I totally agree with you.

Yes, there are windows where if you do everything correct you can win for a couple of years.

But it is impossible to do over the long haul as a small market team. Just look at the amount of losing seasons the article shows the small market teams having in the last 20 years. The majority of years are losing years.

TBayXXXVII wrote: Katoy and I are on extreme opposite ends of this but, baseball won't be as fair across the board until it's run like the NFL in terms of a cap and revenue sharing.

Yeah a small market team can win if everything is perfect. And even at that, the window is small.

Tampa lost for 10 straight seasons before winning the last 5.

Oakland has lost 10 seasons, finished .500 once and had a winning record for 9 seasons in the last 20.

So yes, those two are winning but they are the exceptions. Most small market teams lose and lose regularly.

TBayXXXVII wrote: Katoy and I are on extreme opposite ends of this but, baseball won't be as fair across the board until it's run like the NFL in terms of a cap and revenue sharing.

TBayXXXVII wrote: "You just have to be smarter, creative and set the trend and not follow the trend.

That is why Tampa Bay and Oakland have been able to compete even with payrolls that are in the bottom of all of baseball."

Yup, you basically have to be perfect just to compete, and even then... it's still not good enough.  That's why these two teams have combined for a total of 0 playoff series victories over the last 4 years.

dirtyfrankwvu wrote:

TBayXXXVII wrote: "You just have to be smarter, creative and set the trend and not follow the trend.

That is why Tampa Bay and Oakland have been able to compete even with payrolls that are in the bottom of all of baseball."

Yup, you basically have to be perfect just to compete, and even then... it's still not good enough.  That's why these two teams have combined for a total of 0 playoff series victories over the last 4 years.

They have lost playoff series for a whole bunch of reasons, but it's not because of their payroll. Some of it is luck, some of it is matchups. There are other factors. but winning 90+ games is no accident.

If Tampa wins 95 games in the regular season and New York wins 85, who is the better team?

If New York beats Tampa in a 7 game series, who is the better team? You can argue that New York was better in that series, but that doesn't make them the better team, does it?

katoy2j wrote: I'm sorry but if you win 90+ games four out of 5 years that is a team capable of contending for a World Series.

Over the last 11 years you have had 9 different World Series winners. Only the Cardinals and Red Sox have won multiple times in that span. Those teams are contending because they're smart. The Rangers were a laughing stock for baseball before they retooled the organization.

You get into the playoffs you have a shot. That is all you can ask for. St. Louis doesn't win the World Series last year without an epic collapse from the Braves. They got in and they won. Heck it was Texas that should of won that World Series.

Pittsburgh is building a team the way Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Oakand are. Build it around young pitching. The Giants make all kinds of awful payroll moves but they have the young pitching to compensate. The Pirates just have to avoid the monster contracts to the Aaron Rowands and Aubbrey Huffs of the world. Avoiding free agency for the most part is the best way to go anyways. The Giants are paying 14 million for Rowand not to play for them. They could also live without the 20 million dollars that they're paying Barry Zito. Stay away from the free agency game and you can compete because that is where the big market teams think they're getting a big advantage but that is really what is holding them down. The Red Sox signings the last few years in Lackey and Crawford have been disastrous.

It will get even easier in the future as a lot more teams will be lowering payroll to avoid luxury tax implications. When Albert Pujols is 36 and dragging down Los Angeles that only further helps Oakland. The best thing St. Louis did was not get caught in the trap and let Pujols sign elsewhere.  Minnesota tried to play the game and it showed what can happen.  There is nothing wrong with letting a few players leave and go elsewhere.  Just do what Tampa Bay does and have internal options that allow you to keep winning and mist importantly get creative and be innovators.  Teams like Oakland and Tampa Bay have huge advantages over large market teams as well because they can try all kinds of crazy ideas that would have the manager of a big market team fired instantly.  Tampa Bays current shortstop is a guy who played RF most of last year.

The problem the Pirates have is they're trying to win the big market way because they have a by the book manager that thinks it's still 1975.  You can't beat the Yankees at their own game.  Make them play your game though and you always have a chance.

One thing I think Pittsburgh could do is refine how relief pitchers are used.  They have a number of guys who are capable of going multiple innings in Morris, Wilson and McPherson.  Instead of using them in the typical one inning variety most teams use relievers they should be accustomed to pitching multiple innings at a time.  That way instead of getting 70 or so innings out of them you use these guys for 110-120 innings a year.  You then make life easier on your starters.  They only have to go 6 innings, then you bring in a reliever for two innings and he bridges to the closer.  You would likely have higher performances from everyone involved.

katoy2j wrote: In a best of 5 or best of 7 situation it's the team with the better pitching in those games that wins. You could throw out Justin Verlander but if he gets rocked in game 1 you're in serious trouble. That is why I really like what the Pirates are doing because if you can march out Cole, Taillon and Heredia you'll have a shot in any playoff series. It's why I think that Tampa Bay always has a chance in the playoffs because if you can go Price, Shields and Moore you got a shot. San Fran won their World Series with Lincecum, Cain and Bumgarner. What do all those 9 guys have in common? All 9 of them are homegrown.