For better or worse, MLB owners play a massive role in determining the success of any given club. Not only are they responsible for footing the bill for everything, but virtually any big decision runs through them. Not only do they have to be willing to spend some money to win, but they have to make smart decisions as well, particularly when it comes to hiring personnel.
What makes owning an MLB team different than one of the other major North American sports is that it's the only league without a salary cap. Owners can theoretically spend however much money they want to field a team, and we've seen teams on both ends of the spectrum take advantage of that. It's no secret that payroll disparity is a major issue.
With that being said, how much of that is on the owners? Let's take a look at each of the 30 owners and figure out how cheap they actually are.
Every MLB owner’s net worth vs. how cheap they actually are
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AL East
Owner | Team | Net Worth | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
David Rubenstein | Baltimore Orioles | $4.7 billion | $175.0 million (17th) |
John Henry | Boston Red Sox | $5.7 billion | $244.7 million (8th) |
Hal Steinbrenner | New York Yankees | $1.6 billion | $317.2 million (3rd) |
Patrick Zalupski | Tampa Bay Rays | $1.6 billion | $98.5 million (28th) |
Rogers Communications | Toronto Blue Jays | $19.04 billion | $277.4 million (5th) |
The AL East features three of the 10 richest owners in the sport by net worth and yet, it's the fourth-richest owner, Hal Steinbrenner, who is outspending the field. New York Yankees fans aren't thrilled with Steinbrenner's spending, and I get it to an extent, but when taking his net worth into account and comparing it to the rest of the AL East, he probably deserves more of a break than he gets.
Baltimore Orioles fans were excited to see David Rubenstein, an owner with a net worth approaching $5 billion, buy the team, but Baltimore's payroll is in the bottom half of the league, and Rubenstein went out and said that he wished MLB had a salary cap. Orioles fans can only hope that he'll get over the fact that there's no cap (at least for now) and spend like one of the 10 richest owners in the sport should.
What'll really be interesting in this division is what the Tampa Bay Rays will do. Stuart Sternberg, one of the few owners with a net worth under $1 billion, is expected to sell the team to Patrick Zalupski, whose net worth is double Sternberg's. The Rays have always been able to win games with low payrolls, will they be willing to spend more under Zalupski? If so, watch out.
The Toronto Blue Jays, underratedly, have the second-richest ownership group in MLB. We haven't seen them land many big names with those deep pockets, but they've been in on virtually every high-end free agent in recent years, and just gave Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a $500 million extension. Don't be surprised to continue seeing the Jays in on high-end stars.
AL Central
Owner | Team | Net Worth | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
Jerry Reinsdorf | Chicago White Sox | $2.3 billion | $89.9 million (29th) |
Paul Dolan | Cleveland Guardians | $4.6 billion | $121.4 million (25th) |
Ilitch Family | Detroit Tigers | $3.9 billion | $170.3 million (18th) |
John Sherman | Kansas City Royals | $1.3 billion | $177.7 million (16th) |
Jim Pohlad | Minnesota Twins | $3.8 billion | $139.6 million (23rd) |
You wouldn't know it from how they operate, but Cleveland Guardians owner Paul Dolan has the highest net worth in the AL Central, and by a fairly wide margin. The Guardians have the sixth-lowest luxury tax payroll, and consistently trade away players before they make what they deem is too much money.
The owner who deserves applause from the AL Central is John Sherman of the Kansas City Royals. Despite the lowest net worth of the five AL Central owners, Sherman's Royals have the highest payroll in the division. With a centerpiece like Bobby Witt to build around for the next decade, hopefully, this trend continues.
AL West
Owner | Team | Net Worth | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
Jim Crane | Houston Astros | $2.4 billion | $247.4 million (7th) |
Arte Moreno | Los Angeles Angels | $4.9 billion | $220.6 million (12th) |
John Fisher | Athletics | $3.6 billion | $113.3 million (26th) |
John Stanton | Seattle Mariners | $2.4 billion | $187.5 million (15th) |
Ray Davis | Texas Rangers | $3.8 billion | $236.7 million (10th) |
John Fisher doesn't get anyone's sympathy for his refusal to spend money on the Athletics payroll, and this is the biggest reason why. He's got plenty of money, as evidenced by his $3.6 billion net worth, yet his Athletics have a bottom-five payroll. His net worth is similar to Ray Davis of the Texas Rangers, yet his team's payroll is over $100 million below Texas'. His net worth is over $1 billion higher than Jim Crane's yet the Houston Astros have a top-seven payroll.
