While players and coaches are vital to a team’s success, the owner is arguably the most important person in the organization. An owner with the necessary level of commitment can provide a foundation that enables the front office to build a winner.<\/p>\n
Since acquiring the Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a> in 2012, Guggenheim Baseball Management, led by chairman Mark Walter, has brought the franchise out of financial instability and transformed the team into a perennial championship contender.<\/p>\n Under the Guggenheim ownership group, the Dodgers have been aggressive in free agency, adding such marquee players as Kyle Tucker<\/a> (2026), Edwin Diaz<\/a> (2026), Blake Snell<\/a> (2025), Shohei Ohtani<\/a> (2024), Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> (2024), Freddie Freeman<\/a> (2022), Max Muncy<\/a> (2018) and Zack Greinke<\/a> (2013). The team also acquired 2018 AL MVP Mookie Betts<\/a> in a blockbuster trade in 2020.<\/p>\n Guggenheim’s willingness to spare no expense has awakened a sleeping giant in Los Angeles and delivered the city three World Series championships (2020, 2024 and 2025), restoring the glory the Dodgers hadn’t experienced since 1988.<\/p>\n Take a look at the principal owner(s) for all 30 MLB teams below:<\/p>\n Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a>: Ken Kendrick<\/p>\n Kendrick accumulated his fortune as the founder of software development company Datatel Inc. He then used it to become part owner of the Diamondbacks when the team was founded as an expansion franchise in 1995. He has been the club’s principal owner and managing general partner since purchasing it for $238 million in 2004, three years after the team won its lone World Series. Kendrick leads the ownership group<\/a>, with Mike Chipman and Jeff Royer also serving as general partners.<\/p>\n Athletics<\/a>: John Fisher<\/p>\n Fisher has served as the controlling owner of the Athletics since 2005. A son of clothing retailer Gap Inc. founders<\/a> Donald and Doris Fisher, John Fisher has overseen the team’s well-known low-payroll strategy and its relocation process from West Sacramento, California, to Las Vegas, which is expected to be completed<\/a> by 2028.<\/p>\n Atlanta Braves<\/a>: Atlanta Braves Holdings Inc.<\/p>\n Since 2007, the Braves have been owned by Atlanta Braves Holdings Inc., a publicly traded company that was originally part of Liberty Media. Terry McGuirk, who spent 35 years at Turner Broadcasting System, serves as Atlanta Braves Holdings chairman and CEO<\/a>. McGuirk oversaw the club’s move to a new ballpark in 2017 and its win over the Houston Astros<\/a> in the 2021 World Series. The Braves are one of only two MLB teams under corporate\/public ownership. The other is the Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>.<\/p>\n Baltimore Orioles<\/a>: David Rubenstein<\/p>\n Rubenstein became the principal owner of the Orioles after acquiring the team for $1.725 billion<\/a> in a deal finalized in March 2024. A Baltimore native and co-founder of the Carlyle Group, Rubenstein leads an investment group that purchased the franchise from the Angelos family, which had owned the team since 1993.<\/p>\n Boston Red Sox<\/a>: John Henry<\/p>\n Henry is the principal owner<\/a> of the Red Sox through Fenway Sports Group, a sports investment entity led by Henry and chairman Tom Werner. Henry has owned the team since 2002 and thus has overseen all four of the franchise’s World Series championships in the 21st century (2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018).<\/p>\n Chicago Cubs<\/a>: Ricketts family<\/p>\n The Cubs are owned by the Ricketts family<\/a>. Tom Ricketts serves as the chairman and public face of the ownership group. In 2016, the Ricketts family helped bring the first World Series title to the North Side of Chicago in 108 years.<\/p>\n Chicago White Sox<\/a>: Jerry Reinsdorf<\/p>\n Reinsdorf, who also owns the Chicago Bulls, has owned and chaired the White Sox since 1981. In June 2025, Reinsdorf and minority investor Justin Ishbia reached a long-term agreement<\/a> for Ishbia to acquire a controlling stake, with a transition of power possible between 2029 and 2034. In the meantime, Reinsdorf will continue to make day-to-day decisions. Ishbia is also part majority owner of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury.<\/p>\n Cincinnati Reds<\/a>: Phil Castellini<\/p>\n As of Feb. 12, Castellini is the principal owner<\/a> of the Reds, succeeding his father, Bob Castellini. Major League Baseball approved the ownership transfer following a two-year transition, with Phil also continuing in his role as president and CEO. Bob Castellini had owned the Reds since 2006.<\/p>\n Cleveland Guardians<\/a>: Dolan family<\/p>\n The Guardians are primarily owned by the Dolan family, with Paul Dolan serving as the chairman, CEO and controlling owner. The family has owned the team since 2000, with Paul taking over as the primary control person in 2013<\/a>. A group led by David Blitzer acquired a minority stake in 2022<\/a> and is set to become the primary owner in future years.<\/p>\n Colorado Rockies<\/a>: Dick Monfort and Charles Monfort<\/p>\n In 1992, Jerry McMorris, Oren Benton and Charles Monfort acquired all of the interests<\/a> previously owned by non-Coloradoans and assumed control of the team. Benton resigned in 1997 after filing for bankruptcy in 1997. McMorris sold his shares to Dick and Charles Monfort in 2005.