Baron vs Base
Someone had claimed baron was worth exposing your inhibs
Lets look at the numbers for a second:
Baron - 300 gold + 25 to the killer 800 Local and 600 Global exp
Towers in general: Outer 125 gold and 0 exp Inner is 150 gold and 30 exp Inhib is 175 gold and 100 exp Nexus is 50 gold and 0 exp
When you expose your lanes, you have to defend or winions will destroy your base. There's a difference between a defensive baron and sacrificing your base to baron.
Knowing when to take a defensive baron is critical because it can mean you can turtle for a bit and regain equal footing. When you sacrifice your base for baron, you lose.
Please don't think baron is the end all be all of objectives.