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Kansas City RoyalsJohn Sherman group · since 2020
Payroll data through2026
Value 2026$1.64BPayroll rank18 of 30Spending index85.5
Kansas City Royals Ownership
Owner: John Sherman group · since 2020 · AL Central
Budget generosity24low payroll
Patience27very quick to change
Win-now or build65win-now
Last five seasons+6.9 a yearloosening
- John Sherman group: over 7 seasons (2020 to 2026) the club paid on average 0.7 times the league median payroll and ranked 21.9 on average. Best payroll rank 18th (2025, 2026); worst 26th (2020).
- Last five seasons (2022 to 2026): 0.73 times the median, average rank 21.
- The club named 5 new managers per ten seasons (2020 to 2025); the league average over the same seasons was 3.4.
- After a losing season (win percentage under 0.480) the spending index moved +5.9 points on average, across 4 such seasons.
Scores run 0 to 100 and describe what the club did under this owner: budget generosity is payroll relative to the league median (50 is the median, 100 is double); patience is how rarely the club changes managers; win-now or build is whether payroll rose or fell after a losing season. They are our summary of public numbers, not a judgment of a person.
- Owner
- John Sherman group
- Principals
- John Sherman
- Owner since
- 2020
- Reported price
- $1 billion
- Forbes value (2026)
- $1.64B
- Revenue
- $330M
- Operating income
- $25M
- Payroll 2026
- $150.4M, rank 18 of 30
- Seasons over the tax line, 2003 to 2025
- 0
- Tax paid 2022 to 2025
- $0
| # | Owner or group | Seasons | Type | Reported price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ewing Kauffman | 1969 to 1993 | individual | Not public | Expansion franchise; Kauffman died August 1, 1993. |
| 2 | Kauffman estate board (David Glass, chairman) | 1994 to 1999 | trust | Not public | After Kauffman died, a board ran the club for local charities until a Kansas City buyer was found. |
| 3 | David Glass | 2000 to 2019 | individual | $96 million | |
| 4 | John Sherman group | 2020 to now | group | $1 billion | Reported as "over $1 billion"; the principal owners page lists $1,000,000,000. |
| List year | Value | Revenue | Operating income |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $1.64B | $330M | $25M |
| 2025 | $1.3B | $324M | $6M |
| 2024 | Data pending | Data pending | Data pending |
| 2023 | $1.2B | $260M | $33M |
| 2022 | $1.11B | $263M | $47M |
| 2021 | $1.1B | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2020 | $1B | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2019 | $1B | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2018 | $1B | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2017 | $950M | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2016 | $865M | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2015 | $700M | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2014 | $490M | Not listed | Not listed |
| 2013 | $457M | Not listed | Not listed |
- 1Ewing Kauffman 1969 to 1993
- 2Kauffman estate board (David Glass, chairman) 1994 to 1999
- 3David Glass 2000 to 2019
