We just don't have the money to compete with the coastal teams. If you look at some of the players we've traded away or lost in the last decade, god, if we still had them we'd win the Series! But we can't afford to pay them the zillion dollar contracts that places like NY and Boston can. :(
Sad news for you. This is an excuse that your ownership likes to use. Life is harder if you are Pittsburgh or KC, but small market teams can compete if they make very smart decisions with the money they do have. Teams like Minnesota and Oakland have managed several playoff runs even with lower payrolls. Oakland, in particular, had a notable stretch of making the playoffs and then trading off star players they couldn't play, and using the returned prospects for new playoff runs. On the other hand, Oakland's last few trades/free agent signings haven't worked, and they're back in the cellar.
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Sad news for you. This is an excuse that your ownership likes to use. Life is harder if you are Pittsburgh or KC, but small market teams can compete if they make very smart decisions with the money they do have. Teams like Minnesota and Oakland have managed several playoff runs even with lower payrolls. Oakland, in particular, had a notable stretch of making the playoffs and then trading off star players they couldn't play, and using the returned prospects for new playoff runs. On the other hand, Oakland's last few trades/free agent signings haven't worked, and they're back in the cellar.