Worst Baseball Owners

Baseball’s a game of stats, strategy, and screaming fans—but sometimes, the folks signing the checks turn it into a twisted contest of “how low can we go?” Welcome to the rundown of the five worst owners in Major League Baseball (MLB) today, as of March 11, 2025. These MLB owners are the reigning champs of mismanagement, turning dugouts into disaster zones and fanbases into therapy groups. From the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Chicago White Sox, we’re diving into their antics with a smirk, a stat sheet, and a magnifying glass on their failures. No New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or Los Angeles Dodgers glory stories here—just pure ownership flops that make you wonder how these teams survive. Let’s rank these clowns and see why fans are begging for an offseason miracle—or a “sell the team” chant. Instead of wasting your time by ranking every MLB owner, we decided to stick to the bottom five.

1. John Fisher (Oakland Athletics): The Relocation Ruinator

John Fisher, heir to the Gap fortune, seems to think “athletics” means running an MLB team into the dirt. Since he purchased the team in 2005, this owner in baseball has treated Oakland like a cheap Airbnb he can’t wait to ditch. His payroll-slashing habits hit rock bottom in 2024 with a league-low $61 million—less than some teams spend on free agent relievers. Fisher’s grand plan? Relocate the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas, a move he’s botched so spectacularly that the team’s now squatting in a Sacramento minor-league park for 2025, with a measly 13,000 seats and no Major League Baseball team vibe. Attendance in 2024 plummeted to 6,589 per game—faster than a Miami Marlins playoff appearance vanishes—thanks to his reverse boycotts and stadium limbo.

Fisher’s pièce de résistance came when the MLBPA filed a grievance, forcing him to bump the 2025 payroll to $105 million because even the league couldn’t watch this penny-pinching horror show anymore. Compare that to the Yankees or Phillies, who spend big and stay relevant—this guy’s not even in the same galaxy. He’s the poster child for the 10 worst owners in MLB history, a principal owner who’d rather pocket revenue sharing than build a winning season. The A’s haven’t made the playoffs since 2020, and Fisher’s “stadium TBD” strategy is a masterclass in how to alienate a fanbase. Lesson: if your team’s future hinges on a maybe-Vegas pipe dream, don’t sell the furniture—or the soul—first.

2. Jerry Reinsdorf (Chicago White Sox): The Meddling Miser

Jerry Reinsdorf, the Chicago White Sox owner since 1981, proves at 89 that age doesn’t guarantee baseball smarts. This MLB owner’s so hands-on, he once rehired 76-year-old Tony La Russa as manager in 2020—because nothing screams “modern MLB” like a guy who last managed in 2011 and probably thinks analytics is a fancy word for batting average. The result? The White Sox’s 2024 season was a historic 41-121 catastrophe, the worst winning percentage (.253) since the 1916 A’s—no World Series title aspirations here. Reinsdorf’s loyalty to yes-men and refusal to splurge—2025 payroll’s a middling $135 million—has turned a once-proud American League franchise into the AL Central’s punching bag.

Insiders whisper he “thinks he knows everything,” but the standings say he’s batting .000. Compare him to Boston Red Sox owner John Henry, who’s chased multiple World Series trophies with a savvy front office—Reinsdorf’s stuck in 1985, meddling like he’s still chasing Michael Jordan’s Bulls glory. The White Sox haven’t sniffed the playoffs since 2021, and fans are left wondering why their owner’s more interested in nostalgia than a playoff team. His general manager hires flop, his baseball operations stagnate, and his legacy’s a cautionary tale: if your owner’s calling shots like it’s the Reagan era, don’t expect a 2025 contender—or even a wild card sniff.

3. Stuart Sternberg (Tampa Bay Rays): The Penny-Pinching Playoff Pal

Stuart Sternberg’s Tampa Bay Rays have made the playoffs six times since 2008, including a 2020 World Series run—pretty good for a mid-market team, right? Not so fast. He’s pulled it off with a payroll tighter than a toddler’s fist around a candy bar—2025’s $88 million is the third-lowest in MLB, thanks to revenue sharing propping up his cheapskate empire. Hurricane damage to Tropicana Field forced the Rays into a 11,026-seat minor-league park in St. Petersburg for 2025, yet Sternberg’s still dreaming of a $1.3 billion stadium he won’t fully fund—good luck with that in a market that’s not exactly Yankees or Dodgers territory.

