With the World Series set to begin tonight, anyone viewing it through a Mets lens might be tempted to see it as a contest between baseball ideologies that the Mets could potentially follow once Steve Cohen officially takes over as the team’s new owner.
Per Cot’s Contracts, the Dodgers’ payroll before prorated adjustments for the pandemic would have been $222 million this year, while the Rays’ would have been $72 million. But it should be pointed out up front that the level at which these franchises have contended over the past several years isn’t nearly the same.