Today on Forbes, baseball's most valuable teams, 2026.

As the 26 Major League Baseball season gets underway this week,

with opening night on Wednesday and opening day on Thursday,

team valuations across the league are up on average across the board.

Every year since Forbes first began publishing its ranking of MLB team valuations in 1998,

the New York Yankees have claimed the top spot.

And while the Bronx Bombers once again lead the league, at an estimated $8.5 billion, they

face serious competition as the sports most valuable club for the first time in decades.

Forbes now values the Los Angeles Dodgers, the reigning World Series champions, at $7.8 billion,

having last year's $1.4 billion gap between the historic rivals. Of course, $700 million is not exactly a Texas

league blooper, but the difference stood at $2.1 billion just two years ago. Most around the

sports still believe that, relative to their actual business performance, the Yankees would

command a premium if they ever hit the open market,

giving them a valuation that in some ways makes them look more like an NBA or top-tier NFL

franchise. But the Dodgers, who have been number two in Forbes's rankings since 2012,

have taken a significant lead in terms of annual revenue, posting an estimated $850 million

last year, versus $710 million for the Yankees.

No other MLB clubs surpassed even $600 million last season, and across all of the team

valuation lists Forbes published in 2025, only five clubs exceeded Los Angeles' revenue

figure, three European soccer powerhouses, the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and the NBA's Golden

State Warriors.

Amid the turbulence with regional sports networks across the country, the Dodgers are locked into

...