Anthony Rizzo didn’t hold back when asked about the idea of a Milwaukee Brewers-Tampa Bay Rays World Series.
The former Chicago Cubs star and World Series champion called it a mixed bag for baseball, saying it would be great to see two teams that have never won it all finally break through, but bad news for every owner looking for a reason to spend more.
“It'd be f**king terrible. It would be amazing, and it would be terrible,” Rizzo said. H/T Clutch Points.
He explained that both clubs have built success in ways that could become a talking point around the league if they reached the World Series together.
“It would be amazing because, yes, I love bunting a guy over, get a guy over, the fundamentals, right? But if the Rays and the Brewers are in the World Series, every single owner is going to say, why can't we beat them?
And they're not going to want to spend any more money, because every owner already is saying, ‘Well, why can't we be just be like the Rays? They make the playoffs every year.
They go deep every year. Why can't we be like the Brewers?
They have a $100 million payroll. We have a $300 million payroll?
We have a $250 million payroll?'
“So that's why I would hate it, but the product of baseball and seeing two teams that have never won a World Series win their first championship would be awesome.”
The Brewers and Rays have both been sitting close to the top for a while, and each still has a tough road ahead. But the broader point is clear: Milwaukee has done plenty right on both sides of the ball, while Tampa Bay has been one of baseball’s most consistent forces over much of the past decade.
Those two clubs have earned their place in the conversation. And if they ever do end up meeting with a title on the line, the reaction around the sport would be impossible to miss.
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