You are correct and their chances of making it through the big payroll teams (Yanks, BoSox, and Angels) in the playoffs is minimal at best. If the Twins played in the AL East or West they wouldn't even be sniffing the playoffs. The AL central was pathetically weak this year. Check out this artical to see the correlation between $ and wins in MLB: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/jon_heyman/09/28/playoff.payrolls/index.html
Wow... yep... I'm gonna do it... GO YANKEES. I would love to see the Phillies and Yankees in the WS but I am not sure what team I would be chearing for. As far as a salary cap goes... really? I don't see how people make such a big deal about it when it obviously doesn't do much... a TEAM wins... not a couple big name players. Look at the Rays last year... I believe they were had the lowest salary (atleast bottom 3), and they made it to the World Series... with Boston and NY in their division.
I don't necessarily disagree with you but the team management can have as much, or more, effect on a team than payroll. The Orioles had payroll right up there with teams in the AL East and they sucked (see angelos ). If you can recognize and grow talent you can compete with the money teams, you just can't compete year after year like they do. That's where the money comes into play, signing talent for the long term.
A salary cap would give a team like the Royals or the Pirates a chance to either : a) Sign a good free agent long term (vs signing them to dump at the trade deadline for even more prospects) b) Keep the prospects that do become stars. Just a guess, but I'd say the Pirates would have liked to kept Bonds. They haven't won jack since he left in 1993. I do agree its hard to buy a championship, but it has been done.
The Twins will be lucky If they win a game against the Yankees. Minnesota's farm system Is awesome, all the other teams benefit off of It after we bring them up and they all see how good they are from our good coaching and drafting. It sucks ass big time watching great players leave. Ask any team In baseball (besides the Yanks), they'll say the Twins play baseball the right way and wish there players did the same. Ozzie Guien has said that a ton of times, I've got a ton of respect for Ozzie.
