It’s a cyclical thing, and the cycle has come back around to the tired lazy narrative. The teams with the three largest payrolls are three of baseball’s final four. Those three teams play in New York or Los Angeles. Baseball is doomed.
But think back to this time last year. There was a narrative last October too.
Tony Clark, the executive director of the players’ union, stood on the field at Dodger Stadium and smiled. He has heard it all before. Baseball is not doomed.
“Last year,” Clark said, “the conversation was the exact opposite: Everyone was concerned about the format, because the teams that had the most wins over the course of the year didn’t find their way late into the postseason.