current estimated value of $4.6 billion.
Reigning World Series champion Boston Red Sox came in third on Forbes’ rankings, leapfrogging two other first-tier franchises, the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. The Red Sox have an estimated value of $3.2 billion after finishing fifth on the rankings with a $2.8 billion valuation last year.
The Cubs and Giants, meanwhile, saw the smallest value increases among the traditional top five teams. The Cubs increased to $3.1 billion while the Giants’ valuation clocked in at an even $3 billion.
Those five teams also pulled in the most local revenue in 2018. Forbes defines local revenue as coming from ballpark-related sales (tickets, merchandise, food, etc.) as well as local TV and radio before revenue sharing and ballpack debt payments.
The Dodgers’ $517 million in local revenue again came second only to the Yankees, at $717 million.
The most recent Forbes rankings noted that even wealthy MLB teams are finding ways to win while remaining under the luxury tax, with the Dodgers and Yankees as prime examples.
The Dodgers have won seven straight National League West titles and reached the World Series in two consecutive years. They are set to renovate Dodger Stadium and will host the 2020 MLB All-Star Game, which figures to further boost the franchise’s value.
