The Milwaukee Brewers are one game closer to the World Series after defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays are set to open their ALCS series on Monday.

In the American League, it will be a smaller market representing the league in the World Series. There is the potential of two small-market teams, such as the Rays and Brewers, facing off. While the idea of a Rays-Brewers World Series could excite some fans, former MLB star and 2016 World Series Champion Anthony Rizzo is not among those who want to see that series, speaking on Ross and Rizzo.

“It's be f**king terrible. It would be amazing, and it would be terrible,” Rizzo said. “It would be amazing because, yes, I love bunt 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 cant 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 have been to the World Series just once. That was in 1982 when the Brewers were still in the American League. They lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in that series in seven games. The Rays have gone to the World Series twice since being founded in 1998. They lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008, and then six games against the Dodgers in 2020.

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Still, Rizzo is right that the owner may shy away from paying the players. There were 11 teams with payrolls over $250 million this past season. Three of them missed the playoffs, while the Dodgers are the only team still in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Brewers are 19th in payroll, the Rays are 28th, and the Guardians are 20th.

With a potential lockout looming and discussion around a salary cap, the concern is that a low-cost team winning could lead to less money going to players, and it is valid.