Determining the least favorable Major League Baseball (MLB) owner is a matter of looking at both their puzzling choices and tendencies to slash budgets. Fans have been voicing concerns about the future of the sport, intensified by the Los Angeles Dodgers’ unparalleled spending. However, a significantly larger issue appears to be owners who favor financial gains over team success. A pattern emerges among the less admirable owners – they tend to optimize their profits even if it undermines the performance on the field.
The Boston Red Sox, traditionally, should be a powerhouse in terms of spending, comfortably competing with the likes of the Philadelphia Phillies, and being not too far off from the New York Yankees. However, they have deviated from this path, a move that has negatively affected the team. Busy times are predicted for the Red Sox in 2025, but disappointingly, they’re expected to be on the outskirts of the list of the 12 highest payroll teams.
Finishing their second consecutive year not in the top 10 for payroll expenditure, the Boston Red Sox have not fared well. Consistently, the team has struggled to claim favorable spots in AL East standings, ending last two years continually and three times in the past four seasons. Inversely, their supporters have seen a sharp rise in ticket prices, indicating a shift in priorities from performance to profit.
Astoundingly, the Red Sox have the capacity to go after valuable free agents every winter, but the deals rarely see the light of day. A substantial reason could be the organization’s focus on increasing revenue, sidelining the need to solidify their squad. The ‘poorest’ owners in baseball can be a hindrance, and it seems the Boston Red Sox are a part of this unfortunate club.
Another noteworthy instance of frugality is the management of the Miami Marlins, where budgets have been scathingly reduced wherever possible. Their justification for the lowest payroll in baseball during the 2025 season rests on the team’s ongoing construction phase. Yet, this excuse falls flat when considering they’ve been in the bottom six spenders for five of the prior six seasons.
The franchise’s lack of investment in team improvement led to the departure of their general manager post the 2023 season. The narrative of the Tampa Bay Rays is polarized. On one hand, they’ve been the uplifting tale of a consistently competitive team despite working with a modest budget. On the other hand, it seems that they are content with just being potential contenders.
Since 2014, the Rays’ payroll has managed to surpass the $80 million mark on only two occasions. Considering the substantial aid that the team gets from league revenue sharing, their lackluster turnout at stadiums shouldn’t be an excuse for their minimal spending. These fiscal constraints seem to have taken a toll on the ambitions of the Rays.
Arturo Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels, despite some questionable decisions, shows a commitment towards putting together a competitive team. The 2025 payroll for the Angels compares closely with the Boston Red Sox. In fact, the club has performed moderately on the spending front, ranked 14th in 2024, eighth in 2023, and ninth in 2022.
However, there is more to the story, as the Angels have not demonstrated the strongest acumen in team management. Numerous instances reveal a lack of organized governance that spans well beyond the playing field. An important criterion for ranking the underperforming MLB owners is their eagerness to invest in the organization proportional to their financial capabilities.
In situations where fans have aired their dissatisfaction about the dwindling investments in the team, the club’s president has shown a dismissive attitude. Further exacerbating the situation, when attendance seemed to fall, the club simply suggested they could look elsewhere. Interestingly, the organization also decided to hike the prices for the 2024 season tickets after failing to make the playoffs nine out of the last ten seasons.
After their National League win in 2007, the Colorado Rockies appear to be content with their achievements. Their performance has been uninspiring with only two playoff appearances post-2010 and they’re currently experiencing a six-year stretch of under-.470 win percentages which includes two back-to-back 100-loss seasons. Given their lackluster performance, one would assume their farm system would be flourishing, yet disappointment persists there too.
This subpar state of affairs can be attributed to certain hands-on decisions of the owner, whose insistence on participating in the baseball operations has led to poor decisions. Evidently, the owner’s continued support to ineffective management poses a significant problem. This is made worse by an evident lack of support from within the franchise; his vision does not seem to align with the outcomes on the field.
Despite inheriting a considerable fortune, he has inevitably steered the franchise into disaster. His motives over the past several years seem solely focused on relocating the team away from the Bay Area. It does not bode well for a team if the actions of an owner are driven by such singular and potentially damaging motivations.
While the fact that the Athletics’ payroll in 2025 has seen an increase might seem encouraging at first, we know this wasn’t voluntary but mandated by the league. The decision to play in a minor-league ballpark is not only an embarrassment but also a choice. His owning the Athletics primarily benefits those who no longer need to communicate with him at board meetings.
A glaring example of an owner being tight-fisted comes from Pittsburgh Pirates. When their general manager sought extra funds to bolster the roster, he was told that he would have to dive into the team’s baseball operations budget. In other words, any improvement to the roster should come at the cost of either scouting or player development, or it might even result in layoffs.
The owner’s refusal to increase spending was so persistent that the team let go of a player just as he was about to secure a bonus, while only having $86 million payroll. He reassured fans in 2024 about an increase in spending on the squad, contradicting his private instructions to the club officials. The team’s future could be bright with valuable, young talents tied down to long-term contracts, but the owner’s reluctance to spend reveals a glimpse of larger concerns. The issue isn’t only the Dodgers’ spending habits, but owners with such attitudes.