As the season comes to a close, fans of every MLB team are facing a stark reality: This may be the last time they can watch their favorite team play for a full calendar year. Sure, there have been some small strides made towards avoiding a long work stoppage, but a lockout of some length is expected when the CBA expires later this year.
If the two sides are forced to cancel the 2027 season, then everyone gets an F. But we are operating under the assumption that there will be baseball next year. We've already graded highly-compensated players, managers and front office executives for their work this year. Thus, why not the men and women upstairs, as well? Even owners get a report card.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Ken Kendrick
- Grade: B-
The Diamondbacks have been willing to spend when absolutely necessary, and that is credit to Kendrick. Over the last three years, Arizona has ranked 14th, 13th and now 12th in payroll respectively. That includes high-profile additions like Eduardo Rodriguez and Corbin Burnes, who's hoping to make his September return shortly. Kendrick isn't all that involved in the day-to-day operations in Arizona, which is exactly how fans like it.
-Mark Powell, FanSided MLB director
Athletics: John Fisher
- Grade: F
Any other grade would be a slap in the face of the entire city of Oakland. Fisher squatted on a team that did more with less for years, then stripped it for parts and stuck it in Sacramento purgatory while trying to force Las Vegas to fund his brand new ballpark in the desert. He’ll almost certainly refuse to spend adequately there, too.
-Chris Landers, FanSided MLB editor
Atlanta Braves: Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc.
- Grade: B
The Braves are a publicly traded team, and stock prices have increased over the last few weeks since Stan Kroenke bought the Angels for a record price tag. Those stock prices could go right back down once the lockout starts. What this means for the Braves could be limited payroll once a new CBA is signed. Atlanta has ranked top-10 in payroll the last three seasons, and even rank sixth in 2026. Sure, Atlanta will never spent like New York or Los Angeles, but they compete for top-tier free agents every winter. That's all we can ask.
-MP
Baltimore Orioles: David Rubenstein
- Grade: C+
Paying Pete Alonso, however misguided it might prove to be as the Polar Bear ages into his mid-30s, was if nothing else a show of good faith that the Rubenstein era would be at least a little more competitive than the Angelos era that preceded it. But the jury is still largely out on the private equity titan; we’ll know a lot more when we see just how he handles Mike Elias after another disappointing season in Baltimore. Overall, though, he manages not to embarrass himself, he’s well-funded and he’s pledged to upgrading Camden Yards.
-CL
Boston Red Sox: John Henry
- Grade: B
All due respect to Red Sox fans who were demanding he sell the team earlier this year, but: Are you out of your minds? Look, I’m not going to argue that Henry is perfect. Does he hold the purse strings a little too tightly at times? Sure. Has he presided over a culture that seems to have gotten a bit weird and insular? You bet. But his track record since purchasing the team in 2001 speaks for itself, headlined by four World Series titles. This team consistently runs a top-10 payroll, and he’s shown the willingness to go much higher when warranted.
-CL
Chicago Cubs: Tom Ricketts
- Grade: C+
The Cubs payroll is a full $100 million short of the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. That should not happen, especially given the size of the Cubs brand and all Ricketts has done to transform Wrigleyville into a destination. Chicago's roster has some serious gaps, including in the rotation and bullpen, that could've been addressed if Jed Hoyer had the full support of ownership. That means extra cash flow. Instead the Ricketts were too busy adding more apartment complexes and overcharging tenants.
-MP
Chicago White Sox: Jerry Reinsdorf
- Grade: F
Reinsdorf has largely flown under the radar, whether it’s because the White Sox play second fiddle in Chicago to the Cubs or because his mismanagement of the Bulls grabs more headlines. But make no mistake: The way he runs his baseball team is equally craven, and the fact that he’s lucked into a promising young core with GM Chris Getz doesn’t do anything to change his long history of penny-pinching and scandalous behavior.
-CL
Cincinnati Reds: Bob Castellini
- Grade: D
Castellini is worth at least $400 million, so he certainly can't cry poor, but by MLB owner standards he can't really keep up. Owning an MLB franchise is a billionaire's game, and as a result Castellini's Reds never really compete with the top payrolls in baseball, even as a mid-market team. Cincinnati should try to extend Elly De La Cruz while they still can, though extension talks haven't gotten off the ground. If Castellini can't keep up financially, then he should sell the team and make a fortune.
-MP
Cleveland Guardians: Paul Dolan
- Grade: D
Dolan, like his relative and Knicks owner Jim, derives his multibillion-dollar fortune from the Cablevision empire built by his father Larry – and the sports teams it allowed him to acquire. And yet, despite all that wealth, Paul has run the Guardians on a shoestring budget, consistently refusing to do much of anything to supplement what is one of the better player development operations in the sport. Dolan deserves some credit for hiring smart executives, but it doesn’t much matter if he’s not willing to give them what they need to really compete.
