Hour 1: All-In Theories

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This is The Michael Kay Show Podcast.

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Anna, good afternoon, everybody. This is indeed The Michael Kay Show. We thank you for joining us on this Tuesday, October 13th, 2026 Me and you for two, those are the rules of engagement. It's the fastest moving two hours in Sports Talk Radio, and it moves so quickly because of you, my esteemed co-host, and how do you get in? How do you become a co-host? Well, the membership number is 1-800-919-3776, 1-800-919-3776.

It's one of the most ridiculous narratives that I have heard in a long time.

And the way the playoffs are playing out, we will see how ridiculous it is.

So, the Milwaukee Brewers are up 2 games to nothing over the Dodgers. Two really exciting games, and Milwaukee getting hits when they need to get hits, working pitchers, knocking out Scubal after 5, knocking out Yamamoto even before that. So Milwaukee is up 2 games to nothing. On the other side of the bracket, in the American League, the Guardians had more hits, or as many hits, against the Rays as the Yankees had in all 3 games against the Rays. They had it in 1 game. And the Guardians were trailing, and Rasmussen was on the mound, and they ended up winning the game. So whichever way it goes in the American League, if Milwaukee comes out of the National League, the narrative is going around, all the owners, you know, they're going to have to back off wanting a cap because of, because you know, they want parody, that the little teams, the little markets, they can't compete. Well, let's say Milwaukee does hold off the Dodgers. Anybody riding off the Dodgers yet? I guess you haven't watched this movie. Now, they're going to have to win 4 or 5 games to go to the World Series, but they know how to win. They know how to win. Now, they might have to win without Shohei Otani, who looks like a lost player with the injuries that he's battling through, but they know how to win. But let's say that Milwaukee does win. You know, they're up 2 games to nothing, so I guess that's the way to bet. They will face either Tampa Bay or Cleveland, and it would be looked at as the small market World Series. And there are people out there that are starting this nonsensical argument, oh, this is the worst thing for the owners. There's no way they can ask for a cap after this. Have you met these people? You don't think they're going to ask for a cap after this? What does it matter? Because what they'll say, and I'll tell you exactly what they'll say, I don't even know if they're talking points memo, but what they will say is yeah, but can they keep these teams together? No, they're going to get rid of all their players. They're going to have to get rid of their players when they become eligible to make big money because for every Jose Ramirez who is willing to leave lots of money on the table to stay in Cleveland, everybody else is going to want to get their bag. Stephen Kwan is going to want to get his bag at some point. That's just the way it works. Brian Roquio is going to want to get his bag at some point. All of the pitchers that have gotten them to this point, they're going to want to get paid too.

And that's what Major League Baseball is going to say. Well, that was a one-off. That was a one-off.

They can't keep that team together. Okay, the Kansas City Royals went to two World Series in a row. Have they been back since?

Any small market team that makes it doesn't return for a very, very, very long time. And here's the dirty little secret that everybody should know.

They want a cap to increase their franchise value. I don't know why they just don't, they don't just say that. You know, this is a business for us, and with cost certainty comes more worth to our franchise. But they feel the better thing, the thing that the fan bases will buy.

You know, it's hard to keep a team together. It's hard to build a team when your payroll is one third of the big market teams. It's just, it's difficult, and it is, it is. You know, the people that are pying the skyers on this, right, they always talk about, well, if all these teams were run, like Milwaukee and like Tampa Bay and like Cleveland, well, this wouldn't be an issue. So you mean to tell me that the people that run those teams, they're available to everybody? Or are those teams special because they found special people? I don't think there's an aisle at Walmart that you could walk down and go, I want the genius GM that could turn a small market team into a winner. Now, there's no such aisle. You have to get incredibly lucky and you have to find really, really bright people who get it. And the people in Milwaukee get it. It started with David Stearns. Now it's gone to Matt Arnold. It hasn't skipped a beat. The people in Cleveland are very, very bright. And they've been smart for a long time. And the people in Tampa Bay started with Andrew Friedman and he left to get his bag in LA with the Dodgers.