NEW YORK – The Milwaukee Brewers have created a significant chapter in Major League Baseball history by defeating the financially formidable Los Angeles Dodgers, paving the way for a World Series matchup that features two of the league’s smallest payrolls for the first time in 35 years. This remarkable event comes at a time when team owners are advocating for a salary cap, citing the need for smaller-market teams to compete effectively in a landscape dominated by wealthier franchises.
The Brewers will face either the Cleveland Guardians or the Tampa Bay Rays in a best-of-seven series that kicks off on October 23. This matchup is particularly noteworthy as it marks the first time since 1991 that two clubs with comparatively low payrolls will compete for the championship. The Dodgers, New York Mets, and New York Yankees, with payrolls exceeding those of the Brewers, Guardians, and Rays combined, will be watching from their couches.
The impending low-budget World Series is set against the backdrop of a looming management lockout that could disrupt the 2027 season. Owners and players are currently embroiled in discussions surrounding the necessity of a salary cap, which has long been a contentious issue in the sport.
During the All-Star Game in July, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred voiced support for a salary cap, suggesting that the existing exceptions do not provide the parity that many fans and players desire. He stated, “Our view of the world is that over a very long period of time there’s a very strong relationship between who gets into the playoffs and who proceeds, notwithstanding the exceptions we’ve got.”
According to payroll data as of August 31, Milwaukee ranked 19th in the league regarding spending, while Tampa Bay and Cleveland were positioned at 25th and 30th, respectively. The last time both teams with low payrolls reached the World Series was in 1991 when the Minnesota Twins triumphed over the Atlanta Braves.
In terms of market size, the Brewers are situated in the 30th and smallest Designated Market Area (DMA) in MLB, while the Guardians and Rays rank 22nd and 15th, respectively. Should the Guardians claim the American League pennant, it would mark the first time two teams from the lower half of MLB cities by DMA have met in the World Series since 2006.
Historically, no small-market team has won the World Series since the Kansas City Royals in 2015. Following the Twins’ victory in 1991, a player strike ensued over the owners’ push for a salary cap, leading to the cancellation of the World Series. Despite this, a salary cap was not implemented, and discussions around it have only resurfaced recently.
Since the Twins’ championship, the only World Series winners with bottom-half payrolls include the 2002 Anaheim Angels, the 2003 Florida Marlins, and the 2017 Houston Astros. Agent Scott Boras remarked on the importance of the current state of the game, stating, “There’s no question that the probabilities of winning, success, are increased with greater talent, but we all know that talent has many variables as to how it performs at times.”
As the potential lockout looms on December 2, MLB owners are proposing a salary cap accompanied by a minimum spending threshold, a suggestion that players have firmly rejected. Opening-day payrolls saw the Mets leading at $358.4 million, followed by the Dodgers at $323.3 million and the Yankees at $302.8 million. In contrast, the Brewers, Rays, and Guardians had payrolls of $125.9 million, $90.5 million, and $75.5 million, respectively.
Bruce Meyer, head of the players’ association, challenged the narrative that owners lack the resources to compete, arguing that all teams possess the means to be competitive. “Don’t believe what you hear from the owner who’s complaining, ‘I don’t have the resources to compete,’” he asserted. “They all have the resources to compete. Our proposals include provisions that would give them more resources and reward the teams that actually do compete.”
Manfred maintains that increased spending correlates with greater chances of success, highlighting a stark disparity in playoff opportunities between larger-market teams and their smaller counterparts. He concluded, “It defies human experience to ask a fan to think that the bottom end of that gap has the same opportunity to win as the top.”
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