<\/p>\n Detroit Tigers<\/a>: Christopher Ilitch<\/p>\n Ilitch has served as the Tigers’ principal owner, chairman and CEO since taking over from his father, the late Mike Ilitch, in 2017<\/a>. The Ilitch family has owned the franchise since 1992 through their company, Ilitch Holdings Inc. As president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings, Ilitch oversees a multibillion-dollar portfolio that includes the Tigers, Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars and MotorCity Casino Hotel.<\/p>\n Houston Astros<\/a>: Jim Crane<\/p>\n Crane has owned the Astros since purchasing the club from Drayton McLane for $680 million in November 2011<\/a>. As chairman and CEO of Crane Capital Group, he led an investment group that seized control of the franchise. Under his ownership, the Astros have won two World Series championships (2017 and 2022).<\/p>\n Kansas City Royals<\/a>: John Sherman<\/p>\n Sherman is the chairman, CEO and principal owner of the Royals. The businessman and philanthropist led the investment group<\/a> that purchased the team from David Glass in November 2019. The ownership group includes several local investors, including Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and “Modern Family” actor Eric Stonestreet<\/p>\n Los Angeles Angels<\/a>: Arte Moreno<\/p>\n Moreno, who built up and sold the billboard advertising giant Outdoor Systems to Infinity Broadcasting Corp. for more than $8 billion in 1999, has owned the Angels<\/a> since purchasing the franchise from The Walt Disney Company for $184 million in 2003. Though Moreno had explored selling the team in 2022, he announced the following year that he would retain ownership and continue operating the club.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Dodgers: Guggenheim Baseball Management<\/p>\n The Dodgers are owned by Guggenheim Baseball Management, a consortium led by Mark Walter, who serves as the controlling owner and chairman. The ownership group, which purchased the team in 2012 for $2 billion, also includes key members such as Basketball Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, movie producer Peter Guber and tennis icon Billie Jean King.<\/p>\n Miami Marlins<\/a>: Bruce Sherman<\/p>\n Sherman is the principal owner<\/a> and chairman of the Marlins. He has held this position since leading an investment group that purchased the franchise from Jeffrey Loria for $1.2 billion in October 2017. Sherman acquired his fortune by co-founding and leading wealth management firm Private Capital Management. The firm grew to hold over $30 billion in assets before Sherman sold it to Legg Mason for $1.4 billion in 2001.<\/p>\n Milwaukee Brewers<\/a>: Mark Attanasio<\/p>\n The Brewers are primarily owned<\/a> by Mark Attanasio, who purchased the franchise from former MLB commissioner Bud Selig’s family for $223 million in 2005. Attanasio, who is also the majority shareholder of Norwich City, leads the investment group that has controlled the team for more than two decades. In 2021, two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the ownership group as a minority investor.<\/p>\n Minnesota Twins<\/a>: Pohlad family<\/p>\n The Twins are primarily owned by the Pohlad family, which has held the team since Carl Pohlad purchased it in 1984. Following an exploration to sell the club that concluded in August 2025, the family decided to retain majority control. Chairman Tom Pohlad, a grandson of Carl Pohlad, was named<\/a> the franchise’s controlling owner in December 2025. Carl, who built a banking empire across the Midwest, died in 2009.<\/p>\n New York Mets<\/a>: Steve Cohen and Alex Cohen<\/p>\n Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen is the principal owner, chairman and CEO of the Mets, having purchased the team<\/a> for $2.4 billion in November 2020. As the majority owner (along with his wife, Alex Cohen) with a 95% stake and an estimated net worth of more than $20 billion, Cohen is considered the wealthiest owner in baseball.<\/p>\n New York Yankees<\/a>: Yankee Global Enterprises<\/p>\n The late George Steinbrenner was one of the most famous, influential and controversial owners in professional sports during his time at the helm of the Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. His franchise is now owned by Yankee Global Enterprises<\/a>, an LLC controlled by the Steinbrenner family. George’s son Hal Steinbrenner now runs the team as chairman and managing general partner. The Yankees have won seven of their record 27 World Series titles under the Steinbrenner family, including three straight from 1998 to 2000.<\/p>\n Philadelphia Phillies<\/a>: John Middleton<\/p>\n Middleton, who earned his fortune through the family business, tobacco, is now the principal owner, managing partner and CEO after first purchasing a minority stake in the club in 1994. He became the controlling owner in 2016, overseeing the team’s business and baseball operations, including major personnel decisions and payroll investments. The Phillies reached the World Series under Middleton in 2022 before losing to the Astros in six games.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh Pirates<\/a>: Robert Nutting<\/p>\n Nutting is the president and CEO of his family’s business, Ogden Newspapers. The Wheeling, West Virginia, native has been the principal owner and chairman of the Pirates since January 2007<\/a>, when he took over controlling interest from the team’s previous owner, Kevin McClatchy.