Fans averaged 15,749 in 2024 despite a winning season, but imagine the ghost town when the Rays inevitably dip—no World Series championship repeat in sight. Sternberg’s a wizard at squeezing playoff appearances out of dimes, but his refusal to spend like a Padre or Ranger owner means no dynasty’s coming. He’s not as flashy a failure as Miami Marlins owner Bruce Sherman, who tanked with Derek Jeter’s help, but Sternberg’s tightwad tactics rank him among the worst owners in MLB today. Moral: you can sneak into October on a budget, but don’t expect fans—or a two World Series titles legacy—to stick around.

4. Arte Moreno (Los Angeles Angels): The Splashy Spendthrift

Arte Moreno, the Los Angeles Angels owner since 2003, loves a big splash—$206 million payroll projected for 2025, 11th in MLB—but his aim’s worse than a drunk Phillie at a dartboard. He’s chased free agents like Albert Pujols ($254 million, .260 average with Angels) and Anthony Rendon ($245 million, 95 games played since 2020), yet the Angels haven’t been a playoff team since 2009—despite having Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani at their peaks. Moreno’s meddling—vetoing trades, chasing shiny objects—has turned Anaheim into a graveyard of “what-ifs,” not a Los Angeles Angels owner legacy to rival the Dodgers’ Guggenheim Baseball Management.

He’s spent enough to rank outside the top 10 stingiest, but zero playoff wins in 15 years? That’s a Cub-level drought without the charm. Moreno once tried buying Angel Stadium’s land, only to get tangled in a corruption scandal that sent the mayor to jail—talk about off-field chaos. Unlike Jerry Reinsdorf, who hoards pennies, Moreno’s problem is wasting dollars on the wrong best players. Fans dream of a World Series in 2025, but with Moreno at the helm, they’re more likely to see another team—like the Mariners or Rangers—steal the spotlight. Lesson: money can’t buy a World Series trophy—or a clue—if your owner’s steering the ship into the rocks.

5. Bob Nutting (Pittsburgh Pirates): The Profit-Over-Pinstripes Pirate

Bob Nutting, Pittsburgh Pirates owner since 2007, has a strategy simpler than a bunt sign: spend nothing, pocket everything. The Pirates’ 2025 payroll is $95 million—sixth-lowest in MLB—while Nutting rakes in revenue sharing and keeps PNC Park’s postcard views profitable. No playoff appearance since 2015, with nine losing seasons in ten years, including a 76-86 snoozer in 2024. Fans dubbed him “Nutting the Cheap,” and he’s lived up to it, trading stars like Gerrit Cole (now a New York Yankees ace) for scraps and letting the farm system rot into a Kansas City Royals pre-turnaround mess.

Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting isn’t chasing a first World Series like some owners—he’s too busy counting cash. Compare him to ranking all 30 MLB owners, and he’s a lock for the 10 worst, a team owner who’d rather fund his ski resort than his roster. The Pirates’ faithful deserve better than a principal owner who treats baseball like a side hustle. No Cub, Padre, or Marlin fan would swap their woes for this profit-first piracy. Takeaway: if your owner’s more excited about the bottom line than the batting order, you’re sunk—no two World Series titles or even a wild card dream in sight.

The Worst Baseball Owners of 2025 in Summary

These five MLB owners—John Fisher, Jerry Reinsdorf, Stuart Sternberg, Arte Moreno, and Bob Nutting—are the MVPs of misery in Major League Baseball today. Fisher’s relocation circus, Reinsdorf’s outdated meddling, Sternberg’s tightwad playoff runs, Moreno’s wasteful splurges, and Nutting’s profit-first piracy share one truth: fans deserve better. Unlike Boston Red Sox owner John Henry or Yankees principal owner figures chasing multiple World Series titles, these guys aren’t going from worst to first anytime soon. They’re not the Marlins’ Bruce Sherman tanking with Derek Jeter, nor a Pohlad or Castellini scraping by—they’re a unique breed of failure. Oh yeah, and somehow none of them come from the National League.

So next time your team’s front office—or general manager—makes a head-scratcher move, thank your stars they’re not staging a dog-and-pony show like this crew. No Red Sox, Phillies, or Dodgers salvation here—just baseball teams limping along under owners in MLB who’d rather dodge free agency than build a contender. Play ball, pray for new ownership, and hope your squad’s not next on the “worst owner in MLB” list!