Red Sox valued by Forbes at $1.5B, third highest in MLB

Forbes magazine's annual ranking of Major League teams' worth places the Red Sox in third at $1.5 billion, up from $1.3 million billion a year ago. The Yankees hold the top spot for the 17th consecutive season, valued at $2.5 billion. The Dodgers, who this year replaced the Yankees with the highest payroll in baseball, are second at $2 billion. That's a 24 percent increase over last year and matches the price the current owners paid for the team in 2012. The top four teams remain in the same order as as last year. Behind the Red Sox are the Cubs ($1.2 billion), Giants ($1 billion) and Phillies ($975 million). The Rays, despite being a competitive team the last few years, are at the bottom of the rankings with a worth of $485 million. Just ahead of them are the Royals ($490 million), Athletics ($495 million) and Marlins ($500 million). The average team value rose 9 percent from last year to $811 million, primarily because of increased media rights fees.