-CL
Colorado Rockies: Dick Monfort
- Grade: C-
The Monforts could reportedly sell the Rockies pretty soon here, and it's tough to blame them given the return on investment former Angels owner Arte Moreno got. Rockies games are just another outdoor bar in Denver, which is why their attendance numbers remain relatively high despite a brutal on-field product. Colorado made some strides this season, but they're far away from becoming a winner. It's unclear if Monfort will be around to see that happen.
-MP
Detroit Tigers: Chris Ilitch
- Grade: D+
Really, you could argue that this grade is being too kind. Since taking over control of the team from his beloved father Mike back in 2017, Ilitch has shown very little appetite for that sort of aggressive investment in payroll — Javy Baez contract notwithstanding, and that turned out to be a disaster. Even if you want to argue that Tarik Skubal isn’t worth something north of $300 or $400 million, the fact that Detroit never even seemed to consider trying to lock him up for the long haul is galling.
-CL
Houston Astros: Jim Crane
- Grade: C+
Perhaps this seems harsh for a guy who presided over an American League dynasty for the better part of a decade. But how much credit does Crane deserve for that run, really? Those great Astros teams were built on the back of a homegrown core that he slowly but surely let walk when they came up for free agency, and his meddling in front office affairs has been pretty much uniformly disastrous. He’s not the cheapest owner on this list by a long shot, but his combination of ego and limited free agent spending will become more and more obvious the further Houston gets from its heyday.
-CL
Kansas City Royals: John Sherman
- Grade: B-
For as dysfunctional as the Royals have been on the field over the last couple of years, it’s hard to be too harsh on Sherman, who’s made a real effort to increase payroll in the AL’s smallest market since acquiring the team back in 2019. He earns brownie points for making Bobby Witt Jr. a Royal for life, if nothing else, although how he handles a second straight embarrassing season will be interesting to monitor.
-CL
Los Angeles Angels: Stan Kroenke
- Grade: B+
If we were grading on a curve, this would be an A++; that’s how wide the gap is between Kroenke and Arte Moreno. His management of the Nuggets, Rams and Arsenal has been more or less unobjectionable — not the most financially aggressive, but also willing to get out of the way and let smart people do their thing. After dealing with Moreno for over 20 years, that’s music to Angels fans’ ears.
-CL
Los Angeles Dodgers: Mark Walter
- Grade: B+
Yes, I know Walter is under investigation. No, I don't really care! Sure, what Walter may have done to buy the Dodgers — allegedly use other people's life insurance money to help build his capital — gives me the ick. But none of that is proven yet and he's still one of the richest owners in MLB. The Dodgers are the best-run organization in sports, and odds are Walter has a lot to do with that. He is the dream owner — assuming these probes eventually go away — in that he prefers to stay out of the spotlight but gives the Dodgers endless resources.
-MP
Miami Marlins: Bruce Sherman
- Grade: F
Sherman's grade isn't a reflection of the team he owns, which almost always outperforms the sum of its parts. I give the Marlins front office and player development staff — not to mention the actual players on the field — a ton of credit for how they perform with very little financial investment. Sherman is a billionaire, and could certainly afford to invest more in the team if he gave a damn. Sadly, he does not.
-MP
Milwaukee Brewers: Mark Attanasio
- Grade: C
On the one hand, Attanasio deserves some credit for putting the right people in charge of business and baseball operations. On the other, when baseball fans question the difference between a team like the Brewers and the behemoth that is the Dodgers, it's ownership. The answer is always ownership. Milwaukee's player development staff, scouting and front office can keep up with Los Angeles. What they cannot do is open Attanasio's wallet.
-MP
Minnesota Twins: Pohlad family
- Grade: D-
Somehow, some way, the Pohlads still own the Twins, much as fans in Minnesota wish it weren’t so. Yes, it’s not the biggest market, but their unwillingness to spend — and the financial purgatory they’ve left their front office and fan base trapped in amid consistent speculation about a sale — has hamstrung this franchise in recent years.
-CL
New York Mets: Steve Cohen
- Grade: B
Cohen is not afraid to spend. That alone is better than most MLB owners. He can even keep up with the Dodgers on that front. Cohen is also a lifelong Mets fan. He bleeds orange and blue, and actually cares about how his team performs beyond the bottom line. I love that about him. Yet, Cohen is further proof that money cannot buy you a World Series. The Mets will miss the playoffs again this season, and the future doesn't look much brighter.
