Jeffrey Loria

A longtime New Yorker, Mr. Loria made his fortune as an art dealer and continues to work in the industry. However, a love of baseball would lead him to spread his wealth around the country. In the late 1980’s, he bought a Texas Rangers minor-league franchise, and then he tried unsuccessfully to purchase the Baltimore Orioles in 1993. In 1999, he snatched a controlling stake in the Montreal Expos, later selling the struggling team to Major League Baseball for $120 million in 2002, a precursor to the franchise’s move down to Washington D.C. Next, Mr. Loria purchased the Marlins for $158 million and happily watched them become World Series champions a year later.