As the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate another World Series win with a payroll three times larger than Cleveland’s, fans are left wondering if the Guardians could ever get a title. With Major League Baseball and the players’ union set to begin contract negotiations early next year, Ideastream Public Media’s sports commentator Terry Pluto says baseball’s lack of a salary cap keeps small-market teams at a disadvantage.

According to Spotrac , the Dodgers led the MLB in payroll in 2025 at $350 million. The Guardians, meanwhile, ranked 25 th among the 30 teams with a $100 million payroll. Cleveland staged a late-season surge to make the postseason but lost in a Wild Card series against Detroit.

Pluto said that most World Series champions are among the teams with the highest payrolls.

“You

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