This past week, Sportico released its updated valuations for teams across all five major US sports leagues. This ranges from the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS. One might expect a baseball team to rank highly on that list.
More importantly, one might expect that a team like the Nationals, in a massive metro area, would rank highly on that list. We have some news for you, and it is not what you might expect.
Nationals rank middle of the pack among MLB franchises
Get the 🔎 out. Here's the latest @Sportico valuations for all 154 team in the big five U.S. leagues:
— Eben Novy-Williams (@novy_williams) February 10, 2026
🔴 @NFL - $7.13 billion average
🟠 @NBA - $5.51 billion average
🟢 @MLB - $2.82 billion average
⚫️ @NHL - $2.1 billion average
🔵 @MLS - $767 million average pic.twitter.com/sGhURoE4KK
The NFL and NBA dominate much of the top 75 most valuable American sports franchises. Outside of the Yankees and Dodgers, those two leagues own every valuation in the top 30.
When we get to the most expensive MLB franchises, the New York Yankees come up No. 1, ranking 9th overall at $8.39 Billion. The Dodgers are behind them at $7.73 Billion in 14th, and the Red Sox at $6.03 Billion in 33rd.
Where are the Nationals, you ask? They rank 86th among 154 American sports franchises by cost. The team is valued at $2.25 billion, making it the 15th most valuable MLB team. 15th may appear not so bad, but when checking other metrics, it is...
As per Statista, the DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) area is the 7th largest metro area in the United States. New York is No. 1, while Los Angeles is No. 2, and Chicago is No. 3. Despite being in a large metro and the sole MLB team to a large piece of its pie, the Nationals should be higher on this list.
Compared with all DMV franchises, the Nationals still disappoint. Here is how Sportico ranks all DMV-area Big Five teams:
- Commanders — 86th, 15th in NFL
- Wizards — 54th, 18th in NBA
- Capitals — 85th, 9th in NHL
- Nationals — 86th, 15th in MLB
- DC United — 136th, 11th in MLS
Why do the Nationals rank so low?
The trend clearly coincides with success, which the Nationals have not had a lot of since 2019. Obviously, with the team already shipping off pieces of the Juan Soto deal, the team is still not close to competing. The Commanders are moderately successful in the NFL and rank accordingly. The Wizards are not very good, and they are plummeting down the rankings.
On the contrary, the Capitals are one of the better recent NHL franchises, having won a Stanley Cup in recent history. They are the 9th most expensive team in the NHL, which has more competing Canadian markets. They even outrank the Nationals.
The valuation is something noteworthy for fans alike. As a team earns more revenue, its fans should benefit (the keyword is "should"). The team can build or renovate to create a better stadium, attract more sponsors, secure more top-tier vendors, sell more merchandise, and more. As we love the Nationals, success would make them even better. It is on us, the fans, to support the team, but ultimately, team success will bring more revenue. As many fans are "casuals," that is what it takes.
With new management in place in the front office under Paul Toboni, 2026 will provide a great preview of the next 5 years and beyond with regard to player development. Spring Training is just days away, so let's support this team.