MLB Playoffs 2024: How to Win as a Small Team

Sometimes it's not about having more, but about doing more with less.

When the MLB playoffs begin in a few days, baseball's two highest-grossing teams – the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers – will come into play as popular favorites for the World Series. The New York Mets, Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros and Dodgers have the five largest payrolls in baseball, according to data from Spotrac. If the Mets clinch one of the remaining National League wild-card slots, all five will be moved to October.

Money in, money out. It's a time-honored formula for winning in baseball. Still, this year's postseason round will also feature a number of teams at lower income and salary levels. According to revenue figures included in Forbes' annual ranking of MLB clubs, it's likely that half of the playoff round will consist of teams ranked 18th or lower.

Two of these teams are not really surprise participants. The Baltimore Orioles (No. 18 in revenue) won more than 100 games last season and the Arizona Diamondbacks (No. 22) won the NL pennant last season. The other four — the Kansas City Royals (No. 26), Detroit Tigers (No. 25), Cleveland Guardians (No. 20) and Milwaukee Brewers (No. 19) — are big surprises.

Both have exceeded expectations this season without the significant economic clout of baseball's biggest earners. Let's take a closer look at this quartet to see what secrets, if any, they reveal.