Cleveland Guardians fans face a harsh reality: the Los Angeles Dodgers just won the World Series with a $394 million payroll while committing $228 million for 2028—more than most teams' entire rosters. Can small-market teams compete in baseball's broken economic system?

Jeff Ellis breaks down the Dodgers' championship run and what it reveals about MLB's payroll disparity crisis. The discussion covers why baseball desperately needs a salary cap and floor, analyzes the minimum offensive production Cleveland requires to contend for a title, and examines one of the darkest periods in Cleveland baseball history. From the infamous Rocky Colavito trade to the even worse Norm Cash deal, Ellis reveals how the 1959-1960 era saw Cleveland ship away multiple Hall of Fame-caliber players including Tommy John, Dennis Eckersley, and Minnie Miñoso in catastrophic transactions that shaped decades of franchise struggles.

Discover why the Colavito trade wasn't even the worst deal that week and what Cleveland must do offensively to compete with baseball's financial giants.

0:00 Intro: Dodgers Win World Series

1:04 Today's Topics

2:37 Dodgers' Payroll Analysis

5:09 Guardians vs Dodgers Spending

8:12 MLB Revenue Sharing Issues

13:17 Salary Cap Discussion

14:17 Guardians' Offensive Needs

22:28 Cleveland's 1960s Trade History

31:07 Tommy John & Craig Nettles Trades

PrizePicks
Download the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONMLB to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.
PrizePicks — Run Your Game.
Click Link Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONMLB

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONMLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel
Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA and NFL seasons are here, visit the FanDuel App today and start planning your futures bets now.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…

🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-guardians/

Locked On MLB League-Wide: Every Team, Prospects & More

🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/leagues/mlb/

#Guardians #ClevelandGuardians #MLB

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.