Forbes Magazine calculates the Yankees (unsurprisingly) as the most valuable franchise in baseball, worth an estimated $1.85 billion. The second-place team on the list are (somewhat surprisingly) the Dodgers at $1.4 billion, up nearly 75% in value from last year as Forbes predicts the team's forthcoming sale and new TV contract will return it to top-tier status. The Forbes list also reveals which teams lost value from last year and which didn't turn a profit in 2011, as well as looking at how cable TV deals are changing the economics of the game.
Some other news from around the majors…
- Yasmani Grandal is happy that Padres teammate and fellow catcher Nick Hundley received a contract extension but isn't worried that Hundley's deal impacts his own future with the club, reports Dan Hayes of the North County Times. "It doesn't matter if somebody got a deal or not. You never know what could happen," Grandal said. "They could get traded or you could get traded. I'm not only playing for one organization. I'm playing for the 29 others that are out there. That's one way I see it, and if it's not meant to be it's not meant to be. If I don't make it to the big leagues with this club I can make it with any other team."
- Hundley's reasonable contract could make him a strong trade candidate, opines Dave Cameron of Fangraphs, who the Padres could deal this summer if Grandal has a strong first half at Triple-A.
- Felix Hernandez says he is asked about his future with the Mariners in almost every interview, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, and joked he might hang a banner reading "I'm not going anywhere" over his locker.
- The Athletics are thus far very pleased with the four prospects (Tom Milone, Brad Peacock, A.J. Cole and Derek Norris) they received from the Nationals in the Gio Gonzalez trade, reports Jeff Fletcher for the Washington Times.
- Matthew Eddy of Baseball America recaps the week's minor league transactions.
- Vernon Wells thinks the Blue Jays could make "exceptions" to their policy of not offering contracts longer than five years, reports Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. Ironically, Wells' seven-year, $126MM deal with Toronto in 2006 is no doubt a major reason why the current Jays management team has adopted this policy.
- Some newly-hired bench bosses make FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal's annual list of managers on the hot seat, including Ozzie Guillen and Bobby Valentine.
Vernon wells is a funny guy.
No Vernon, you ruined it for everyone…
Yes, for me. But i think Jose un-ruined it
He hasn’t unruined it until he records five decent under-contract years.
3.8/5 would be good enough LOL
Well at least he’s over on the Angels now and he’s their burden. Good.
yep felix is ours none of u can have him!
After hanging the banner above his spring training locker, reporters begin assuming Felix demands trade to the Arizona Diamondbacks
His banner might say that, but his bumper sticker says “Hi, My name es Felix, and I’d be a 30 game winner with run support.”
Vernon Wells must of hit the clubs late at night to say something like that. As for King Felix, once the Mariners can resemble a .500 team at least there will always be that question.
They won’t be able to afford him in a couple of years. He will be traded before his contract is up.
The Mariners say he’s not going to be traded, the fans don’t want him traded, the man himself says he won’t be traded. My honest guess is that he will spend his career in Seattle like Edgar, unless Nintendo goes poor and lowballs him.
None of that means anything in the future. He’s not going to pass big money to take less from Seattle.
I’m not sure I understand why anyone is surprised by the value of the Dodgers. It makes perfect sense that they are second in value behind the Yankees. Just because the current owner is debt-ridden, and the owner for years before that was a clueless corporation, doesn’t mean that LA isn’t a huge media market.
dang.
Yeah, I’m not surprised by the Dodgers ranking where they do. I am surprised in the 750m gap between the two LA teams. Similar revenues, both consistently draw well over 3m fans…
Can’t say for sure, but not too many months ago Forbes was valuing the Dodgers at far less. McCourt unlocked a lot of value when he struck a deal with the bankruptcy court that allowed him to sell with less MLB oversight.
Odd comment by Grandal. Pretty sure you’re only playing for ONE organization, the Padres.