The Oakland Athletics and the Cleveland Indians are two very similar teams. Both have frugal owners, as well as general managers who might be just a bit too crafty for their own good at times. They are small market teams, competing in big-market divisions. While the Indians have the Twins and the A’s have the Astros, the other three teams in each division are typically big spenders.
That means that both teams rely heavily on good trades and good drafting – although neither has really perfected drafting just yet. It also means that a bad contract can sink the organization for years.