The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays reached the World Series despite ranking in the bottom half of the league in payroll.
Fans were starting to forget that it was possible for someone besides the Los Angeles Dodgers and their insane payroll to win it all. The Dodgers spent big and were carried by slugging all the way to the World Series. This year, the two teams in the Fall Classic have done it with a different formula.
The Brewers and Rays have not reinvented the wheel. They play a style of baseball that many consider old-school. They bunt. They put the ball in play. They steal bases. They pitch. They play defense. In an era defined by home runs, they have not relied on the long ball.
The Brewers and Rays each led their respective league in hits, and seeing them play for a championship without spending big is something that will have the attention of every owner. "Why can't we do the same thing?" they will all ask.
It goes to show that there is more than one way to win a baseball game. With whispers of a salary cap, more teams could try to adopt the Brewers and Rays style of play, but it's not easy to replicate what they do. It's more than just the players buying into a plan.
Most of the guys on the Brewers and Rays fit the model, as opposed to being molded to fit. Both of these organizations spend a ton of resources on scouting and talent acquisition outside of free agency.
What the Rays and Brewers have done this year will not force every team to try and build their own small ball squad. However, it could force a lot of small-market teams to adopt similar philosophies. A team like the Dodgers won't just stop hitting home runs and bunting guys over.
However, a team like the Cincinnati Reds or Pittsburgh Pirates could start trying to manufacture more runs. It may lead to more wins, but it will be hard to replicate the intangibles that the Brewers and Rays have.
More teams should try to get back to an old-school style of baseball, but not every team.
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