CNBC Ranks the Nationals Right in the Middle of the MLB in Regards to Team Valuation

The Washington Nationals are one of the younger franchises when it comes to the MLB, and while they are not part of the most recent expansions, they are not one of the founding franchises either. This gave the club an opportunity to grow for a longer period of time than the newer teams, while also remaining relevant in their new market as they drew strong initial interest.

Over the years they have remained one of the more intriguing teams financially, as with the recent MASN discussions and previous branding change from the Montreal Expos have made things interesting.

When it comes to the financial side of baseball, there is an exceptional amount of fluctuation year to year when it comes to team values and revenue, as so many different components of the MLB change.

With sports betting taking a prominent role across sporting now, revenue has changed somewhat compared to prior years, as leagues have begun to partner with sportsbooks recently as popularity has grown.

This has changed team values quite a bit, and while the New York Yankees still remain supreme to no surprise, the rest can be difficult to figure out. A recent study done by CNBC's Michael Ozanian provides some further clarity into the MLB team valuations, as well as some critical points when it comes to team financials.

This list ranked teams by the value overall of each franchise, and the Nationals would come in at No. 17, valued at $2.05 billion. They also have $316 million in revenue, $10 million in earnings before deductions, and a rather high 27% debt rate when compared to the team value.

All of these figures reside around league average according to the study aside from one, that being the debt rate which is rather high compared to other teams in similar scenarios. This is the second highest debt as a percentage of team value in the MLB, second only to the Miami Marlins who sit at 38%.

This is less than optimal, but otherwise the team is financially stable in most cases across the board, which is a positive sign. The fact that they have been able to generate so much revenue as a relatively new team is also good, as it shows they are not just coasting along or breaking even, but rather making a profit off of the venture.

Their earnings after deductions are in the green, which is a good sign as that is not the case for every team on the list. Having this context available is convenient, and shows that Washington is in a relatively good place as of this year.