The Cleveland Guardians had a highly successful MLB season in 2026 despite running one of the lowest payrolls in the league. The same can be said about the Milwaukee Brewers, who were crowned World Series champions, and the Tampa Bay Rays, who lost the Fall Classic.
According to Spotrac, the Guardians had the lowest payroll in baseball, the Rays were 28th out of 30 teams, and the Brewers ranked 19th. You could say that these three organizations showed the world that you can win with homegrown, inexpensive talent if things are done the right way and with a clear direction.
It is, however, not the only way to win a World Series. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who are perennially among the highest spenders in baseball, took home the previous two Fall Classics in 2024 and 2025, for example. There isn’t just one avenue toward success.
Asked if the Rays-Brewers World Series will impact how teams are approaching the offseason, ESPN’s senior reporter and MLB insider Jeff Passan said it probably won’t.
“The Rays and Brewers have been regarded as excellent organizations for the last decade. Getting to the World Series is validation, yes, but their approaches are well-known and have been for years. Teams with more resources aren’t suddenly going to give away the advantage that accompanies higher payrolls simply because the Rays, Brewers and Cleveland Guardians found success with lower ones,” Passan wrote.
The Guardians are firmly in the category of low spenders, and that’s likely to remain the case over the long haul unless there’s a shift in how ownership runs the team. And they have proved time and again that they can compete at a high level that way. Now, in order to improve their chances even more, they could potentially make a splash signing or two, but they don’t have to magically become the Dodgers to fight for a title.
Likewise, big spenders such as the Dodgers, the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, or the Philadelphia Phillies don’t necessarily have to quit spending altogether to compete for a title just because the Guardians, Brewers, and Rays successfully implemented their model.
NEXT: Guardians Pitcher Is Already Putting In The Offseason Work