-MP
New York Yankees: Hal Steinbrenner
- Grade: C+
That sound you hear is every WFAN line lighting up in unison, wondering how this grade could possibly be so high. And certainly, I’m not going to defend every decision that Steinbrenner’s made; he’s never as aggressive a spender as his position dictates he should be, and he at times shows a pretty open disdain for his own fan base. And yet, the numbers speak for themselves: 34 straight winning seasons, consistently one of if not the highest payroll in the sport and stability that, much as Yankee fans might wish for change, has its merits when you consider the turmoil that many other big-market teams find themselves embroiled in.
-CL
Philadelphia Phillies: John Middleton
- Grade: B+
We don't have much to knock on Middleton. The Phillies have a top-5 payroll almost every season. Middleton hired Dave Dombrowski, one of the most aggressive executives in baseball, and has backed him with capital every step of the way. The stadium's in pretty good shape, and Phillies fans generally like the guy.
-MP
Pittsburgh Pirates: Bob Nutting
- Grade: D
Could this grade be lower? Absolutely. But unlike most seasons, Nutting isn't the reason the Pirates could miss the playoffs in 2026. That falls on Ben Cherington, who Nutting hired in the first place and has empowered far too often. Cherington is in Year 7. Pittsburgh has never made the postseason under his leadership. Sure, Nutting opened his wallet some this past winter, but he's also leading the charge for a salary cap because he refuses to keep up with the top spenders in the game. It's not a good look.
-MP
San Diego Padres: José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones
- Grade: B
I am cautiously optimistic about the Padres new ownership group, headlined by Feliciano and Jones. Feliciano grew up a Dodgers fan (not great) but understands what the Padres mean to San Diego (good). There is only one Pete Seidler, but if Feliciano and Jones invest their time and money in this franchise like he did, then the Friars are in a good spot.
-MP
San Francisco Giants: Charles Johnson
- Grade: C-
I may not be a fan of Johnson's political leanings, but that's not why he's graded so poorly. Johnson gave Buster Posey the president of baseball operations job without any experience running a team. Posey has since made rash decisions, including trading for Rafael Devers and making Tony Vitello the manager, that haven't worked out. The Giants payroll ranks 13th in baseball, which won't compete with the likes of the Dodgers.
-MP
Seattle Mariners: John Stanton
- Grade: D
Even amid one of the most successful stretches in Mariners history, Stanton has refused to up the ante, instead sitting on his hands and forcing Jerry DiPoto to do more with less. There’s simply no excuse for it, considering the homegrown talent he’s had at his disposal of late and a success-starved fan base that keeps showing up to T-Mobile Park regardless. Hopefully it changes sooner rather than later.
-CL
St. Louis Cardinals: Bill DeWitt Jr.
- Grade: B
The Cardinals underwent a leadership transition this summer with DeWitt Jr. taking a step back while his son, Bill DeWitt III, takes on a greater role. The DeWitts have said all the right things since then, including the claim that the team is ahead of schedule and they have lofty goals for this group. That's great to hear. Now they need to back it up with cold, hard cash. Bloom is a rebuild artist, but he will spend money if it's given to him with a command. The Cardinals have a young core. Now they need to build around it.
-MP
Tampa Bay Rays: Patrick Zalupski
- Grade: B+
Of course, it’s hard to be too high on a guy who’s yet to pull his team’s payroll out of the gutter. But he just bought the team last fall, and he’s already managed to secure stadium financing that will keep the team in the Tampa area for the long haul. As unseemly as I find publicly funded ballparks, that’s great news for Rays fans who have had to deal with relocation rumors for far too long. With any luck, more spending will come.
-CL
Texas Rangers: Ray Davis
- Grade: D+
Sure, Davis did just help the Rangers capture their first World Series title just three years ago. But he’s done nothing but tighten the team’s belt since, raising questions about exactly how financially committed he remains. Texas has lost more than it’s won since he took over day-to-day duties from Nolan Ryan after the 2013 campaign, and as if all that weren’t enough, his refusal to bring Pride Night to Arlington is a real black eye.
-CL
Toronto Blue Jays: Edward Rogers
- Grade: A-
Rogers Communications has shown plenty of willingness to spend when given reason to, and they’ve done so without undue meddling in front office affairs. That’s a pretty ideal combination in an ownership group, which is part of the reason why the Jays have among the most dedicated fan bases in the sport.
-CL
Washington Nationals: The Lerner family
- Grade: C
Mark Lerner speaks for the Lerner family, which are principal owners of the Washington Nationals. The Nats are in the midst of a rebuild, which means their payroll is low. However, Lerner did say he expects to have a top-10 payroll once the team is ready to contend again. When that is is anyone's guess, and much of it will depend on whether Lerner put the right people in charge of baseball operations.
-MP
Add us as a preferred source on Google