MILWAUKEE — The Brewers and Rays have bullied their way through the postseason. Sure, they've had their share of fights. Tampa Bay needed six games to get past the Guardians.
Milwaukee's NLDS win was tight. But for the most part, these two clubs have imposed their will on the opposition, leaving little doubt about their place on baseball's biggest stage. Now, they'll meet in the 2026 World Series, beginning Friday night at American Family Field.
Yet while their presence here is widely viewed as a triumph for two of baseball's smaller spenders, who entered the postseason with a combined payroll of just $241.8 million, their success comes against the backdrop of a brewing labor war. And depending on which side of the bargaining table you sit, this World Series is being viewed as either an argument for a salary cap or evidence that baseball doesn't need one. "I think the fact that two teams like the Brewers and the Rays, we hear all the time that we play baseball the right way, that it's exciting to watch," Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said during Thursday's news conference when asked about a salary cap.
"I think they probably hear the same. I think that's good for baseball. "So whatever that means relative to revenue systems or otherwise, I think if you have a more competitive set, you can have more exciting baseball." "This has been our goal for 22 seasons, to compete," Attanasio added.
"And that said, I think the system that's being proposed, which is similar to other leagues in terms of revenue-sharing system, not only will help us compete but more importantly all of the teams with lower payrolls too, which is something also I think the fans want." Mega-agent Scott Boras sees things differently. He believes the current system works, as evidenced by the success of the Brewers and Rays. A salary cap, in his view, isn't the answer.
Rather, it's about ownership groups making smart decisions, investing in talent and fully committing to building a winner, regardless of market size. "Look, in the major-league pools, there are a lot of ownership groups that swim, and there's a lot of owners that just choose to wear their floaties all the time," Boras said. "And so, how do they get rid of their floaties?
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