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Owners2026 · Who owns each club and how it spends
Payroll data through2026
Clubs30Value list2026
Legends Deck›Owners
MLB Team Owners and How They Spend
Who owns each of the 30 clubs, what they paid, what the club is worth, and how its payroll compares with the league median every season. The spending index is our estimate from public payroll records; the method is below.| Rank | Club | Owner | Since | Value (2026) | Payroll 2026 | Spending index | Change since 2016 | Index 2010 to 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New York Mets | Steve Cohen | 2021 | $3.5B | $346.7M | 197.0 | +87.6 | |
| 2 |  Los Angeles Dodgers | Guggenheim Baseball Management | 2012 | $7.8B | $339.3M | 192.8 | -5.5 | |
| 3 |  New York Yankees | Steinbrenner family (Hal Steinbrenner) | 2008 | $8.5B | $308.3M | 175.2 | +11.1 | |
| 4 |  Philadelphia Phillies | John Middleton group | 2016 | $3.4B | $292.0M | 165.9 | +88.7 | |
| 5 |  Toronto Blue Jays | Rogers Communications | 2001 | $2.5B | $276.1M | 156.9 | +46.6 | |
| 6 |  Atlanta Braves | Liberty Media / Atlanta Braves Holdings | 2007 | $3.35B | $263.0M | 149.4 | +78.2 | |
| 7 |  Chicago Cubs | Ricketts family | 2009 | $5B | $249.3M | 141.6 | +2.8 | |
| 8 |  Houston Astros | Jim Crane | 2012 | $3.2B | $239.8M | 136.2 | +62.0 | |
| 9 |  San Diego Padres | José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones | 2026 | $3.1B | $218.3M | 124.0 | +62.0 | |
| 10 |  Boston Red Sox | John W. Henry / Fenway Sports Group | 2002 | $5.25B | $208.0M | 118.2 | -36.2 | |
| 11 |  Detroit Tigers | Ilitch family (Christopher Ilitch) | 2017 | $1.8B | $202.1M | 114.8 | -34.0 | |
| 12 |  Arizona Diamondbacks | Ken Kendrick | 2009 | $1.96B | $192.7M | 109.5 | +36.8 | |
| 13 |  Texas Rangers | Rangers Baseball Express (Ray Davis and Bob Simpson) | 2011 | $2.7B | $191.3M | 108.7 | -11.0 | |
| 14 |  San Francisco Giants | San Francisco Baseball Associates (Charles B. Johnson, Larry Baer) | 2009 | $4.05B | $190.2M | 108.0 | -24.9 | |
| 15 |  Los Angeles Angels | Arte Moreno Sale pending | 2003 | $2.8B | $182.5M | 103.7 | -25.8 | |
| 16 |  Seattle Mariners | John W. Stanton group | 2016 | $2.35B | $169.6M | 96.3 | -13.0 | |
| 17 |  Baltimore Orioles | David Rubenstein group | 2024 | $2.1B | $167.0M | 94.9 | -19.7 | |
| 18 |  Kansas City Royals | John Sherman group | 2020 | $1.64B | $150.4M | 85.5 | -19.7 | |
| 19 |  Milwaukee Brewers | Mark Attanasio group | 2005 | $1.9B | $146.2M | 83.1 | +36.2 | |
| 20 |  Cincinnati Reds | Bob Castellini group | 2006 | $1.6B | $128.2M | 72.8 | +6.9 | |
| 21 |  Colorado Rockies | Dick and Charlie Monfort | 2005 | $1.68B | $121.5M | 69.0 | -11.2 | |
| 22 |  Minnesota Twins | Pohlad family (Jim Pohlad) | 2009 | $1.71B | $115.7M | 65.8 | -6.5 | |
