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Even as the landscape of Major League Baseball continues to change, some things remain constant, such as the New York Yankees remaining the league's richest franchise, according to Forbes.

Mike Ozanian of Forbes reports the Yankees are at the top of the heap for the 17th straight year with an overall value of $2.5 billion. That also makes the Yanks the most valuable team in American sports ahead of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys at $2.3 billion.

The Yankees are far from the only MLB team on the upswing, however, as the average team is now worth $811 million. That is a nine percent increase from just one year ago, per Ozanian.

Here is a closer look at where every MLB team stands in terms of valuation heading into the 2014 season.

Tier 1 Rank Team Current Value 1-Year Change Revenue Operating Income 1 New York Yankees $2.5 billion 9% $461 million -$9.1 million 2 Los Angeles Dodgers $2 billion 24% $293 million -$80.9 million 3 Boston Red Sox $1.5 billion 14% $357 million $25.3 million 4 Chicago Cubs $1.2 billion 20% $266 million $27.3 million 5 San Francisco Giants $1 billion 27% $316 million $53.3 million Forbes.com

Darren Rovell of ESPN also passed along each club's Opening Day payroll:

The top tier of MLB's most valuable franchises features five of the most famous organizations in the history of baseball. The Yankees may top them all, but the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants are all worth at least $1 billion as well.

Although the Yankees sold their controlling stake in YES Network to News Corporation, per Ozanian, their existing stake is a huge part of the organization's revenue.

The Dodgers bring in huge television revenue as well thanks to a deal with Time Warner Cable. While L.A. still trails New York by $500 million in terms of overall value, the Dodgers now have the highest payroll in baseball, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com) and are considered the favorite to win the 2014 World Series.

Tier 2 Rank Team Current Value 1-Year Change Revenue Operating Income 6 Philadelphia Phillies $975 million 9% $265 million -$20.9 million 7 Texas Rangers $825 million 8% $257 million -$4.9 million 8 St. Louis Cardinals $820 million 15% $283 million $65.2 million 9 New York Mets $800 million -1% $238 million $1.6 million 10 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim $775 million 8% $253 million $5.8 million Forbes.com

The following tier contains some marquee clubs as well, including World Series contenders such as the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals. Perhaps the most interesting organization in the group, though, is that of the New York Mets.

Despite the New York market, the Mets were one of just three organizations to drop in value over the past year, as they took a one percent hit. Ozanian blames the dip largely on the aftermath of the Bernie Madoff scandal as well as a precipitous drop in attendance.

Tier 3 Rank Team Current Value 1-Year Change Revenue Operating Income 11 Atlanta Braves $730 million 16% $253 million $38.4 million 12 Seattle Mariners $710 million 10% $210 million $5.3 million 13 Washington Nationals $700 million 11% $244 million $22.4 million 14 Chicago White Sox $695 million 0% $210 million -$2.7 million 15 Detroit Tigers $680 million 6% $262 million $7.5 million Forbes.com

The Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals and Detroit Tigers are three teams that figure to use their strong valuations toward on-field success in 2014. All of them could potentially challenge for a championship, but the Seattle Mariners are the talk of the third tier.

There is a great deal of hype surrounding the M's after the signing of superstar second baseman Robinson Cano this offseason, but they coupled that with a new $2.5 billion television deal, according to Ozanian. That means their continued growth should be sustainable.

Tier 4 Rank Team Current Value 1-Year Change Revenue Operating Income 16 Baltimore Orioles $620 million 0% $198 million $1.6 million 17 San Diego Padres $615 million 2% $207 million $33 million 18 Toronto Blue Jays $610 million 7% $218 million -$14.9 million 19 Minnesota Twins $605 million 5% $221 million $30.2 million 20 Cincinnati Reds $600 million 10% $209 million -$11.6 million Forbes.com

The next tier is occupied by many of the league's middling teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto went for the gusto last season when it made big acquisitions such as shortstop Jose Reyes and pitchers Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey.

They didn't work out, as the Jays finished last in the American League East, and all MLB's only Canadian team has to show for it is an operating income loss of $14.9 million.

Tier 5 Rank Team Current Value 1-Year Change Revenue Operating Income 21 Arizona Diamondbacks $585 million 0% $192 million -$5.8 million 22 Colorado Rockies $575 million 7% $197 million $13.7 million 23 Pittsburgh Pirates $572 million 19% $204 million $21.8 million 24 Cleveland Indians $570 million 2% $196 million -$1.9 million 25 Milwaukee Brewers $565 million 1% $197 million $6.8 million Forbes.com

Many blue-collar cities rest in the league's second-to-last tier, including a true comeback story in the form of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Bucs reached the playoffs last year for the first time since 1992, which sparked an organizational revival of sorts.

The Pirates experienced the fourth-largest change in valuation with an increase of 19 percent. Pittsburgh will have to continue to put a winning product on the field to bolster that number, but it is encouraging considering the fact that the Pirates were a moribund franchise previously.

Tier 6 Rank Team Current Value 1-Year Change Revenue Operating Income 26 Houston Astros $530 million -15% $186 million $55.9 million 27 Miami Marlins $500 million -4% $159 million -$8 million 28 Oakland Athletics $495 million 6% $187 million $27.4 million 29 Kansas City Royals $490 million 7% $178 million -$6.5 million 30 Tampa Bay Rays $485 million 8% $181 million $15.3 million Forbes.com

As expected, the bottom tier features many of the league's bottom feeders. That includes the Miami Marlins and Houston Astros, which both experienced a drop in value over the past year.

The Astros had the biggest drop with a 15 percent loss, which had much to do with Comcast SportsNet Houston filing for bankruptcy, according to Ozanian.

A low value doesn't necessarily mean a poor record, though, as the Oakland Athletics have proven for more than a decade. General manager Billy Beane led the A's to their second consecutive AL West title in 2013, and they look to be playoff contenders once again in 2014.

While these valuations are great from a bottom-line perspective, they simply aren't accurate reflections of on-field success. The Yankees missed the playoffs last season, and while they could very well rebound after an offseason spending spree, there are no guarantees.

It can be argued that the Athletics have an equal or greater chance at winning the World Series when compared to the Yanks, and that is truly the beauty of baseball.

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