Phillies' Emergence Threatens World Series Chances of Low-Budget Teams

Can a low-budget team win the World Series? The answer is a qualified yes. But it appears to have gotten harder just within the past year or two. That's because historically it has been easier to do so from one of the two leagues than the other. Who are the high-budget teams? I drew the line at a payroll of $100 million for this year. Start with the two New York teams, the two Chicago teams, and the two Los Angeles teams. Then add Boston, Detroit, and Seattle in the American League, and Philadelphia and Houston in the National League. In the American League, if you said that three of the four contenders will be Los Angeles, New York, and Boston, you'd be right most years. Only the American League Central has any real competition, with all but Kansas City having won the division within the past five years. Who were the low-budget World Series winners? The St. Louis Cardinals in 2006. The Florida Marlins in 2003. The Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. All National League teams. There was almost ... (link)