We’re nearly a month into the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season, and already there have been some major surprises, outstanding performances, and, most importantly, the complete and total dismantling of the “poor” small market owner trope.And hopefully it provides some positive momentum toward the ridiculous push from those owners and supportive fans to cancel the 2027 season in order to increase franchise values.In just the first few weeks of the season, we’ve seen several high-profile contract extensions for young prospects in small markets, including one that set a record for the largest monetary guarantee ever given out to a player who’d yet to play in the big leagues.RELATED: Konnor Griffin Signs Record Breaking Contract With Pittsburgh Pirates, Exposes How Cheap MLB Owners AreThen, the San Diego Padres, who play in one of the smallest markets in the league, sold for an astonishing $3.9 billion to the owner of Chelsea Football Club. That sale price exceeded the price that Steve Cohen paid for the New York Mets just five and a half years ago by $1.4 billion. Put simply, there is no longer any reasonable debate: the business of baseball is booming.But that’s the financial side, which is just one part of the “concern.” The other? The supposed problem with competitive balance in baseball. Well, it’s early, but the start to the season has already demonstrated why those “issues” have been wildly overstated and weaponized by owners pushing for a salary cap. And those same New York Mets have shown how absurd the hand-wringing has become.That hand-wringing, that small market teams can’t possibly compete with the large payrolls of big market teams, fundamentally misunderstands the gaps between baseball teams. Yes, there are significant advantages to having more money to spend on players. But that money must be spent wisely in order for it to matter. The Mets might be the perfect example of how money can’t fix everything.The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the league in payroll, and caused mass outrage in the offseason by signing Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz. Yes, the Dodgers are in first place…by half a game over the small market Padres. Diaz gave up three runs without getting an out on Sunday afternoon, pushing his ERA to over 10, and Kyle Tucker has been the 78th most valuable hitter in baseball thus far, behind Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman. The Dodgers have still jumped out to a great start, but it’s mostly been due to exceptional performances from the bottom of the lineup, players like Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing, and Miguel Rojas.The Mets, who are a close second to LA with a $370 million payroll and over $500 million due in payments this year thanks to the luxury tax, have now lost 11 straight games after blowing a ninth inning lead to the Cubs on Sunday. They’re tied for the worst record in baseball, have scored the second fewest runs in the league, and have now fallen a whopping eight games out of first place in the National League Ea
Small market MLB teams are outperforming big payrolls, undermining owners’ push to cancel 2027 season
