LOS ANGELES.- The historic title of the Milwaukee Brewers, a modest franchise led by Venezuelans Jackson Chourio and William Contrerashas shaken the foundations of the Major Leagues before the labor battle that could redefine the future of the competition.
The tense negotiations for the new collective agreement of the MLB could cut the unlimited expenditure of powers such as Mets and New York Yankees or the Los Angeles Dodgersousted from the throne in the playoffs by the Brewers.
Milwaukee, the smallest market among the 30 Major League teams, has proven that a modest payroll, with patience to develop talent and a good nose for the market, can also reach the top.
After 57 years of waiting, the Brewers finally toasted Tuesday night with the definitive victory in the World Series in front of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Their victory in the “Autumn Classic”, by a total of 4-1, rounded off the authoritarian season of a team led by the Venezuelans Chourio and Contreras, elected the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final.
A total of 103 wins in the regular season, more than any rival, and an 11-2 record in the playoffs were the Brewers’ relentless service record.
Their glorious month of October included an eight-game winning streak in which they swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0. Shohei Ohtani contenders for a third consecutive trophy.
Although there is no shortage of experienced figures in their dressing room, such as the manager Pat Murphy or the former MVP winner, Christian YelichMilwaukee’s heroes ended up being two 22-year-old bets: Chourio and the rookie Cooper Pratt.
The Venezuelan confirmed his immense potential with a sublime first World Series of 11 hits, the second most in history for the first five games of a “Fall Classic.”
In his first three seasons in the Majors, Chourio has even exceeded the expectations that Milwaukee had when it gave him an eight-year, $82 million contract in 2023, the most lucrative for a player who had not yet debuted.
The American Pratt, who made his debut in the Major Leagues in June, hit hits in six consecutive at-bats, the longest streak for a rookie in a World Series.
Lockout in sight?
Chourio and Pratt were not the only choices by Milwaukee’s sports management that returned extraordinary dividends.
In 2023, they acquired Contreras in a three-way deal when the Venezuelan was still far from achieving the defensive solidity he exhibited in the World Series.
Milwaukee scouts also hit it out of the park with the pitching staff, including the pick in the draft of Jacob Misiorowskifavorite for the award Cy Young in the National Leagueand a bullpen of exceptional effectiveness in the postseason.
With this winning project, Milwaukee demystified the importance of money in the MLB, the only major North American sports league that has not imposed a salary limit until now.
This absence of limits was symbolized in the Championship Series between Milwaukee, which allocated $146 million to salaries, and the Dodgers, who invested $340 million in a roster full of superstars like Ohtani, whose salary reaches $70 million.
These major differences could be significantly reduced if the owners’ demands for the renewal of the collective agreement, which expires in December, go ahead.
Negotiations with the players’ union, opposed to the imposition of a salary limit, have so far been thorny and threaten to lead to a lockout of uncertain duration.
