Jeffrey Loria will reportedly sell the Marlins for $1.7 billion

Ever wanted to own a baseball team? Have $1.7 billion laying around? If so, you’re in luck, because you might have enough money to buy the Miami Marlins.

Sports bankers believe owner Jeffrey Loria is willing to sell the club for that price, according to Forbes.

If that figure seems excessive, well, that’s because it is. Forbes valued the franchise at $675 million back in March. That ranked the Marlins 29th out of 30 teams. Only the Tampa Bay Rays ($650 million) were valued lower than the Marlins according to Forbes.

If we are to believe Loria is actually asking for $1.7 billion, that would mean he values the Marlins on par with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. The Cubs ranked fifth on Forbes’ list, and were valued at $2.2 billion. The Mets were valued at $1.65 billion, ranking sixth.

Now, it’s important to note here: Loria isn’t actively trying to sell the team. Forbes notes that he “has not hired an investment firm to work the deal and is likely just floating a $1.7 billion price tag.” He’s basically just throwing out a crazy number and seeing whether anyone will bite.

Hey, maybe it’s crazy enough to work. The difference between $1.7 billion and $675 million seems pretty large, but you’re not just buying the team here, you’re also buying the giant dinger machine in the outfield. You can’t put a price on that, as far as we’re concerned.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik