PITTSBURGH — The Los Angeles Dodgers were said to be an unslayable giant, a team so good all 29 other clubs were simply wasting their time playing out the 2026 season.

I guess the Milwaukee Brewers didn’t get the message.

On Thursday, the cream of the National League rose to the top. The Brewers swept the two-time defending World Series champions. That beatdown should have put the entire league on notice.

Why?

Because it shows perhaps baseball isn’t as broken as some claim it to be.

Make no mistake — MLB has its issues. The disparity in spending between large- and small-market organizations is a problem. But this postseason proves it’s not an insurmountable obstacle. The biggest spenders don’t always win.

Heck, this year, it’s been the opposite.

The Brewers, Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays are the three teams still standing. All have come close to winning a championship in recent years. In fact, those three teams have been knocking at the door for the better part of a decade.

When one of them wins the title, detractors will insist it was an anomaly. They’ll say it was nothing more a fun underdog story and one of baseball’s big spenders will be back on top next fall.

There are some who actually believe a small-market team winning this year’s World Series will be bad for the game because it will go against the effort among MLB owners to implement a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Many fans, especially some of those who root for the Pirates, believe a salary cap is the only way small-market teams have a chance to compete.

I don’t see it that way.

The Brewers, Guardians and Rays are no underdogs. They’re three of the best organizations in baseball. One of them will soon become the new king of America’s pastime. And when that happens, it should be celebrated.

After two decades of data being injected into the sport, twenty-plus years of “moneyball,” the glass ceiling is finally crashing down. It took some time, but now we know it’s indeed possible for the “little guy” to win.

Yes, organizations like the Dodgers can do more than others. They have more resources, which gives them a clear advantage. A salary cap might limit the Dodgers’ ability to have an overwhelmingly high payroll. But it won’t change their franchise’s desire to win or their organizational competence.

The Brewers, Guardians and Rays also possess those qualities, which is why one of them will soon replace Los Angeles atop the mountain.

Those three organizations know what it takes to consistently remain in the mix. Each of them is led by brilliant baseball minds and a front office that has managed to always stay ahead of the curve when it comes to information, strategy, talent recognition and player development.

The Dodgers, for all their star power and recent success, displayed clear flaws all season long.

The same could be said for the New York Yankees, the highest spenders in the American League.

The Brewers and Rays not only identified those flaws but built teams equipped to attack them. When the two small-market clubs met their big-spending rivals in the playoffs, there was no doubt which was better.

Every other organization in MLB, including the Pirates, is capable of following this formula. All it takes is the right combination of brains, guts and effort.

Sure, money helps, too. But if a franchise has poor high-level leadership or clueless ownership, a salary cap can’t fix that.

Baseball’s payroll disparity is a problem — one that should absolutely be addressed. Perhaps a salary cap is the solution. But this October is proof money doesn’t determine everything.

This October should be frustrating for Pirates fans — but not because it goes against the effort for a salary cap. We now know a franchise their size can achieve the ultimate goal without one.

The Pirates will never be the biggest spender in baseball. But if the small spenders can win under this current system, then there should be no excuses moving forward, regardless of format. And while other small-market franchises close the gap between the haves and have-nots, the Pirates, organizationally, still have a ways to go.

The best teams in baseball have dominated from start to finish this year. That, to me, doesn’t sound like a broken system.

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