David vs. Goliath MLB playoffs won't prove anything about a salary cap -- even if both sides will say they do

I'd rather not keep discussing this, but it's impossible to escape salary cap discourse in Major League Baseball in 2026. The League Championship Series round is upon us, which is the last four teams standing and vying for the piece of metal that is the World Series trophy. The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers are in the mix, along with three franchises on the opposite end.

The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers are two of the five current MLB franchises with zero World Series titles in their history. The Cleveland Guardians technically have the longest drought, having not won a title since 1948 (when the Brewers and Rays didn't exist). In terms of history, it is Davids vs.

Goliath, and that's where the payroll numbers stand as well. Figures can vary based on loopholes and clever accounting (such as deferrals and back-loaded contracts). We'll use the competitive balance tax numbers from Major League Baseball.

It seems like the number the league is taxing teams on is reasonable. Here are those payrolls, along with their ranking among the 30 MLB teams, for each of the final four in this season's playoffs. 1. Dodgers, $432.8 million19.

Brewers, $154.7 million27. Guardians, $93.1 million We could look at other places, as noted. The year-end 40-man roster salaries, for example, have the Dodgers second behind the Mets (monster deferrals drop the Dodgers way down to $339.6 million on their current 40-man) with the Brewers still 19th, the Rays 28th and the Guardians dead last in 30th with a payroll of less than $75 million.

Regardless, we can see the gap here between the have and the have-nots -- or, more accurately, the big spender and the not-so-big spenders -- and that's one of the main focuses off the field during the league championship series this season, unfortunately. Before we go any further, and I'm gonna bold this so it doesn't escape anyone: No, this doesn't prove we don't need a salary cap. And, no, if the Dodgers still win the World Series, it doesn't prove we do need one.