Quote:
Originally Posted by premium1981
Spotrac has the Brewers listed at #22 for total payroll allocations in 2025. And they finished with the best record in baseball. I would consider that competing. You are wrong.
The very last team (Marlins) show 67.7 million vs the Mets (2nd highest payroll) at 341 million and they had a total of 4 games separating them in the NL East. I would consider that competing. You are wrong.
The mighty Athletics had the 29th ranked payroll at 78 million and finished 4 games better in the AL West than the Angels that had the 11th highest payroll at 206 million. I would consider that competing. You are wrong.
The whole "we can't compete" argument sounds good until you actually look at what happens on the field. The fact is, the bottom third that you are talking about are usually not trying. It can be from being tight with their money, or maybe they are rebuilding. I will continue to admit that money helps you win. But for people to keep saying over and over that other teams can't win is just plain wrong. Steve Cohen would buy a championship if he could. But he can't. The Mets are a poorly run organization, and it doesn't matter how much money you throw their way. It doesn't change that. And teams like the Brewers and Rays often end up on top with smaller salaries because they are well run organizations. Spin it however you wish, but they are competing just fine. Maybe instead of redistributing the wealth, teams should redistribute the front office brains who are making things work better than others. And the coaches who can get more from their players than other coaches. That is where a huge part of the separation comes from. And its also why so many teams have tried to buy championships and it falls flat.
In fact, if memory serves me correctly, the top spending team has won the World Series 3 times this century out of 25 tries.
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We define competitng very differently.
Further, I don't think anyone is saying that it is impossible for a small market team to ever win a championship. Sports are one of those things where anyone can win on any given night. So to keep harping on the few examples where it happens is futile and missing the point. What people are saying is that it is a totally unleveled playing field providing major advantages to large market teams. THAT is the disparity that needs fixed. Of course small market teams can sometimes break through (although your examples of regular season success mean zero to me), but that doesn't change the disadvantages they face. And again, this is a league, not 30 independent businesses. And it's bad business for a league to allow that type of disparity in it's subsidiaries that are supposed to be putting an entertaining product on the field.