Are the Yankees for Sale? Steinbrenners Could Sell the Team for Over $3 Billion [REPORT]

The Dodgers recently made history when they were sold for over $2 billion. Now, it appears that baseball's most storied franchise may be on the market for even more money.

According to the New York Daily News, the principal owners of the Yankees are exploring the possibility of selling the franchise. The report states that the sale of the Dodgers has led the Steinbrenner family to at least consider selling the team.

The Yankees have been in the Steinbrenner family since George Steinbrenner bought the club in 1973. The former Cleveland shipbuilder purchased the club for $8.8 million.

Yankees management, however, is denying the report, saying there are no plans to sell the team.

I can say to you there is absolutely, positively nothing to this. The Steinbrenners are not selling the team, said Randy Levine, president of the Yankees. New York's COO, Lonn Trost, told WFAN's Boomer and Carton that the report has no validity to it.

If the Yankees do look to sell the team, they'd likely get a lot more than what the Dodgers sold for. Sources tell the Daily News that the Yankees could be worth more than $3 billion.

Some people who cover baseball think that figure could be low. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports says the Yankees are easily worth $4 billion when the stadium and YES (the Yankees television network) are included.

According to Forbes, the Yankees are the second most valuable franchise in all of American sports. Only the Dallas Cowboys are worth more than the Bronx Bombers. Manchester United is reportedly the most valuable sports franchise in the world.

New York currently has the highest payroll in the MLB by a large margin at over $197 million for the 2012 Season.