Arte Moreno is another owner who deserves no sympathy. Not only has he made head-scratching decisions, but he also doesn't spend as much as he should as one of MLB's richest owners. Yes, the Los Angeles Angels' payroll is in the upper half of the league, but Moreno has consistently refused to go into the luxury tax. With his organization's inability to develop, Moreno's reluctance to spend big is why the Angels are where they are as a franchise.
NL East
Owner | Team | Net Worth | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc. | Atlanta Braves | $2.5 billion | $238.7 million (9th) |
Bruce Sherman | Miami Marlins | $500 million | $85 million (30th) |
Steve Cohen | New York Mets | $23 billion | $340.7 million (2nd) |
John Middleton | Philadelphia Phillies | $4.3 billion | $308.1 million (4th) |
Lerner Family | Washington Nationals | $6.4 billion | $135.4 million (24th) |
The New York Mets have the richest owner in the sport, and they spend like it. Steve Cohen is not shy when it comes to spending money, and for that reason alone, the Mets should be competitive for a long time.
An ownership group that deserves to be ridiculed is the Lerner Family. They've been willing to spend in the past, and spent a ton when the Washington Nationals won the World Series in 2019, but lately, they've refrained from spending much money. Refusing to spend around their young core is partially why they've struggled to get out of their rebuild.
Miami Marlins fans are constantly frustrated by Bruce Sherman's refusal to spend, and understandably so, but he is also the second-poorest owner in the sport, so at least it makes some sense. All Marlins fans can really do is hope he sells the team sooner rather than later.
NL Central
Owner | Team | Net Worth | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
Tom Ricketts | Chicago Cubs | $2.3 billion | $226.7 million (11th) |
Bob Castellini | Cincinnati Reds | $400 million | $140.8 million (22nd) |
Mark Attanasio | Milwaukee Brewers | $1.9 billion | $141.5 million (21st) |
Bob Nutting | Pittsburgh Pirates | $1.1 billion | $105.3 million (27th) |
Bill DeWitt Jr. | St. Louis Cardinals | $4 billion | $155.1 million (19th) |
Pittsburgh Pirates fans want Bob Nutting to sell the team, and it isn't hard to see why. Nutting has consistently run bottom-five payrolls, and with a net worth barely over $1 billion, it's hard to envision that changing anytime soon. Nutting shouldn't be expected to spend on Juan Soto-types, but why can't he ever make a big move? Considering Nutting's history, the odds of a Paul Skenes extension ever happening are practically zero. Will he sell the team before then? Pirates fans can only hope.
Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini is a prime example of why Pirates fans are so sick of Nutting. Yes, Nutting doesn't own a team in the biggest market, and he doesn't have the most money, but Castellini is the poorest owner in the league. There's no reason for the Reds to have a higher payroll than the Pirates, but that's the reality we live in.
Another owner worth bashing is Bill DeWitt Jr. of the St. Louis Cardinals. DeWitt is among the richest owners in the league, yet St. Louis ranks in the bottom half of payroll. Had the Cardinals spent anything this past offseason, perhaps they'd be in the playoff race.
NL West
Owner | Team | Net Worth | Luxury Tax Payroll (MLB Rank) |
|---|---|---|---|
Ken Kendrick | Arizona Diamondbacks | $1.2 billion | $213.1 million (14th) |
Dick Monfort | Colorado Rockies | $700 million | $144.2 million (20th) |
Mark Walter | Los Angeles Dodgers | $7.3 billion | $416.2 million (1st) |
Seidler Family | San Diego Padres | $3 billion | $271 million (6th) |
Charles Johnson | San Francisco Giants | $5.5 billion | $215 million (13th) |
Mark Walter is the second-richest owner in the league and spends like it. His Los Angeles Dodgers have the highest payroll in the sport, and by a wide margin. There are many reasons why the Dodgers have been arguably the most successful MLB team in the last decade, and their willingness to spend is certainly one of them.
An owner worth highlighting in the NL West is Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort. He's one of MLB's poorest owners, but makes an effort to spend some money. With that being said, a huge reason why the Rockies are doing so poorly is that the money they've spent has been spent horribly. Until Monfort makes better decisions, it's hard to envision things changing so much in Denver.