NL wild card

[G1911]

Originally Posted by packs

Between 1998 and 2002 the Yankees doubled their payroll. They took the money they made winning championships and put it into the team. They didn’t disband the team. They did t let their best players sign elsewhere. They didn’t stop trying to get better.

The Marlins didn’t do that. The Cubs didn’t do that. The Nationals didn’t do that. Not many teams do.

The difference, of course, it is much, much easier for the richest teams to do this than the poorer teams. There is no realistic scenario where Pittsburgh can compete with a motivated New York or Los Angeles franchise for free agents.

[packs]

Not now but there was a time they appeared in 3 NLCS series in a row. They let Bonds walk. They’ve been on a downward spiral ever since. It’s not like the Yankees weren’t terrible and ignored while they spiraled out of control too. Then came Steinbrenner.

Here’s an article on the Pirates and how it pays for them to lose. The most interesting fact in the story is that the team’s payroll in 2010 was only 2 million dollars more than it was in 1992 (!).

https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=5484947

[G1911]

Originally Posted by packs

Not now but there was a time they appeared in 3 NLCS series in a row. They let Bonds walk. They’ve been on a downward spiral ever since. It’s not like the Yankees weren’t terrible and ignored while they spiraled out of control too. Then came Steinbrenner.

Yes, a poor team can manage to win. And a rich team can manage to fail. What I have said it is much easier for a rich team to win; they can buy what they need whereas a poor team cannot compete on the free agent market with rich and also motivated teams, cutting off a hugely important avenue of talent. It is not, at all, an even playing field in which motivation alone is the deciding factor and makes bigger market teams tend to dominate the World Series.

[packs]

Wanting to win isn’t a deciding factor but it is a factor. When there is no desire to win its not surprising a team doesn’t.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by packs

Wanting to win isn’t a deciding factor but it is a factor. When there is no desire to win its not surprising a team doesn’t.

Well Said