- 4John Sherman group 2020 to now
| Season | Owner | Payroll | Rank | Index | Payroll share of revenue | Record | Playoffs | Over tax line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 | $150.4M | 18 of 30 | 85.5 | 69-93 | No | ||
| 2025 | 4 | $132.1M | 18 of 30 | 82.0 | 40.0% | 82-80 | No | No |
| 2024 | 4 | $125.7M | 21 of 30 | 78.2 | 38.8% | 86-76 | Yes | No |
| 2023 | 4 | $96.1M | 24 of 30 | 60.2 | 56-106 | No | No | |
| 2022 | 4 | $92.6M | 24 of 30 | 61.7 | 35.6% | 65-97 | No | No |
| 2021 | 4 | $91.6M | 22 of 30 | 68.5 | 34.8% | 74-88 | No | No |
| 2020 | 4 | $34.9M | 26 of 30 | 54.7 | 26-34* | No | No | |
| 2019 | 3 | $104.8M | 23 of 30 | 74.6 | 59-103 | No | No | |
| 2018 | 3 | $129.9M | 20 of 30 | 92.0 | 58-104 | No | No | |
| 2017 | 3 | $148.2M | 13 of 30 | 104.6 | 80-82 | No | No | |
| 2016 | 3 | $141.6M | 14 of 30 | 105.2 | 81-81 | No | No | |
| 2015 | 3 | $126.4M | 13 of 30 | 106.9 | 95-67 | Yes | No | |
| 2014 | 3 | $98.6M | 18 of 30 | 89.2 | 89-73 | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | 3 | $84.4M | 21 of 30 | 84.3 | 86-76 | No | No | |
| 2012 | 3 | $70.3M | 25 of 30 | 71.8 | 72-90 | No | No | |
| 2011 | 3 | $52.1M | 27 of 30 | 55.0 | 71-91 | No | No | |
| 2010 | 3 | $51.1M | 25 of 30 | 62.2 | 67-95 | No | No | |
| 2009 | 3 | $70.5M | 21 of 30 | 87.0 | 65-97 | No | No | |
| 2008 | 3 | $58.2M | 24 of 30 | 72.8 | 75-87 | No | No | |
| 2007 | 3 | $67.1M | 22 of 30 | 79.3 | 69-93 | No | No | |
| 2006 | 3 | $47.3M | 26 of 30 | 65.7 | 62-100 | No | No | |
| 2005 | 3 | $36.9M | 29 of 30 | 55.7 | 56-106 | No | No | |
| 2004 | 3 | $47.6M | 22 of 30 | 76.4 | 58-104 | No | No | |
| 2003 | 3 | $40.5M | 29 of 30 | 58.7 | 83-79 | No | No | |
| 2002 | 3 | $47.3M | 22 of 30 | 77.3 | 62-100 | No | ||
| 2001 | 3 | $35.4M | 27 of 30 | 55.3 | 65-97 | No | ||
| 2000 | 3 | $23.4M | 28 of 30 | 41.4 | 77-85 | No | ||
| 1999 | 2 | $26.2M | 24 of 30 | 52.7 | 64-97 | No | ||
| 1998 | 2 | $36.9M | 20 of 30 | 86.8 | 72-89 | No | ||
| 1997 | 2 | $34.7M | 21 of 28 | 82.8 | 67-94 | No | ||
| 1996 | 2 | $20.3M | 27 of 28 | 60.2 | 75-86 | No | ||
| 1995 | 2 | $29.5M | 20 of 28 | 85.9 | 70-74 | No | ||
| 1994 | 2 | $40.5M | 7 of 28 | 122.7 | 64-51 | No | ||
| 1993 | 1 | $41.3M | 5 of 28 | 122.1 | 84-78 | No | ||
| 1992 | 1 | $33.9M | 11 of 26 | 110.8 | 72-90 | No | ||
| 1991 | 1 | $26.3M | 8 of 26 | 113.7 | 82-80 | No | ||
| 1990 | 1 | $23.4M | 1 of 26 | 132.8 | 75-86 | No | ||
| 1989 | 1 | $18.7M | 3 of 26 | 128.2 | 92-70 | No | ||
| 1988 | 1 | $14.6M | 4 of 26 | 118.0 | 84-77 | No | ||
| 1987 | 1 | $11.8M | 10 of 26 | 104.8 | 83-79 | No | ||
| 1986 | 1 | $13.0M | 8 of 26 | 113.6 | 76-86 | No | ||
| 1985 | 1 | $9.3M | 17 of 26 | 92.7 | 91-71 | Yes |
Owner numbers match the ownership list. Payroll is nominal dollars. * 2020 was a 60-game season. Payroll share of revenue exists for 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025 only. The tax-line column stops at 2025 because 2026 tax bills are not known until December. How the index is built.
No owner stories are published for this club yet.
More on this club: Kansas City Royals team page and payroll history.