A remarkable era of parity in Major League Baseball hit a bit of a snag this October when the big-spending New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets finished as three of the top four teams in this year’s postseason.Now it’s time for the sport’s middle-sized and small-market franchises to look for ways to counter during this offseason. Given several factors – particularly cash flow uncertainty due to the collapse of the regional sports network model – that could prove difficult.
“We’ve always punched above our weight, so to speak,” Mozeliak said. “But now we’re having the realization that we’re going to be affected from our media package, our ticket sales, so our reality is changing.” The addition of the Guardians, Brewers and Twins means MLB will be handling the production and distribution of at least six teams going into 2025. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres were the first three to make the switch.The Cardinals reached a new media rights on Thursday, though financial terms were not disclosed.
The team spent more last offseason thanks to postseason revenue, rising to the middle of the MLB pack. He said his team is ready to be active in free agency once again, even if he conceded that there are challenges. As the Guardians showed, it’s not impossible to go deep into the playoffs with a modest payroll. But it’s not easy and it’s not getting any easier.