<\/p>\n San Diego Padres<\/a>: John Seidler<\/p>\n The Padres could change ownership in the near future after the club’s owners announced in November 2025 that they were exploring a sale<\/a>. The team is primarily owned by the estate of the late Peter Seidler, with brother John Seidler serving as chairman and controlling partner following Peter’s death in November 2023. The Seidler family has been a part of the Padres ownership group since 2012.<\/p>\n San Francisco Giants<\/a>: Charles and Greg Johnson<\/p>\n The Giants are owned by a consortium of investors, with Greg Johnson serving as the chairman and controlling partner<\/a>. The largest individual shareholder is Greg’s father, Charles Johnson, the former longtime CEO of Franklin Templeton Investments. The ownership group features more than 30 partners, including former Giants catcher Buster Posey. The three-time World Series champion is also the team’s president of baseball operations.<\/p>\n Seattle Mariners<\/a>: John Stanton<\/p>\n The Mariners are primarily owned by First Avenue Entertainment LLLP, a partnership led by Stanton, who is the chairman and managing partner. Stanton served as CEO and chairman of VoiceStream Wireless, which later became T-Mobile US Inc. following a $50.7 billion sale to Deutsche Telekom in 2001. Stanton took over<\/a> as CEO and controlling owner of the Mariners in 2016, when Nintendo of America sold the majority of its stake. Nintendo still owns a 10% stake in the team.<\/p>\n St. Louis Cardinals<\/a>: William DeWitt Jr.<\/p>\n The Cardinals are primarily owned by an investment group led by chairman and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr., who purchased the team<\/a> from Anheuser-Busch in 1996. The DeWitt family holds the controlling interest, with Bill DeWitt III serving as team president. DeWitt Jr. is a St. Louis native whose father began his career with the Cardinals in 1916, working in a variety of executive roles before becoming the owner of the St. Louis Browns and then the Cincinnati Reds. DeWitt Jr. has also been part owner of the Reds, Orioles and Rangers.<\/p>\n Tampa Bay Rays<\/a>: Patrick Zalupski<\/p>\n As of September 2025<\/a>, the Rays are owned by an investment group led by Patrick Zalupski. The Florida-based real estate developer serves as the club’s managing partner and co-chair. The group includes co-chair Bill Cosgrove and CEO Ken Babby.<\/p>\n Texas Rangers<\/a>: Rangers Baseball Express<\/p>\n The 2023 World Series champion Rangers are primarily owned by Rangers Baseball Express, a group that purchased the team in 2010<\/a>. Ray Davis serves as the majority owner<\/a> and managing partner. Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham acquired a minority stake<\/a> in the club in February 2026.<\/p>\n Toronto Blue Jays<\/a>: Rogers Communications<\/p>\n Canadian media and telecommunications conglomerate Rogers Communications Inc. wholly owns the Blue Jays, holding controlling interest since September 2000 and full ownership since 2004<\/a>. Rogers also owns the team’s stadium, Rogers Centre.<\/p>\n Washington Nationals<\/a>: Mark Lerner<\/p>\n The Nationals are owned by the Lerner family, led by<\/a> managing principal owner Mark Lerner. The family has controlled the franchise since purchasing it from MLB for $450 million in July 2006. Despite exploring a potential sale in 2022, the Lerners confirmed in early 2024<\/a> that they are keeping the team. The Nationals won their first and only World Series championship in 2019 under the Lerners.<\/p>\n Check out the ESPN MLB hub page<\/a> for the latest news, analysis, scores<\/a>, stats<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n Copyright \u00a9 2026 ESPN Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While players and coaches are vital to a team’s success, the owner is arguably the most important person…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2391],"tags":[77640,22,537,3890,46,47,5,48,24,49,50,51,52,53,649,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,4,3226,61,62,25,64,18,66,65,77639,67,68,69,70,71],"class_list":{"0":"post-594863","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-athletics","8":"tag-77640","9":"tag-arizona-diamondbacks","10":"tag-athletics","11":"tag-athletics-athletics","12":"tag-atlanta-braves","13":"tag-baltimore-orioles","14":"tag-baseball","15":"tag-boston-red-sox","16":"tag-chicago-cubs","17":"tag-chicago-white-sox","18":"tag-cincinnati-reds","19":"tag-cleveland-guardians","20":"tag-colorado-rockies","21":"tag-detroit-tigers","22":"tag-espn","23":"tag-houston-astros","24":"tag-kansas-city-royals","25":"tag-los-angeles-angels","26":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","27":"tag-miami-marlins","28":"tag-milwaukee-brewers","29":"tag-minnesota-twins","30":"tag-mlb","31":"tag-mlb-athletics","32":"tag-new-york-mets","33":"tag-new-york-yankees","34":"tag-philadelphia-phillies","35":"tag-pittsburgh-pirates","36":"tag-san-diego-padres","37":"tag-san-francisco-giants","38":"tag-seattle-mariners","39":"tag-seo-explainer","40":"tag-st-louis-cardinals","41":"tag-tampa-bay-rays","42":"tag-texas-rangers","43":"tag-toronto-blue-jays","44":"tag-washington-nationals"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}