Derek Jeter is back, baby. The Yankee great is part of a group with retired businessman Bruce Sherman that has a deal in place to buy the Marlins from Jeffrey Loria for $1.17 billion. That's a lot of money for the Marlins. If you were ranking franchise values, they would be in the bottom five right? The 2017 Forbes rankings have the Marlins 25th ($940 mil); the Brewers, Indians, Reds, Athletics, and Rays were the only teams lower.
This sale is exciting for a couple different reasons. One, Jeter is back in the game. Even better, he'll be in a legit role that oversees player development. Two, Jeffrey Loria is out of baseball. He was a garbage owner that everyone hated. Dan Le Batard summed it up best: "It would be a really happy day in the history of south Florida if that guy fled the premises and never returned." Loria purchased the Marlins for just $158.5 million in 2002 after selling the Expos to the other 29 owners (Red Sox owner John Henry sold the Marlins to Loria). Part of the team's value is based on Marlins Park, built in 2012 with the public covering 80% of the bill.
So, the Marlins will be bought for $1.17 million. What were the other 29 teams' purchase price? What is their current value? Find out below.
| Team | Purchase Price | Purchase Year | Forbes value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yankees | $8.7M | 1973 | $3.7B |
| Dodgers | $2.0B | 2012 | $2.8B |
| Red Sox | $660M | 2002 | $2.7B |
| Cubs | $900M | 2009 | $2.7B |
| Giants | $100M | 1993 | $2.7B |
| Mets | $391M | 2002 | $2.0B |
| Cardinals | $150M | 1996 | $1.8B |
| Angles | $184M | 2003 | $1.8B |
| Phillies | $30M | 1981 | $1.7B |
| Nationals | $450M | 2006 | $1.6B |
| Team | Purchase Price | Purchase Year | Forbes value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | $593M | 2010 | $1.6B |
| Braves | $400M | 2007 | $1.5B |
| Astros | $465M | 2011 | $1.5B |
| Mariners | $1.3B | 2016 | $1.4B |
| White Sox | $20M | 1981 | $1.4B |
| Blue Jays | $137M | 2000 | $1.3B |
| Pirates | $92M | 1996 | $1.3B |
| Tigers | $82M | 1992 | $1.2B |
| Orioles | $173M | 1993 | $1.2B |
| Diamondbacks | $238M | 2004 | $1.2B |
| Team | Purchase Price | Purchase Year | Forbes value* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Padres | $600M | 2012 | $1.1B |
| Twins | $44M | 1984 | $1.0B |
| Rockies | $95M | 1992 | $1.0B |
| Royals | $96M | 2000 | $950M |
| Marlins | $158M | 2002 | $940M |
| Brewers | $223M | 2005 | $925M |
| Indians | $323M | 2000 | $920M |
| Reds | $270M | 2006 | $915M |
| Athletics | $180M | 2005 | $880M |
| Rays | $200M | 2004 | $825M |
* Source: Forbes
Baseball is here! And more importantly, that means the over/under game is back. It seems as though everyone is an expert this time of year. Somehow we convince ourselves that we are better at predicting baseball outcomes than everyone else. Well, AFITB is putting that to the test for the third year in a row. Think you know more about baseball than us? You probably do. But go ahead and prove it anyway.