The Milwaukee Brewers hoisted their first-ever World Series trophy on Wednesday night and showed small-market teams around the league that it’s possible to build a powerhouse baseball team without spending like the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cleveland Guardians came up just short in the ALCS, but they are a perfect example of a team that should emulate the Brewers in order to finally get over the hump.
In an age of analytics and power, Milwaukee won 103 regular season games before steamrolling the competition in an 11-2 postseason run en route to a championship. They did it all with a payroll of $146 million, which was 19th in the league.
On Thursday, local media legend Bruce Drennan discussed what this title should mean for the Guardians. He believes the Brewers showed Guardians fans that they are not alone in their situation and that it’s time to stop making excuses for the front office.
“How many times throughout the years have we heard Cleveland baseball fans complain about our team not paying players and losing them to big money markets? We are not the only mid or small market team that suffers from this financial inequity,” Drennan said.
"How many times throughout the years have we heard Cleveland baseball fans complain about our team not paying players and losing them to big money markets? We are not the only mid or small market team that suffers from this financial inequity." #StandGuard
– @Bruce_Drennan pic.twitter.com/ua1AnmHZvB
— BIGPLAY Cleveland (@BIGPLAYcle) October 29, 2026
Drennan is right. This postseason was interesting in the sense that the Dodgers’ payroll exceeded that of the other three LCS teams combined, so it absolutely can be done even if teams like the Guardians don’t have the same margin for error as some of the big spenders.
It’s frustrating that the team doesn’t spend more simply because it can. It just chooses not to. The Guardians can’t be the Dodgers, but they can be the Brewers, and there’s no reason why Milwaukee should have a payroll that is around $60 million higher than Cleveland does.
It’s remarkable what the Guardians are able to do with how little they spend. The Brewers just proved that you don’t need to spend like the Dodgers to win, but for a team on the cusp of winning it all like the Guardians, it’s inexcusable to have a payroll under $90 million. Cleveland is a big enough market and ownership has enough money for that to be deemed unacceptable for this fan base.
For a team that might just be a piece or two away from getting over the hump, we can only hope the front office realizes that it’s time to be aggressive. The fans deserve it, and so does the roster.
NEXT: Analyst Says Guardians Would Regret Letting One Player Go
