When the MLB playoffs opened, not many people had the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays as the two teams still standing in the World Series.
Milwaukee, after knocking on the door for years, finally got through by taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers. Tampa Bay followed by knocking out the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians to reach the Fall Classic.
That leaves one club set to win its first World Series championship this week, and there’s a lesson in it for the Colorado Rockies, president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta, and his staff.
The big takeaway is simple: it’s not just about how much money a team has. It’s about how it uses it.
That’s an easier standard to live by in Milwaukee and Tampa Bay than it is in Colorado, where top-tier free agents are unlikely to line up. The Rays face the same issue.
The Brewers can spend more, but the point still holds - smart allocation matters more than sheer payroll. The Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs and other big spenders are reminders that throwing money around doesn’t guarantee results.
Colorado’s first winter under DePodesta offers a clear example. He brought in veteran free-agent pitchers, and Michael Lorenzen did not work out; he was released in August. Tomoyuki Sugano, though, was a hit and was arguably the Rockies’ best pitcher in 2026 for manager Warren Schaeffer.
The Rockies did show some progress this season, even if the final numbers still sting. They lost 100 games for the fourth straight year, but there were signs of movement in the right direction. The next step for the front office is deciding which young players to build around and then identifying the right additions through free agency or trade.
Landing pitchers to work at Coors Field is always going to be tough. Still, DePodesta has to begin somewhere.
A quick turnaround is not realistic, and the Rockies are not expected to jump into contention next summer with the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants. San Francisco, in particular, stands as a cautionary example of spending heavily without getting the payoff.
Milwaukee and Tampa Bay have shown the league what efficient roster building can look like. The Rockies now have to take that lesson and make it work in their own house.
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