Cleveland isn’t the underdog you suppose it’s. The Guardians are gaming the system — and it’s time we cease cheering them for it.
In Recreation 1 of the Guardians-Yankees American League Championship Collection on Monday night time, a lot of the dialog will give attention to payrolls. The New York Mets, Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers sit comfortably amongst MLB’s top-five spenders this season, whereas the Cleveland Guardians rank twenty third, according to Spotrac. The Dodgers and Mets are additionally within the league-championship spherical of the playoffs.
The prevailing narrative for years is that Cleveland and different small-market groups succeed by doing extra with much less, however it’s time we rethink that storyline.
Within the early 2000s, the Oakland A’s — and, extra lately, the Tampa Bay Rays — had been celebrated for constructing contenders on comparatively meager budgets. However neither of those groups has received a championship, and the shortage of roster depth all the time caught up with them when it mattered most.
Cleveland’s entrance workplace has mastered the artwork of constructing a aggressive staff inside a decent finances, however it’s not successful story price celebrating anymore. Third baseman Jose Ramirez is the Guardians’ highest-paid participant this season, earning $17M — a determine that might tie for simply the seventh-highest salary on the Yankees.
This isn’t new.
Former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia — who was traded by Cleveland in 2008 to Milwaukee earlier than hitting free company after that season — mentioned on “The 6-1-1 Podcast” throughout the summer time that he knew 2007 was his greatest shot at a title in Cleveland as a result of the staff wasn’t going to pay to maintain its core intact. Together with Sabathia, Cleveland dealt catcher Victor Martinez and pitcher Cliff Lee earlier than their contracts expired.
What’s worse, Cleveland is working inside a system that enables small-market groups to spend minimally whereas nonetheless profiting.
MLB’s Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) is meant to punish large-market groups, such because the Dodgers or Yankees, for overspending, with that tax cash trickling all the way down to smaller-market golf equipment comparable to Cleveland.
However right here’s the issue: It’s not resulting in extra spending by these smaller groups. As a substitute, lots of them — together with Cleveland — select to remain “small,” pocket the money and let big-market groups pay for his or her lack of funding.
The Pittsburgh Pirates would be the most egregious abuser of the system. In 2010, the Associated Press reported the Pirates made practically $29.4M in 2007 and 2008 regardless of enduring their seventeenth and 18th consecutive shedding seasons.
“The numbers point out why persons are suspecting they’re taking cash from baseball and preserving it — they don’t spend it on the gamers,” David Berri, president of the North American Affiliation of Sports activities Economists, mentioned then.
By then, the Pirates had baseball’s lowest opening-day payroll at $34.9M — simply $2M greater than in 1992, their final successful season on the time.
Fourteen years later, little has modified. Since that report, Pittsburgh has endured 11 shedding seasons and ranked twenty ninth in payroll amongst MLB’s 30 groups in 2024. Possession is not being penalized for not successful, and so long as income proceed, there’s no incentive to vary.
This method isn’t working, and it’s time for MLB to step up. Extra aggressive luxurious tax penalties received’t repair the issue. As a substitute, small-market groups want a wage ground.
MLB ought to require groups, such because the Guardians, to spend inside 10% of the posh tax ($213.3M for 2024) threshold to power them into being actually aggressive. A wage ground would maintain homeowners accountable for investing within the on-field product. It could additionally power groups to make strategic choices about whether or not to go all-in for a commerce deadline acquisition, understanding it’d imply crossing the edge and paying a tax.
Cleveland’s present payroll is simply above $106M, far beneath the $237M CBT threshold. In the meantime, MLB revenue reached an all-time high in 2023, with a median of $378M per staff.
There isn’t a legitimate excuse for small-market groups to cry poverty whereas sitting on mountains of money.
If baseball desires sustained development and true aggressive stability, it should maintain small-market groups accountable for spending and constructing rosters that may compete past the common season. Parity is just a part of the equation — funding in expertise and depth is the lacking piece.
The Guardians aren’t the scrappy underdog they’re made out to be, and the baseball media should cease treating them as such. As a substitute, it’s time to shine a highlight on the broader situation: MLB’s lack of accountability for small-market groups.
Till they’re required to spend money on their gamers and cease profiting off the success of larger markets, the aggressive imbalance will persist.