The World Series is officially set. With the Tampa Bay Rays win in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, they knocked out the Cleveland Guardians and secured a Fall Classic date with the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had won back-to-back World Series titles and were shooting for a three-peat, which was a big sticking point for Major League Baseball in their quest for a salary cap. However, the Brewers and Rays are both small market teams, not spending anywhere near as much as the Dodgers do.
With the Dodgers out and two small market clubs remaining, the leagues's argument for a salary cap has taken a major hit.
World Series matchup hurts owners' case for salary cap
For most of the season, MLB has been arguing that a salary cap would make the game more fair for small market teams. Their argument was that the Dodgers had become too powerful and that there wasn't enough parity in the league.
But the Brewers and Rays have two of the lowest payrolls of any team in baseball. According to Spotrac, only two teams spent less than the Rays in 2026. The Brewers are also 19th in player payroll.
So, with these two teams in the World Series, the argument that the game needs to be more fair no longer holds up. The Brewers took down the Dodgers with ease, sweeping them in four games. The Rays also eliminated the New York Yankees in the ALDS, and the Bronx Bombers are behind only two teams in player payroll.
This will not stop MLB's pursuit of a salary cap, but it does certainly hurt their argument. At the beginning of the season, the Dodgers were heavy favorites to win the World Series, but it didn't happen. The biggest spenders were taken down by teams that spend less and focus solely on drafting and developing their own talent.
In fact, the New York Mets spent more than even the Dodgers, and they finished 74-88 this year. If anything, this World Series matchup is proof that there is still a lot of parity in baseball and that winning championships doesn't always require spending big in free agency.
It can certainly help, and the Dodgers do have a lot of resources at their disposal. But spending money doesn't always guarantee a championship. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the World Series.
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