2025 World Series Thread

[ozgod]

This is such a bummer. I get that the Blue Jays are a division rival, but I've never really hated them like the Yankees or even Rays. It would have been a feel good story.

I saw somebody say that wanting the Dodgers to win was like rooting for Amazon over your local record store. Yes, the Dodgers are smart and a well-run organization, but the spending is out of control and I hate the deferred money bs. They also just tied us for 3rd in total WS wins.

If I were a Blue Jays fan, I'd be so depressed. I guess we as Celtics fans felt something similar back in 2010, but at least we had just won in 2008. It's been 32 years for the Blue Jays and I can't imagine they'll have another shot any time soon. So devastating.

I was kind of torn about who I wanted to win myself...I wanted the Blue Jays to win because it's been so long since they won one, and they're a pretty likeable team overall. Plus I have a lot of Canadian friends  But on the other hand, I really like Ohtani and Yamamoto. I guess I'm happy and sad no matter what 

[Roy H.]

This is such a bummer. I get that the Blue Jays are a division rival, but I've never really hated them like the Yankees or even Rays. It would have been a feel good story.

I saw somebody say that wanting the Dodgers to win was like rooting for Amazon over your local record store. Yes, the Dodgers are smart and a well-run organization, but the spending is out of control and I hate the deferred money bs. They also just tied us for 3rd in total WS wins.

If I were a Blue Jays fan, I'd be so depressed. I guess we as Celtics fans felt something similar back in 2010, but at least we had just won in 2008. It's been 32 years for the Blue Jays and I can't imagine they'll have another shot any time soon. So devastating.

I was kind of torn about who I wanted to win myself...I wanted the Blue Jays to win because it's been so long since they won one, and they're a pretty likeable team overall. Plus I have a lot of Canadian friends  But on the other hand, I really like Ohtani and Yamamoto. I guess I'm happy and sad no matter what 

I'll always root for Mookie.  I'm glad he got yet another one.  And, Ohtani is my son's favorite player, so pulling for the Dodgers was easy for me.

[slamtheking]

I suspect the anticipated lockout due to a Dodger repeat is pretty much a sure thing now

[SparzWizard]

I suspect the anticipated lockout due to a Dodger repeat is pretty much a sure thing now

Sometimes, ya gotta pay to get paid right. Dodgers paid for top dollars and now generating revenue like crazy, nationwide and worldwide. 29 other owners are too cheap to match what the Dodgers are doing.

It'll be interesting to see what will happen after the end of 2026. A 3peat is a high possibility for the Dodgers, with odds starting at +350

[Neurotic Guy]

I suspect the anticipated lockout due to a Dodger repeat is pretty much a sure thing now

Sometimes, ya gotta pay to get paid right. Dodgers paid for top dollars and now generating revenue like crazy, nationwide and worldwide. 29 other owners are too cheap to match what the Dodgers are doing.

It'll be interesting to see what will happen after the end of 2026. A 3peat is a high possibility for the Dodgers, with odds starting at +350

Is that really true that all other owners are cheap and that?s what separates LA?

[Phantom255x]

I suspect the anticipated lockout due to a Dodger repeat is pretty much a sure thing now

Sometimes, ya gotta pay to get paid right. Dodgers paid for top dollars and now generating revenue like crazy, nationwide and worldwide. 29 other owners are too cheap to match what the Dodgers are doing.

It'll be interesting to see what will happen after the end of 2026. A 3peat is a high possibility for the Dodgers, with odds starting at +350

Is that really true that all other owners are cheap and that?s what separates LA?

Maybe not *all* of them, like Cohen and a few others are willing to spend a ton and try to win. But yeah a majority of them are cheap and aren't willing to go above and beyond like the Dodgers. The Red Sox are also in that boat now. And then you have a bunch of the small market or just "loser" teams like the Marlins, Pirates, A's, etc. who mostly don't' even try to spend and field a contender most years.

The Dodgers are taking it to a whole new level though. There's obviously also the whole big market, West Coast mentality and a bit of a recruiting factor for foreign players with Ohtani and now Yamamoto there. But point still stands. Kudos to LA but a lockout could be coming as the other teams and owners continue to just let it all happen.

A prime example of this too. Skubal is probably the best pitcher in all of baseball or absolutely up there. He's still just 28 years old. And the Tigers are lowballing him big time (like offering around 4/80M lol) and it sounds like they might even dangle him for trade this offseason despite being a playoff team the last two years with Skubal being a legit ace. Skubal isn't even a FA this offseason

[slamtheking]

I suspect the anticipated lockout due to a Dodger repeat is pretty much a sure thing now

Sometimes, ya gotta pay to get paid right. Dodgers paid for top dollars and now generating revenue like crazy, nationwide and worldwide. 29 other owners are too cheap to match what the Dodgers are doing.

