The Marlins are the least valuable franchise in MLB, Forbes reports

Franchise values are up across MLB for all but one team: the Miami Marlins.

Forbes published its annual list of franchise valuations Wednesday, and the teams at the top and bottom are unsurprising. The New York Yankees are the most valuable Major League franchise, up 15 percent in value from a year ago to $4.6 billion, while the Marlins round out the list at No. 30 at $1 billion, just behind the Tampa Bay Rays valuation of $1.01 billion.

Miami (3-9) is also the only team not to increase in value from a year ago. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers are each up 1 percent from 2018, while every other team has increased multiple percentage points. The Marlins are also one of only three teams with a negative operating income. Joined by the Toronto Blue Jays and the Baltimore Orioles, Miami brings up the rear in this category, running at a $22 million loss.

The Marlins, however, are only second to last in revenue. Their $224 million edges out the Oakland Athletics’ $218 million.

Miami has the second-lowest payroll in the majors this year at $72.5 million, about $12 million more than the Rays and about $1 million less than the Orioles.

The Marlins’ attendance numbers, however, sit well behind anyone else through the opening weeks of the 2019 season. Miami heads back to Marlins Park on Friday after it wraps up a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds at 12:35 p.m. on Thursday as the only team averaging fewer than 10,000 fans per game. After announcing an attendance of 25,423 on Opening Day, Miami didn’t crack 8,000 in any of the other six games on their season-opening homestand and is averaging 9,576.

For comparison, the Reds (3-8) have the second-worst attendance numbers at the National League, averaging 16,521 entering Thursday.

This story was originally published April 11, 2019 at 12:23 PM.