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Jeffrey Loria may try to paint the Miami Marlins as a money drain, but he’s certainly getting a big ol’ bang for his investment buck. According to new Forbes estimates out today, the Marlins are worth $520 million. That’s only 26th in the league, but significantly up from the $360 million the team was worth just two years ago.
See also:
– The Screwball Economics of Major League Baseball
– Six Lies About the Marlins Stadium
Forbes estimates the team brought in $195 million in revenue last year, but that their net operating income was in the negative by $7.1 million. That would be the third-lowest operating income in the league, behind only the Angels of Anaheim and Texas Rangers.
Forbes estimated that the team was worth $450 million in 2012, and $360 million in 2011.
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In 2009, Forbes estimated the team was worth just $277 million. At the time that was the lowest valuation in baseball.
Owner Jeffrey Loria bought the Marlins in 2002 for just $158.5 million (which included a hefty no-interest loan form the MLB).
So if Loria were to sell the Marlins today for the Forbes estimate of $520 million, he’d be walking away with about $360 million. Oddly, that’s just a little less than the City of Miami and Miami-Dade county originally shelled out to build him that new park.
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