It'll be interesting to see what will happen after the end of 2026. A 3peat is a high possibility for the Dodgers, with odds starting at +350

Is that really true that all other owners are cheap and that?s what separates LA?

Maybe not *all* of them, like Cohen and a few others are willing to spend a ton and try to win. But yeah a majority of them are cheap and aren't willing to go above and beyond like the Dodgers. The Red Sox are also in that boat now. And then you have a bunch of the small market or just "loser" teams like the Marlins, Pirates, A's, etc. who mostly don't' even try to spend and field a contender most years.

The Dodgers are taking it to a whole new level though. There's obviously also the whole big market, West Coast mentality and a bit of a recruiting factor for foreign players with Ohtani and now Yamamoto there. But point still stands. Kudos to LA but a lockout could be coming as the other teams and owners continue to just let it all happen.

A prime example of this too. Skubal is probably the best pitcher in all of baseball or absolutely up there. He's still just 28 years old. And the Tigers are lowballing him big time (like offering around 4/80M lol) and it sounds like they might even dangle him for trade this offseason despite being a playoff team the last two years with Skubal being a legit ace. Skubal isn't even a FA this offseason

there's no revenue sharing like there is in football and basketball.  there is some sharing but the bulk of a team's income comes from their own stadium revenue, merchandise and local TV deals.  There's a big income difference between the NY/LA teams and those in the smaller markets. 

As a Brewer fan who hated the cheapness of the Selig family when they owned them, they're not as cheap at this point but there's no way they have the budget of the teams in the major cities.  Time has come where there's either more revenue sharing, a cap or a league split where the big market teams have their own league and the small markets have theirs.  of those options, the most plausible is more revenue sharing in combination with a soft cap and luxury tax (in my opinion)

[Moranis]

Not sure if this is accurate, but you can the vast differences in revenue among the teams.

https://twinstrivia.com/2025/04/05/mlb-teams-revenue-versus-payroll/

You can also see that plenty of teams could spend more than they do, just not nearly as much as the Dodgers or Yankees, whose revenue was over 700 million.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

It?s not just about money. Yeah, a lot of teams could spend more, but presume for a minute that all teams spent equally ? is Big-Time Free Agent Player gonna play in Pittsburgh for $700M, or is he gonna play in LA for $700M? The Dodgers have the money, the brains, AND the location ? they even have the Asian connection cemented. Literally no one else can compete with that. Dodgers gonna be racking up titles for the next half-decade, if not longer.

[ozgod]

Not sure if this is accurate, but you can the vast differences in revenue among the teams.

https://twinstrivia.com/2025/04/05/mlb-teams-revenue-versus-payroll/

You can also see that plenty of teams could spend more than they do, just not nearly as much as the Dodgers or Yankees, whose revenue was over 700 million.

Boston is actually 7th in payroll in the league at $242m. They just happen to be less than half that of the Dodgers at $549m 

Also the Dodgers are paying more in tax ($150m) than the entire payroll + tax of 11 other teams, including the Brewers, whose entire payroll is $137m. Of course the Dodgers generate $752m vs Milwaukee at $335m.

Some of these owners are probably not interested in spending what it takes to win, they just want their business to generate profit for them, even if it might not be huge. If you can't increase your topline control your costs.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

There are a lot of teams that could spend a lot more, but it's not just about money. Let's say all other teams start spending like the Dodgers?do you think the best players are gonna take $500M to play in Pittsburgh if the Dodgers are also offering $500M? Or play in Cleveland if NY is offering as much? MLB wants to have its cake and eat it too: have as many teams as possible, because that equals more revenue streams, but realistically only about 4-5 teams have a real opportunity to build long-term success (and most of those are in NY and LA). MLB should probably split into 2-3 leagues based on market size and have separate World Series for each, because small-market teams?even if they're well-run and hand out big contracts?are never again going to be able to truly compete with the big boys. At least, not for more than a year or two at a time. Meanwhile teams such as the Dodgers and Yankees just keep reloading because most players want to play in those places. The Dodgers even have a pretty tight grip now on the pipeline of top Asian players, because L.A. is geographically the MLB city nearest their homelands. I don't know what the answer is, but as things now stand, the Dodgers have no reason not to win the next 4-5 titles, while most other teams don't have a snowball's chance in hades.

[Moranis]

As someone who has been to Pittsburgh and LA many times, I'd rather live in Pittsburgh all summer.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

As someone who has been to Pittsburgh and LA many times, I'd rather live in Pittsburgh all summer.

My guess is that a lot of MLB players would disagree with you, especially when factoring in nonbaseball financial opportunities.

