Forbes: Yankees Still MLB's Most Valuable Team; Mets At No. 6
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The streak is alive!
The Yankees are still kings of Forbes' annual list of the most valuable teams in baseball. The Bombers, worth an estimated $2.3 billion, took home the No. 1 spot for the 16th straight year.
The franchise's value rose 24 percent, according to Forbes.
"The Yankees sold some of their interest in the YES Network as part of Fox's purchase of 49% of the regional sport network in late 2012 and as part of the deal the team's rights fee from YES will increase from $85 million this season to $350 million in 2042," Forbes reported.
The YES transaction and a report in the New York Daily News last year fueled speculation that the Steinbrenner family could be angling to eventually sell the franchise.
"(There have been) no thoughts at all about selling the Yankees," managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner told WFAN radio on Tuesday. "There have been no discussions with anybody about selling the Yankees. It's been different sources every time, it seems like, but it's always the same story and it's always inaccurate."
"We are committed as a family to be in this long-term," he added. "We enjoy this, this is why we're all involved — all of my siblings. And we're going to continue, every year, to field a championship-caliber team. I want the fans to understand that commitment will always be in place, because we know they expect it."
The Los Angeles Dodgers were second on Forbes' list at $1.615 billion. The Boston Red Sox ($1.312 billion), Chicago Cubs ($1 billion) and Philadelphia Phillies ($893 million) rounded out the top five.
The Mets ($811 million) came in at No. 6 for the second straight year, rising 13 percent in value.
"In late 2012, SportsNet New York, the regional sports network 65% owned by the Mets, refinanced $450 million of debt, providing the cash-strapped team with some badly needed breathing room," Forbes reported.
The average value of an MLB franchise jumped 23 percent to $744 million, according to Forbes.
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