| 23 |  Pittsburgh Pirates | Bob Nutting (Nutting family) | 2007 | $1.62B | $106.7M | 60.6 | -13.4 | |
| 24 |  Chicago White Sox | Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn | 1981 | $1.94B | $103.3M | 58.7 | -37.7 | |
| 25 |  Washington Nationals | Lerner family | 2006 | $2.15B | $101.6M | 57.7 | -45.9 | |
| 26 |  Athletics | John Fisher | 2017 | $2B | $98.9M | 56.2 | -5.6 | |
| 27 |  St. Louis Cardinals | Bill DeWitt Jr. group | 1996 | $2.75B | $96.4M | 54.8 | -56.2 | |
| 28 |  Tampa Bay Rays | Patrick Zalupski group | 2026 | $1.7B | $95.6M | 54.3 | +6.8 | |
| 29 |  Miami Marlins | Bruce Sherman group | 2018 | $1.5B | $83.3M | 47.3 | -10.5 | |
| 30 |  Cleveland Guardians | Paul Dolan (Dolan family) | 2013 | $1.68B | $74.5M | 42.3 | -36.5 |
| Club | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020* | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mets | 155 | 150 | 107 | 101 | 86 | 98 | 109 | 102 | 106 | 105 | 128 | 150 | 178 | 219 | 202 | 211 | 197 |
| Dodgers | 124 | 121 | 119 | 237 | 219 | 255 | 198 | 183 | 141 | 147 | 196 | 200 | 182 | 151 | 168 | 223 | 193 |
| Yankees | 272 | 223 | 230 | 234 | 192 | 187 | 164 | 148 | 128 | 159 | 175 | 154 | 168 | 175 | 197 | 186 | 175 |
| Phillies | 167 | 179 | 181 | 163 | 159 | 120 | 77 | 73 | 74 | 114 | 115 | 142 | 163 | 154 | 155 | 180 | 166 |
| Blue Jays | 88 | 78 | 98 | 132 | 128 | 117 | 110 | 124 | 107 | 79 | 87 | 112 | 118 | 135 | 136 | 163 | 157 |
| Braves | 140 | 104 | 100 | 95 | 106 | 94 | 71 | 75 | 93 | 103 | 100 | 114 | 120 | 129 | 148 | 135 | 149 |
| Cubs | 159 | 145 | 117 | 100 | 82 | 113 | 139 | 122 | 138 | 158 | 136 | 108 | 101 | 119 | 144 | 132 | 142 |
| Astros | 97 | 89 | 55 | 29 | 47 | 69 | 74 | 98 | 116 | 119 | 130 | 145 | 122 | 149 | 155 | 144 | 136 |
| Padres | 53 | 51 | 65 | 68 | 77 | 91 | 62 | 54 | 73 | 74 | 114 | 134 | 150 | 161 | 108 | 135 | 124 |
| Red Sox | 193 | 180 | 177 | 171 | 154 | 155 | 154 | 148 | 161 | 163 | 132 | 140 | 141 | 115 | 118 | 122 | 118 |
| Tigers | 130 | 118 | 147 | 157 | 156 | 137 | 149 | 133 | 93 | 82 | 68 | 65 | 91 | 76 | 61 | 97 | 115 |
| Diamondbacks | 74 | 68 | 82 | 88 | 96 | 65 | 73 | 72 | 100 | 85 | 103 | 69 | 57 | 75 | 111 | 113 | 110 |
| Rangers | 112 | 109 | 141 | 138 | 126 | 126 | 120 | 115 | 100 | 104 | 101 | 72 | 100 | 158 | 142 | 141 | 109 |
| Giants | 119 | 132 | 140 | 140 | 145 | 154 | 133 | 134 | 146 | 127 | 115 | 129 | 108 | 119 | 129 | 111 | 108 |
| Angels | 123 | 154 | 160 | 141 | 150 | 121 | 130 | 117 | 123 | 114 | 105 | 137 | 120 | 145 | 107 | 128 | 104 |
| Mariners | 103 | 106 | 85 | 83 | 105 | 107 | 109 | 114 | 114 | 103 | 79 | 63 | 76 | 80 | 93 | 102 | 96 |
| Orioles | 76 | 96 | 85 | 100 | 103 | 99 | 115 | 124 | 92 | 52 | 37 | 32 | 30 | 45 | 69 | 98 | 95 |
