Best small market baseball franchise?

Answer 1

Florida isn't a small market team at all.

I'd go with the Twins (smallest market in baseball.) They find a way to be competitive year after year.

Oakland isn't a very small market either, but management doesn't want to spend any of their revenue on players. They're trying to make money along with winning, not an easy thing to do nowadays.
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Answer 2

How exactly has the salary cap worked so well in football or basketball? For football, it was instituted for the 1994 season. Since then , there have been 18 Super Bowls. One team has won 3 of them, and 3 teams have won 2 of them. In other words, half of the 18 Super Bowls since the cap has been introduced have been won by 4 teams which is one-eighth of the league. And how has having a cap helped team like the Lions, who haven't made the playoffs in this century? Or for that matter, how has it helped the Bills, who also have not made a playoff appearance since 1999? This in a league that qualifies 12 out of 32 teams for the playoffs - a team should conceivably have better than a 1 out of 3 chance of making the playoffs. About the NBA - let's look go back a little further, this time to when they instituted their salary cap, the 1984-85 season. So now we are looking at 25 seasons (not counting this one yet). You know how many teams have won at least one NBA championship in the last 25 years? 7 of them. And 14 of those titles were won by only 2 teams - the Lakers (8) and the Bulls (6). And as you do in football, the NBA has its' share of teams that are horrible year after year. How about them Clippers? That salary cap helping them win anything? How about the Warriors - one playoff appearance in the last 16 seasons? And this in a league where 16 of the 30 teams (more than HALF) qualify for the playoffs. Compare it to baseball. 10 different World Series champions since 1994. And 18 teams have won it since the NBA started their cap in 1984. And this in a sport with considerably fewer teams in the playoffs to begin with. My point is simple - a salary cap does not automatically mean competitive balance, and the lack of a cap does not necessarily mean a lack of that competitiveness.

Answer 3

Small market and small payroll are two different things and if you are asking which franchise continually performs with the smallest amount of money to put together a team, It has to be the Oakland A's. Over the past five seasons the A's have won three division titles and came in second twice while winning 471 games over this time span. In comparison, the Red Sox have not won any division titles, came in second four times and third once while winning 467 games. The A's are a model small payroll franchise, with less than one half the payroll of the Red Sox, and a winning history. A close second would be the Twins with four division titles and a third place finish while winning 455 games. The payroll of the twins and A's were just about exactly the same between 2002 and 2006.

Answer 4

Marlins. They have two titles to prove it. Now as far as fans that's a different story.

I would have said the Braves like the guy below me, however the Braves are mid-range. They have a quality budget. Not the best but definitely not small market.

And you are wrong on what small market means Frizzer. The people determine the market and obviously Miami is not a baseball market. It's a basketball and football market. I have a marketing degree. People may disagree with me but I don't agree with some of the marketing experts on how they determine their results. Miami is a big sports market, however it does not pertain to all sports. It has been reported as both the Marlins and Braves being mid-market teams, however I disagree. The Braves are but the Marlins are in a sports market that caters to the NBA and NFL.

Answer 5

definetly Twins. But they are gonna have to spend more in the next few years if there gonna compete, im a huge Twins fan but I dont think Hunter is gonna be there next year, kinda sad. They just need to spend to win next year. Carl Pohlad isnt the best owner in baseball, but we have a GM in Terry Ryan that does a great job with the little money we have to spend.

Answer 6

According to Nielsen, the ten smallest media markets in MLB (in order from smallest to tenth smallest) are as follows:

1) Milwaukee
2) Cincinnati
3) Kansas city
4) San Diego
5) Baltimore
6) Pittsburgh
7) St. Louis
8) Denver (Rockies)
9) Cleveland
10) Miami (Marlins)

So when you go buy this list, the Cardinals have to be considered the best small market franchise. But because of their history and loyal fans, the Cardinals are typically not considered in this list.

Notice Minnesota and Oakland are not in this list yet we consider them small-market teams.

Based on what is generally accepted as a small market team the Twins would have to be considered the best, but hopefully this will steer the discussion into a different direction as to what is a small market. Minneapolis/St. Paul is the 15th biggest media market in the country so why do we consider them a small market just because of their regional media coverage and historic attendance figures.

What do you think?

Answer 7

minnesota twins

AL central Champs 4 out of the last 5 years!!
No other small market team can beat that!

Answer 8

I think if you ask this question is a couple years your going to get a lot of votes for the Brewers. They have been smart with that team. I don't think they will pull it off this year but next year I think they will do very well. As for right now. I personally think its Oakland. They are in the playoffs every year. The Twins are a close second but they're gonna have to spend big this off season to stay competitive.

Answer 9

Minnesota and Oakland seem to compete every year with relatively modest payrolls. Oakland has a tougher task then people realize because they share a market where they are like the red headed step child to the Giants and the city of Oakland is struggling in financial recession and poverty.

Answer 10

The Brewers followed by the Padres....the standings speak for themselves.