Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
It is about 10 years too late to be going after Scherzer. Assuming that he even plays in 2027 I doubt it will be in St. Louis.
#7 Jesus Baez
As I mentioned last round this guy surprised me more than anyone in the system in 2026. If he can develop a more elite work ethic he could go a long way.
The Brewers do have a very supportive fan base but they still don’t spend a lot of money. They were ranked 19th this year but in a lot of years they are in the lower to mid 20’s in payroll rank. I think they were as high as 15th a few years ago but then went back down. Despite their relatively frugal spending they just keep winning. A winning culture can trump spending levels. They regularly dump their good players before free agency, lost their star manager to the Cubs, lost their well regarded PBO to the Mets…..doesn’t matter.
To me the Brewers remind me of a Whitey Herzog type team, minus all of the elite base stealers. They go with solid starting pitching, a very good bullpen, good defense, and an offense that doesn’t overwhelm you with power but just grinds you up with contact and extra base hits. As their manager said after the game last night, “that other dugout has the hall of famers but we have the gamers.”
Spot on.
The Dodgers, who spent big to build an MLB power, now face an uncomfortable reality. Column, unlocked and free to read. https://t.co/gRLZnl136p
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 16, 2026
Defining what a small market team may not be an exact science but if Milwaukee isn’t a small market team then I don’t know what is. In fact I have seen some publications list them as the smallest market in all of MLB.
2026 Payroll Rank per Cots:
19-Brewers
27-Rays
29-GuardiansLets see what Google AI says:
AI Overview
In Major League Baseball (MLB), a small-market team is generally defined by a combination of a smaller television/media market, lower local revenue generation, and a smaller overall payroll capacity rather than just the physical size of the city.
How Market Size is Determined
• Television/Media Markets (Nielsen DMAs): Market size is primarily measured by local television households and broadcast reach rather than total city or metro population. For example, Miami has a massive metropolitan population, but its local TV market ranking is much lower.
• Metro Population: Only three MLB teams—the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, and Cincinnati Reds—reside in metropolitan areas with populations under two million people.
• MLB Revenue Sharing: MLB does not use an official “small market” label in its rulebook, but instead operates on a financial divide of revenue-sharing recipients versus revenue-sharing payors. Teams that receive revenue-sharing distributions—such as the Brewers, Royals, Pirates, Reds, Marlins, Rays, Guardians, Rockies, Orioles, and Padres—are commonly treated as small-to-medium or budget-restricted market clubs.Frequently Cited Small-Market Teams
While definitions vary based on ownership spending and local media deals, franchises most frequently categorized as small-market include:
• Milwaukee Brewers
• Kansas City Royals
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• Cincinnati Reds
• Tampa Bay Rays
• Cleveland Guardians
• Miami Marlins
• Colorado RockiesDing Dong the witch is dead. The Dodgers aren’t ruining baseball after all.
It is going to be a small market World Series. Sorry Manfred. No salary cap for you.
I might be in the minority on this one but I am going with Jesus Baez at number 6.
He exploded onto the scene in a robust way, much more than I was expecting. There are some non-statistical aspects to his game that warrant further attention but his 2026 stats are hard to ignore.
Good article by Eno Sarris. As he says the four remaining teams are four very smart teams, especially the Rays and Brewers.
Add “get short dudes” to the incomplete list of Moneyball type edges the Brewers & Rays (and Guardians really) have benefited from in the past decade-plus (free article) https://t.co/RrUlgbwuAu
— Eno Sarris (@enosarris) October 14, 2026
Crew now up 2-0 in the series as they head back to LA. Things are getting a little dicey in the pro-salary cap camp.
Good start for the Crew. Manfred hasn’t broken out the Mylanta just yet but another Milwaukee win or two and he will start sweating.
#5 I will go with Joshua Baez.
Most of it is based on his AAA performance. His debut at Wrigley Field was probably the highlight of our season but it was still just one game. He could be an all star or he could be a flame out or somewhere in between.
If Walker can be turned into a serviceable defender I am sure Baez can as well. The question is will he be able to consistently handle big league pitching.
There’s still obviously talented, and you could get him for cheap, not a guy you’d have to guarantee a starting spot.
— Redbird Farmhands (@RedbirdFarmhand) October 11, 2026
#4 Bernal
He sure looks like he could be our catcher of the future, assuming that Rainiel finds a home at 3B, 1B, or DH. We shouldn’t forget Crooks either. He still has time to rebound.
If winning the World Series is the only barometer of success then that is a high bar.
Also, the White Sox may technically be in a large market but they don’t really act like it and rarely have. They aren’t big spenders and everyone knows they are the little brother in that city.
There is one big spender remaining and four small/smallish spenders.
And the large spending Yankees, Phillies, Braves, Padres, Red Sox, and Astros are sitting home wishing they did more than just write checks, not to mention the big spending inept Mets.
Here is another way to look at it as of late afternoon on 10-8-26.
There are five teams still standing. Here are there their 2026 CBT payroll rank per Cots:
1. Dodgers 1st
2. Brewers 19th
3. White Sox 26th
4. Rays 27th
5. Guardians 29thThe $112M Rays knocked out the $341M Yankees. The small market guys are doing ok.
Oh ok. That would be some rather restrictive parameters indeed. Might as well punt to 2028, which seems to be the majority opinion anyway.
Maybe we need to talk to the White Sox. They lost more than 100 games in 2023, 2024, and 2025. They are now one game away from the ALCS. Of course playing in a really bad division helps.
As for the Cardinals I would seek upgrades at 3B, CF, and bullpen. That will be tough to do if we only have $20M to spend and can’t trade any top 50 prospects. By top 50 I assume you mean top 50 in MLB, not top 50 in the Cardinal system. Regardless you would have to get lucky by signing a stopgap veteran who overperforms or you would have to trade someone like Herrera, Burly, or maybe Crooks.
Brewers vs Dodgers should be an epic showdown. It will also have more riding on it than just a trip to the World Series. The pro-salary cap commissioner and owners will desperately be rooting for the Dodgers to win, therefore, I will be rooting for the Brewers.
Before the season started it was suggested by some that the Cardinals should develop a business model similar to Milwaukee, Tampa, and Cleveland. All three teams are still standing as of this post.
News: MLB sent a 34-page memo to owners and high-ranking officials across the league detailing what to expect — and how to act — during the lockout.
MLB’s official website and club websites will again be scrubbed of player images and videos.
And holiday cards? MLB says clubs…
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 8, 2026
The article in Brian’s post mentions Ned Reynolds of KY3 in Springfield. My goodness, his name brings back memories for me. Growing up in north central Arkansas as a kid most of our TV was out of Springfield and Ned was the sports guy on the nightly news as back as the early 70’s. I watched him every night.
I actually got to meet him in person once in the late 1980’s. I was a student at the University of Arkansas and went to a basketball game between the Razorbacks coached by Nolan Richardson and the SW MO St. Bears coached by Charlie Spoonhour. Ned was broadcasting the game for the Bears and I went down to the floor and shook his hand before the game. It was quite an honor.
I honestly didn’t know if he was still alive but I am glad to know that he is. He is a true legend.