| Royals | 62 | 55 | 72 | 84 | 89 | 107 | 105 | 105 | 92 | 75 | 55 | 69 | 62 | 60 | 78 | 82 | 86 |
| Brewers | 82 | 96 | 114 | 87 | 97 | 79 | 47 | 49 | 78 | 98 | 65 | 74 | 90 | 82 | 79 | 76 | 83 |
| Reds | 93 | 87 | 92 | 104 | 103 | 95 | 66 | 68 | 71 | 92 | 87 | 95 | 77 | 62 | 64 | 74 | 73 |
| Rockies | 94 | 88 | 89 | 79 | 88 | 86 | 80 | 98 | 102 | 112 | 106 | 87 | 93 | 111 | 92 | 78 | 69 |
| Twins | 107 | 120 | 110 | 81 | 79 | 90 | 72 | 86 | 82 | 89 | 93 | 91 | 100 | 98 | 82 | 80 | 66 |
| Pirates | 34 | 50 | 62 | 71 | 70 | 84 | 74 | 71 | 65 | 51 | 40 | 41 | 37 | 48 | 53 | 52 | 61 |
| White Sox | 125 | 134 | 111 | 112 | 81 | 101 | 96 | 60 | 51 | 65 | 84 | 105 | 135 | 102 | 89 | 49 | 59 |
| Nationals | 59 | 77 | 98 | 117 | 130 | 140 | 104 | 129 | 129 | 123 | 118 | 108 | 84 | 59 | 67 | 62 | 58 |
| Athletics | 66 | 79 | 62 | 67 | 84 | 68 | 62 | 52 | 57 | 70 | 58 | 68 | 32 | 39 | 40 | 49 | 56 |
| Cardinals | 117 | 126 | 122 | 120 | 110 | 112 | 111 | 103 | 116 | 124 | 115 | 113 | 104 | 93 | 112 | 81 | 55 |
| Rays | 89 | 48 | 70 | 68 | 75 | 62 | 48 | 55 | 49 | 46 | 44 | 53 | 66 | 50 | 56 | 56 | 54 |
| Marlins | 38 | 69 | 100 | 36 | 45 | 62 | 58 | 78 | 65 | 54 | 54 | 44 | 59 | 66 | 61 | 42 | 47 |
| Guardians | 62 | 59 | 78 | 93 | 77 | 66 | 79 | 93 | 101 | 76 | 62 | 38 | 44 | 58 | 67 | 62 | 42 |
Blue is above the median payroll, red below. 2020 was a 60-game season: payrolls are prorated for every club, so the index stays comparable that year. Rows are ordered by 2026 payroll rank.
- Spending index = 100 x a club’s payroll divided by the median club payroll that season. 100 is the median club, 200 is twice it. Payroll is in nominal dollars.
- Two payroll series. Through 2009 payroll is the sum of recorded player salaries (about 25 to 40 players a club). From 2010 it is the full club payroll allocation, which also counts injured-list, retained and buried money. Computed on either series for 2010 to 2016, a club’s index differs by about 9 points, so read changes across 2009 and 2010 with care.
- Ownership. Eras, reported purchase prices and sale dates come from public records; each row keeps its source (see the sources page). A deal reached January to May counts for that season, June to December for the next. Prices are as reported and never adjusted for inflation.
- Franchise value is Forbes’ annual March estimate. There is no 2024 list in our source, so 2024 is empty, not estimated. Revenue and operating income exist for the 2022, 2023, 2025 and 2026 lists.
- Owner profile (on each club page): budget generosity, patience with managers and reaction to losing are summaries of what the club did under that owner, with the numbers next to each score. They describe past behavior and are not a judgment of any person.