World Series pits third, 15th most valuable MLB teams

In the 2013 World Series that kicked off last night, the third and 15th most valuable Major League Baseball teams are going head-to-head.

According to a Bloomberg analysis of MLB franchise valuations, the St. Louis Cardinals checked in at No. 15 with a value of $805 million. The Boston Red Sox are pinned at $2.06 billion, just behind the Los Angeles Dodgers and the head-and-shoulders leader, New York Yankees.

The Cards' cross-state rival Kansas City Royals are not dead last in the league. That goes to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Royals are No. 29, with a $540 million valuation – not bad considering the team tied for the 12th most wins in MLB this year.

Under baseball’s collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players, revenue from large-market teams, such as the Yankees and Red Sox, is shared with smaller-region franchises like the Glass family-owned Kansas City Royals.

The Cardinals, owned principally by William DeWitt Jr., finished the season sixth in gate receipts ($105 million), eighth in concession revenues ($25 million) and ninth in sponsorships ($26 million), according to the report.

Here are the Top 5 teams:
1. New York Yankees, $3.28 billion
2. Los Angeles Dodgers, $2.1 billion
3. Boston Red Sox, $2.06 billion
4. New York Mets, $2.05 billion
5. Chicago Cubs, $1.32 billion

Read more from Bloomberg.