The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A Comparison of Baseball Owners

There are 30 team owners in Major League Baseball (MLB), all of whom are multimillionaires. Even the least wealthy, Robert Castellini of the Cincinnati Reds, has a net worth of over $400 million. On the other hand, the richest—New York Mets owner Steve Cohen—is worth a whopping $21 billion. Their respective teams earn millions of dollars in revenue every season through TV rights, ticket/merchandise sales, advertising, and revenue sharing—the league’s way of maintaining financial parity. All teams have to give 48 percent of their annual income to a shared pool, which is then split evenly among all of them. This practice incentivizes owners to spend, since it gives them a source of guaranteed income and protects teams in smaller markets where attendance might be more sparse. 

Baseball is known as “America’s pastime,” and it’s enjoyed by millions every year.  It’s a source of casual entertainment, an opportunity to relax and spend quality time with friends or family, and a source of true passion; many fans are truly devoted and care deeply about their team’s success. Sadly, owners often ignore the investment of the fanbase, instead viewing the game as merely an investment, refusing to spend in order to protect their profit margin. Two of the most infamous are Bob Nutting of the Pittsburgh Pirates and John Fisher of the Oakland Athletics. 

Fisher is arguably the more egregious of the two. He acquired the Athletics (A’s) in 2005. Since then, the team has never been above-average in payroll, usually ranking within the bottom five. For example, currently in 2025, the A’s pay their players $55 million, whereas the average payroll is $157 million. This lack of financial commitment is in the face of Oakland’s constant success in the same time frame. The A’s made the playoffs seven times since 2005, going as far as the American League Championship Series in 2006. Instead of supplementing these talented rosters with outside talent, Fisher refused to spend money; the team was often forced to trade their stars for prospects and go through frequent rebuilds. The worst incident was the Josh Donaldson trade in 2014; the third baseman had come off a fantastic season before being moved to Toronto for unproven prospects. In 2015, the A’s cratered, losing 20 more games than they had the previous year and falling out of playoff contention. This angered the fans, who craved further success and a World Series win. Many refused to attend games, and Oakland’s viewership dropped to the basement. Since then, the A’s have averaged under 20,000 fans per game in a stadium with a maximum capacity of over 45,000. Consequently, Fisher threatened to move the team to Las Vegas. He was met with intense opposition from the fanbase and the Oakland municipal government; however, the move was officially announced in 2024. Ironically, the proposed Vegas stadium won’t be built for another few years; for the time being, the A’s play in a small minor league park in Sacramento. 

Nutting treated the Pirates similarly. His team consistently developed talent, starting with 2013 National League MVP Andrew McCutchen and culminating in the current superstar pitcher Paul Skenes. Nevertheless, the Pirates have had minimal success; in the 17 years since Nutting became the primary owner, the team has only won two playoff games and has never made it past the first round. They’ve been a consistently mediocre to awful team, and the issue has only been compounded by the lack of financial investment. The Pirates have never been more than the bottom-10 of team payrolls during Nutting’s reign. Even in 2025, when the team had over $150 million to spend—as well as Skenes, an absolute star on a cheap contract to build around—the Pirates stayed put. Instead, they chose to sign two washed-up veterans: Tommy Pham and Andrew Heaney. Now, they are at the bottom of the National League Central with a 21-36 record and seemingly no hope for improvement. 

On the other hand, there are good owners. The Guggenheim Group, a group of investors led by Todd Boehly and Magic Johnson, owns the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since they purchased the team in 2012, the Dodgers have made the playoffs 12 times and have been crowned champions twice. They have never had a losing record under the current ownership. In the same time frame, the Dodgers have always had a top payroll, frequently peaking in the top three. This consistent financial investment in the team has turned the Dodgers into an immensely popular powerhouse full of star power. The team won it all in 2024 and looks like a strong contender in 2025. 

While money isn’t the do-all, be-all solution to these problems, it certainly helps. It often leads to greater success and enthusiasm. However, what’s more important is the culture created. Fans grow attached to players and even stadiums, creating a community that transcends wins and losses. For culture’s sake, the future of baseball must be protected.