FORBES: Cardinals are 7th most-valuable franchise in baseball

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Photo credit (Ben Boyd, KMOX)

(KMOX) - The St. Louis Cardinals aren't just one of the most successful franchises in baseball, they're also among the most valuable.

At $2.1 billion – the Cardinals as the seventh most valuable team according to Forbes' annual rankings of Major League Baseball franchise. It's the same spot for the Redbirds as last year's report. 

The Cardinals estimated value has increased by 11 percent since last year, which is tied for the fifth-best growth in baseball, according to Forbes. 

Related: Busch Stadium Ranked No. 3 MLB Ballpark By Forbes Baseball Writer

Here's what Forbes has to say about the Cardinals franchise: 

"The Cardinals missed the postseason for the third consecutive season in 2018, the team's longest stretch without October baseball since 1997-99. Big offseason move: Trading for perennial All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt from the D-backs for a package of prospects. The Cards locked up Goldschmidt with a five-year, $130 million contract extension. The Cardinals had a sharp decline in television ratings, down 12% on Fox Sports Midwest. The average TV rating of 7.18 in 2018 was still good enough for third best in baseball. Average attendance at Busch Stadium held steady at 42,019, third highest in MLB."

The team's ranking in front of the Cardinals are: 

New York Yankees -- $4.6 billionLos Angeles Dodgers -- $3.3 billionBoston Red Sox -- $3.2 billionChicago Cubs -- $3.1 billionSan Francisco Giants -- $3 billionNew York Mets -- #2.3 billion

See the full list here.

The biggest changes in this year's overall rankings are the Cubs and Giants being overtaken by the Red Sox, which can partially be attributed to their World Series championship in 2018.

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