MLB ’25 Sponsorship Deals Top Record $2B

By Barry Janoff

October 28, 2025: It turns out that MLB knew what it was doing when it sent the Los Angeles Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani on a two-game season-opening Tokyo Series Presented by Guggenheim this past March.

MLB said the series against the Chicago Cubs set league records for viewership, merchandise sales and attendance, “making it the largest standalone international event in Major League Baseball history.”

The event was MLB’s largest international sponsorship in league history, with 23 sponsors that “activated extensively throughout the country.”

That jump-started a 2025 season in which total team sponsorship revenue climbed to a record $2.05 billion — a 9% year-over-year increase from 2024 and 68% since 2022 — according to the just-released “2025 MLB Sponsorship Intelligence Report” from research, marketing and consulting firm SponsorUnited.

“MLB’s evolution is fueled by innovation in partnership assets, expanded jersey patch inventory, and more creative local activations, solidifying baseball’s position as one of North America’s most dynamic sponsorship markets.”

According to the SponsorUnited report, “At the center of this momentum, the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to redefine the business of baseball.

Now making their second consecutive World Series appearance, “the team is projected to become the first North American pro sports franchise to surpass $200 million in annual team sponsorship revenue — a $30 million (17% increase) year-over-year.

Five franchises — the Dodgers, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs —each surpassed $100 million in team sponsorship revenue.

Money know money: MLB posted a record $12.1 billion in revenue in 2024, with the average of MLB franchise values $2.6 billion this year, up 8% year-over-year, according to Forbes.

The New York Yankees became the first team in MLB history to be valued at $8 billion, with estimated $8.2 billion valuation going into the 2025 season. 

The Dodgers rank second with ta $6.8 billion valuation, the only other MLB team topping $5 billion.

Across the league, Fnancial brands led all categories with a +9% YoY increase, while Retail surged +32% and Technology climbed +21% amid growing data and AI integrations.

The Gaming category, however, declined 14%, reflecting a recalibration in a cooling sector, according to the “2025 MLB Sponsorship Intelligence Report.”

At the brand level, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Toyota (including Lexus), AB InBev, and Molson Coors ranked among MLB’s top spenders, each activating with between eight and 24 team presences and allocating as much as 51% of their total sports spend toward baseball partnerships.

Team-level momentum added further lift: the Athletics capitalized on their Las Vegas relocation and new tourism-driven jersey patch, while the St. Louis Cardinals benefited from Missouri’s sports betting launch and a renewed Diamond Sports deal

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners debuted jersey patch partnerships — bringing 28 of 30 MLB teams to sold status and generating $17 million in new patch revenue this season.

At the league level, MLB boosted its marketing roster, including a three-year pact naming Ace Hardware as the league’s “official hardware and home improvement retail partner” — a return to the category for MLB for the first time since 1995 when True Value was involved — and signed Traveller Blended Whiskey to a multi-year agreement, naming Traveller its first “official whiskey.”

Thanks to the presence of Ohtani — as well as other Japanese stars including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki — the Dodgers 76 sponsors include 20 Japanese brands, six of which joined this season, according to SponsorUnited.

They range from JTB Corporation and Hakkaisan Brewery to Toei Animation and Tokyo Electron.

“Their partnerships average five times the MLB deal size, fueled by global marketability and a 30% compound annual growth rate in sponsorship revenue since 2022.”

The Dodgers burgeoning financial situation is reflective of the sports landscape in Los Angeles.

With teams including the NFL’s Rams and Chargers, NBA Lakers and Clippers, WNBA Sparks, NHL Kings and NWSL Angel City — and global events such as the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics en route — SponsorUnited said “Los Angeles’ sponsorship economy is already operating at World Cup scale.

“With $754 million in total spend and $178 million in new brand investment, the city continues to outpace nearly every U.S. and Canadian host market in both volume and ambition.”

Put A Ring On It: Yankees Most Valuable Team ($8.2B), Dodgers Second ($6.8B),

Gig In Japan: MLB Sponsors, Activation At-Bat For Tokyo Series Dodgers-Cubs

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