We made it.
Months after COVID-19 and labor tensions threatened to cancel the 2020 major league season, the World Series is finally upon us.
This year’s Fall Classic is an archetypal David vs. Goliath tale that offers a study in contrasts. Before the World Series kicks off, let’s review the storylines that will have the baseball world buzzing.
The Payroll Gap
It’s no secret that the Dodgers and Rays are at opposite ends of baseball’s payroll spectrum. The Dodgers are among the top spenders in the game, routinely sinking $200+ million into their roster. A team that plays in Hollywood is nothing without stars, and while the Dodgers have been adept at drafting and developing talent, they spare no expense when it comes to keeping their best players long term. In the 2016-2017 offseason, for example, the Dodgers inked Justin Turner (4 years, $64 million) and Kenley Jansen (5 years, $80 million) to new contracts, thus preventing other teams from scooping them up in free agency.
The Rays, on the other hand, are a prime example of how to build a contender on a shoestring budget. Their 2020 Opening Day payroll stood at just $28.2 million, roughly $3 million less than what Clayton Kershaw alone is slated to earn in 2021. Tampa Bay is at the forefront of the analytics movement, allowing them to acquire valuable assets that have been discarded by other organizations.
The Friedman Connection
The most obvious connection between these franchises is how they’ve been shaped by executive Andrew Friedman.
Friedman became the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Devil Rays in 2005, when he was just 28 years old. At that time, the team had never finished with a winning record. But Friedman oversaw a franchise reboot that resulted in a 2008 American League pennant and three subsequent postseason appearances.
Under Friedman, the Rays rebranded by dropping the “Devil” from their name and adopting a more muted color scheme. Those superficial changes would have been meaningless, however, had Friedman failed to reverse the franchise’s fortunes. He did just that by hiring Joe Maddon as manager, drafting David Price with the #1 overall pick in 2007, signing bargain free agents like Carlos Peña, and trading for arms like Matt Garza.
After his successful stint in Tampa, Friedman was wooed by the Dodgers. Since becoming LA’s President of Baseball Operations in October 2014, Friedman has been instrumental in sustaining the Dodgers’ historic streak of division titles. During his Dodgers tenure, Friedman has overseen the development of core players like Cody Bellinger and Corey Seager, while orchestrating blockbuster moves like the acquisition and signing of superstar Mookie Betts. Should the Dodgers win the World Series in the near future, Friedman’s dogged pursuit of Betts may prove to be his greatest coup.
Aroz by Any Other Name
Raise your hand if you had heard of Randy Arozarena before this October.
In the span of a month, Arozarena has gone from complete obscurity to the uncontested breakout star of the 2020 postseason. Last fall, Arozarena found himself in hot water with the Cardinals after he live-streamed a profanity-laden locker room speech by manager Mike Shildt. That error in judgment may partially explain why the Cards included Arozarena as a throw-in when they dealt José Martínez to the Rays in January.
The Cardinals’ loss was Tampa Bay’s gain. Arozarena opened eyes in Spring Training with his lightning-quick bat speed, drawing raves from observers like Nationals skipper Dave Martinez. Baseball then went on hiatus for several months due to the coronavirus pandemic, and when it returned, Arozarena tested positive for COVID-19. Holed up in a St. Petersburg hotel room for a month, he taught himself how to cook chicken and rice, and packed on 15 pounds of muscle by doing 300 pushups a day.
Arozarena made his 2020 debut on August 30th, and he hasn’t stopped hitting since. Surprisingly, MLB’s best fastball hitter isn’t a household name like Mike Trout or Freddie Freeman. Indeed, it was Arozarena who topped all major leaguers with an .895 slugging percentage against fastballs in the 2020 regular season.
Now that he’s been crowned the ALCS MVP, set the rookie record for postseason home runs, and sported a stylish pair of cowboy boots, this electrifying talent is finally on the casual fan’s radar. Arozarena’s teammates call him “the best player on the planet,” and at this point, it’s hard to disagree.
The Kershaw Conundrum
Few would argue that Clayton Kershaw is anything but the most masterful pitcher of his generation. The lefty has earned every accolade imaginable, including MVP honors back in 2014. The one achievement that has eluded Kershaw is a World Series championship, and his postseason shortcomings are the sole imperfection of an otherwise flawless resumé.
For much of the last decade, Kershaw has, somewhat unfairly, worn the reputation of a postseason poser. While the ace’s career postseason ERA (4.31) is nearly two full runs higher than his regular season mark (2.43), he’s also sprinkled in some brilliant playoff performances throughout his career. Most of Kershaw’s mediocre postseason outings have followed a familiar pattern: Kershaw breezes through the first four innings or so, only to be left in the game too long. The Dodgers bullpen allows the inherited runners to score, and the runs get charged to Kershaw, leaving him with a final line that doesn’t reflect how well he actually pitched.
There’s no denying that Kershaw has failed to replicate his regular season brilliance with much consistency in October, but he’s also been the victim of some poor luck and indecisive managing. In the end, the outcome of the 2020 World Series may hinge on whether Dave Roberts can learn from past mistakes and pull Kershaw at the appropriate time.
Searle’s Final Say
The 2020 World Series is a rarity in that, despite this year’s expanded playoff format, the two best teams in each league will be represented. Though they lack the Dodgers’ star power, the Rays have the pitching depth to shut down LA’s high-octane offense. I expect this series to go a full seven games, with the Rays ultimately prevailing because of their superior bullpen.
