Complaints are legion about the huge payrolls of the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets, but the owners of those teams care deeply about their products on the diamond. That can’t, however, be said of ownership of every MLB team.
Here are the worst owners in Major League Baseball, ranked in inverse order. Most of the issues with these teams start at the very top.
5. Arte Moreno | Los Angeles Angels
Unlike other owners on this list, Moreno cares about the product on the diamond. He is willing to spend big, with the Angels handing out lavish contracts to first baseman Albert Pujols, third baseman Anthony Rendon and a 12-year, $426.5M extension to outfielder Mike Trout. But none of those moves have worked out.
Meanwhile, the Angels have not been to the postseason since 2014, the longest streak in the majors, and have not reached .500 in that time. Unfortunately for Angels fans, prospects are fast-tracked to the majors because of an inadequate developmental system. Moreno wants to win but gets in the way of success.
4. Stuart Sternberg | Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays are a scrappy underdog, finding a way to contend since 2008 despite a limited budget. Tampa Bay has consistently exceeded expectations by using an impressive developmental system and by making shrewd trades.
However, a low payroll and a refusal to spend big are conscious choices for Sternberg. The Rays reportedly received approximately $60M in revenue sharing in 2024. Meanwhile, the Rays’ total payroll was just over $89M, 28th in the majors. Plus, the Rays do not have a home after 2028 and their new stadium deal is dead, leading to pressure on Steinberg to sell the team.
3. Colorado Rockies | Dick and Charles Monfort
The Rockies seem to exist in a perpetual state of denial, believing they can contend for the playoffs virtually every year. But Colorado doesn’t have the talent to compete in a division that includes four other teams that are usually playoff contenders.
After allowing GM Jeff Bridich to step down early in the 2021 season, following months of turbulence, the Rockies simply promoted from within, putting Bill Schmidt in the role. Meanwhile, in 2022, the team named Sterling Monfort, Dick Monfort’s son, pro scouting director despite his lack of extensive qualifications for the role.
Colorado has intriguing players, namely shortstop Ezequiel Tovar and outfielder Brenton Doyle, but its overall talent falls far short. That problem lands squarely on the Monforts.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates | Bob Nutting
The Rays refuse to spend big money, but they at least recognize the importance of a strong front office. The same cannot be said of the Pirates, who haven’t had a winning season since 2018 or made the postseason since 2015. Blame falls squarely on the team’s cheap owner.
When general manager Ben Cherington asked for more money to supplement a talented young core, Nutting reportedly said any funds must come from the baseball operations budget.
Early this season, the Pirates are a public relations nightmare. The team had legendary Pittsburgh outfielder Roberto Clemente’s No. 21 sign removed from the right-field wall before public backlash led to its return. Plus, the team had commemorative bricks at its ballpark, purchased 25 years ago by fans, removed, leading to another outcry. Meanwhile, cries by Pirates fans (and others) for Nutting to sell the team are commonplace.
1. Athletics | Jeff Fisher
Fisher has crippled a once-proud franchise and crushed the hopes of a once-devoted fan base. He gutted the roster, ordering the front office to trade anyone making a more-than-respectable salary. The A’s eliminated popular promotions and doubled ticket prices. Fisher blamed the fans for the move from Oakland and then issued an insincere apology to A’s faithful.
The A’s now play in Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, the home of the San Francisco Giants Triple-A team. That move is supposed to be temporary as the A’s plan to move to Las Vegas, although the residents there appear to have little interest in the team. Construction of the new stadium there is expected to begin in June, but the A’s continued missteps make any time frame questionable.
In the offseason, ownership finally spent big money, but for many Athletics fans it was too little and too late.