[Vermont Green]

Not sure if this is accurate, but you can the vast differences in revenue among the teams.

https://twinstrivia.com/2025/04/05/mlb-teams-revenue-versus-payroll/

You can also see that plenty of teams could spend more than they do, just not nearly as much as the Dodgers or Yankees, whose revenue was over 700 million.

Boston is actually 7th in payroll in the league at $242m. They just happen to be less than half that of the Dodgers at $549m 

Also the Dodgers are paying more in tax ($150m) than the entire payroll + tax of 11 other teams, including the Brewers, whose entire payroll is $137m. Of course the Dodgers generate $752m vs Milwaukee at $335m.

Some of these owners are probably not interested in spending what it takes to win, they just want their business to generate profit for them, even if it might not be huge. If you can't increase your topline control your costs.

I am not sure where everyone is getting their team payroll numbers.  Everywhere I look they are different.  I am seeing LAD at around $350M (not sure how deferred money is addressed in this) and the BOS at around $200M.  USA Today (for example) has BOS as the 12th biggest spender.  I guesss the details don't matter.  LAD is a big spender but TOR is right up there too (USA Today has them 5th). 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2025/10/13/mlb-teams-payroll-2025-highest-lowest/86667489007/

One thing to keep in mind is that the owners don't make their really big money on the year to year profits.  They make the big money as the team appreciates in value and they sell the team for way more than they paid.  I am sure no owner wants to loose money (meaning they have to put cash in).  Just look at the Celtics.  They went from $360 Million in 2002 to $6,100 Million in 2025.  That is appreciation of about 13.1% per year.  So even if the teams break even, they make a lot of money.  The Celtics would expect to appreciate $800M in the first year, if the same average rate for the last 23 years continues.

The Boston Celtics were bought for $360 million in 2002 by the Grousbeck family and were sold in 2025 for a record-setting $6.1 billion

[kraidstar]

I suspect the anticipated lockout due to a Dodger repeat is pretty much a sure thing now

Sometimes, ya gotta pay to get paid right. Dodgers paid for top dollars and now generating revenue like crazy, nationwide and worldwide. 29 other owners are too cheap to match what the Dodgers are doing.

It'll be interesting to see what will happen after the end of 2026. A 3peat is a high possibility for the Dodgers, with odds starting at +350

Is that really true that all other owners are cheap and that?s what separates LA?

Maybe not *all* of them, like Cohen and a few others are willing to spend a ton and try to win. But yeah a majority of them are cheap and aren't willing to go above and beyond like the Dodgers. The Red Sox are also in that boat now. And then you have a bunch of the small market or just "loser" teams like the Marlins, Pirates, A's, etc. who mostly don't' even try to spend and field a contender most years.

The Dodgers are taking it to a whole new level though. There's obviously also the whole big market, West Coast mentality and a bit of a recruiting factor for foreign players with Ohtani and now Yamamoto there. But point still stands. Kudos to LA but a lockout could be coming as the other teams and owners continue to just let it all happen.

A prime example of this too. Skubal is probably the best pitcher in all of baseball or absolutely up there. He's still just 28 years old. And the Tigers are lowballing him big time (like offering around 4/80M lol) and it sounds like they might even dangle him for trade this offseason despite being a playoff team the last two years with Skubal being a legit ace. Skubal isn't even a FA this offseason

there's no revenue sharing like there is in football and basketball.  there is some sharing but the bulk of a team's income comes from their own stadium revenue, merchandise and local TV deals.  There's a big income difference between the NY/LA teams and those in the smaller markets. 

As a Brewer fan who hated the cheapness of the Selig family when they owned them, they're not as cheap at this point but there's no way they have the budget of the teams in the major cities.  Time has come where there's either more revenue sharing, a cap or a league split where the big market teams have their own league and the small markets have theirs.  of those options, the most plausible is more revenue sharing in combination with a soft cap and luxury tax (in my opinion)

Currently teams give 48% back into the pool for revenue sharing. That's quite a bit, right? The NBA meanwhile only distributes 50% of luxury tax to non-taxpayibg teams. So small-market teams trying to go "all-in" can theoretically end up paying tons of luxury tax despite having low actual revenue.

A quick Google search told me that non taxpaying NBA teams received $240m in redistributed revenue in 2023. But in MLB this year the Dodgers allegedly made over $1 billion in revenue, while the average team number is $400m. So the Dodgers alone will effectively give $300m to the rest of the league. And a team with $200m revenue will receive an additional $100m from the league.

There are also draft pick penalties in mlb for being a luxury tax team. They are not crushing but they do matter.

So while big market teams do have a pretty huge advantage, it's not as bad as it used to be.