OKAggie: Baseball's much bigger than the Dodgers and Yankees - two franchises who are accused of ruining baseball by paying top dollar for free agents, but who between them haven't won a legitimate World Series (2020 was basically an exhibition season) since 2009 for the Yankees, and 1988 (!) for the Dodgers. 19 other franchises have won the Series since the Dodgers' last full-season title! And nine since the Yankees' last title. Doesn't seem all that ruined to me.

Wonder if you'd be interested in a friendly wager of $100 for the winner of the 2024 World Series. You can have the Dodgers and Yankees, I'll take the other 28 teams. If I win, my $100 goes to Aggies Unlimited. Shake?

2004AG: Yeah, this gets repeated often. Baseball is an interesting sport. To your point, teams can get hot in the playoffs and win a series.

My point is, teams can draft and develop well and create themselves a “window”. Right now the diamondbacks and orioles have an open window. Inevitably, in two or three years those players get expensive and the orioles and diamondbacks will have to get rid of them and the rebuild begins again. All most teams can do is “hope” to compete for a couple years about every 10-15 years.

The royals are a good example of this. They were really good for a couple years and beat my giants in the World Series, offloaded all their good players and are currently trying to rebuild again. The Reds have an awesome young core, hopefully they can do something before they have to get rid of De La Cruz and India.

Baseball as you describe it, is great if you don’t have a favorite team and so every year it can be fun to see who’s “window” is open that year. I.e. diamondbacks or orioles etc.

The dodgers or Yankees might not win it all this year or next because of the way baseball works. That doesn’t mean the sport is healthy when 95% of the teams are farm teams to top 5%.

A billion spent on free agents doesn’t guarantee a World Series win necessarily, you’re right on that. And you’re right, some young team might get hot and beat them. It’s entirely possible. I still don’t think baseball is healthy. The A’s Twins, Indians and pirates are playing a completely different sport than the dodgers and Yankees. What a billion dollars DOES guarantee is for your team to be really really good and win the division and go to the playoffs.

Yes, I am all in for that bet. But because I’m so stupid and you’re smarter than me I should probably get 2/1 odds. Just kidding. But yes, save this thread and we can revisit this next November. $100 it is.

Yossarian wrote: ↑

October 29th, 2024, 6:19 pm

And.... Freeman hits his fourth home run in four WS games this year. This one in the first inning, again. That is 6 straight WS games with a homer. Unbelievable.