It is said that fortune favors the bold. If you printed out that expression and mailed it to members of the Tigers and A's front offices, however, they would almost certainly crumple it up, light it on fire, or worse.
The A's, who beefed up their starting pitching for an extended playoff run, saw their top acquisition, Jon Lester, give up six runs in a wild card defeat to the Royals.
The Tigers, who seemingly have every Cy Young Award winner in history — including deadline acquisition David Price — were swept in the ALDS when none of their aces could trump the Orioles' no-names.
So the teams that many assumed would grind it out in a classic AL Championship Series for the chance to go to the World Series failed to win a playoff game. It was another reminder that big spending and bold trades guarantee nothing in baseball.
That doesn't mean being able to spend money and acquire good players has nothing to do with success. The Yankees and Red Sox spend money and (usually) win. They have increased margin for error, but they also have to make good choices. The A's have decreased margin for error and must make better choices.
That margin can show up in the playoffs; the Yankees and Red Sox have won eight of the past 18 World Series titles, while the A's haven't made it to the World Series in that span but have lost seven consecutive loser-goes-home playoff games.
Regardless, the most important factor in success isn't how much you spend, but how you spend it. Low payroll teams with cheap, young talent can thrive. High-payroll teams with bloated contracts often nose-dive.
Those are all important sentiments to remember as we head into an offseason when the Twins will be confronted with renewed questions about payroll and spending money.
