Displaced Cleveland Fan

The 2009 Major League Baseball postseason began with the Twins beating the Tigers in extra innings to claim first place in the AL Central. The Divisional series begin Wednesday night. These are the matchups:

AL: Minnesota Twins vs. New York Yankees / Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angelas Angels

NL: Colorado Rockies vs. Philadelphia Phillies / St. Louis Cardinals vs. Los Angelas Dodgers

If you look at the eight playoff teams, the list is dominated by big market clubs. For the 2009 season, nine teams had a payroll over $100 million. Of these nine teams, five made the playoffs (55.5%) - Yankees (#1), Red Sox (#4), Angels (#6), Phillies (#7), and Dodgers (#9).

That leaves twenty-one teams with a payroll under $100 million. Of these twenty-one teams, only three made the playoffs (14.3%) - Cardinals (#13), Rockies (#18), and Twins (#24). [Payroll figures from ESPN's website]

Another reminder why baseball needs a salary cap.

But another look at the eight playoff teams shows not only the unfair advantage the richer teams have, but also the number of former Indians that are helping their new clubs on the quest to win a World Series. TD over at Waiting for Next Year had a good post about the former Indians players that the current playoff teams acquired over the past two seasons. Those players are CC Sabathia (Yankees), Victor Martinez (Red Sox), Carl Pavano (Twins), Casey Blake (Dodgers), Cliff Lee (Phillies), Mark DeRosa (Cardinals), and Rafael Betancourt (Rockies). Only one of the playoff teams is not on this list - the Los Angelas Angels.

So, as I make my 2009 playoff predictions, I’m taking a different approach. Maybe it’s the apathy that’s developed as I see the deck stacked the small market clubs (like Cleveland). Maybe it’s the fact that these players have been shipped out and one of them will likely win a championship with another team this year while the Indians haven’t won a World Series in over 60 years. Whatever the reason, here are my playoff predictions:

Divisional round:

• Yankees vs. Twins - Let’s see, the Yankees have Cy Young winner CC Sabathia under contract for $161 million. They have the largest payroll in baseball (over $200 million). The Twins have Carl Pavano. Yankees in 3.
• Angels vs. Red Sox - The Angels didn’t add any of the Indians that were traded the past two seasons? Boston got Victor Martinez. Red Sox in 3.
• Phillies vs. Rockies - A second Cy Young winner in Cliff Lee against Rafael Betancourt. Phillies in 4.
• Dodgers vs. Cardinals - The Dodgers outspent the Cardinals by about $12 million. They also have former Indian Manny Ramirez. Mark DeRosa (Cardinals) replaced Casey Blake (Dodgers) in Cleveland. But Casey Blake has a beard. Dodgers in 4.

League Championships:

• Yankees vs. Red Sox - It’s ESPN’s dream - the Yankees and Red Sox playing for the AL pennant. Tough call between Sabathia and Martinez. But in the end, the Yankees beat the New Yankees. New York in 7.
• Phillies vs. Dodgers - Cliff Lee is not intimidated by the beard. Phillies in 5.

World Series:

• Yankees vs. Phillies - Two Cy Young winners in Cleveland, CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee will face off for the world championship. Give Sabathia the edge in this match-up because of his contract. A payroll that is $88 million more than Philadelphia’s puts them over the top. Yankees in 6.

The Yankees buy win their 27th World Series title.

Gag me with a blunt stick.

-dcf

Tags: baseball, Boston Red Sox, Carl Pavano, Casey Blake, CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Colorado Rockies, Los Angelas Angels, Los Angelas Dodgers, Mark DeRosa, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, playoffs, predictions, Rafael Betancourt, St. Louis Cardinals, Victor Martinez

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 12:38 am and is filed under Misc. Baseball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.