In Reply to: I watched again posted by Cachorro on August 12, 2026 at 14:07:35
payrolls don't always win. See BYU and Kentucky last season. But all 4 Final Four teams had healthy NIL budgets.
Where extending the baseball analogy breaks down, IMO, is the Brewers and Rays, and other MLB teams have 150 to 200 players on minor league contracts, under their control for 6-7 seasons. And they can draft at least 20 new players every year.
They don't have to compete for those players against other teams. They just have to pick them and develop them. The players have little freedom of in where they're drafted or becoming a free agent.
Cronin is obviously not playing the Dodgers' game. He actually is more like the Brewers and Rays, taking a value or "Moneyball" approach. Buying players he believes he can mold into a winning team, if not in one season, which, of course, is a risk.
Just the way I see it. Probably full of crap.