So I have been closely watching the AL East race between the Red Sox and the Rays (formerly known as the Devil Rays). They have been duking it out for the bulk of the season, which is halfway over, and as of tonight, the Rays are in 1st place. And I am excited for the Rays and their fan base. I am sure you are wondering how I could be cheering for another team, let alone a division rival of my beloved Yanks.
It's simple. Teams like the Yanks and Red Sox pay a luxury tax because they are over the MLB-instituted salary cap. The proceeds from that tax go to the lower revenue teams, like the Tampa Bay Rays. Unfortunately what happens in a lot of the situations is that teams that benefit from receiving these funds do not re-invest them in player salaries, even though the luxury tax was created to make the teams play on a more equal playing field in terms of player quality, etc. (no pun intended).
Given the Rays cellar dwelling status for the past 10+ years, they have been able to stockpile top draft picks, get an ownership team that actually cares and also use that tax/revenue sharing money to secure draft picks that have a lot of potential. Case in point – Evan Longoria. To me, this shows that the system does work if owners take the money and reinvest it, unlike teams like the Royals, etc.
I don't know if the Rays will be able to hold on but since the Yanks are clearly not contending this season, I may have to cheer for them in order to prevent the Red Sox from going back to the playoffs. Unlikely scenario, but a girl can dream right?