The conclusion of the Major League Baseball (MLB) season is close as the World Series starts on Friday, Oct. 26. Powerhouse teams such as the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodgers were favored to appear in the World Series, but things went differently. The 2023 World Series matchup consists of two teams that finished with over 100 losses two years prior: The Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Rangers in 2021 lost 102 games in 2021 and finished last in the American League West division. That year, they spent $98 million on the team, with the highest-paid player, starting pitcher Jordan Lyles, receiving an average annual value (AAV) of $8 million. MLB’s average payroll was $131 million in 2021, resulting in general manager Chris Young making changes. Ahead of the owner’s lockout of players, Young signed superstar infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien to lucrative contracts. Seager signed a 10-year deal worth $325 million and Semien signed a 7-year, $175 million contract.
Young would continue to spend more money on stars in 2022 after finishing fourth in the American League West by signing future Hall of Fame starting pitcher Jacob deGrom and World Series champion Nathan Eovaldi.
All four players helped make Texas a competitive team again in 2023 until deGrom went down with a season-ending injury that damaged the starting rotation. Young would be more aggressive and acquire more pitching in the likes of three-time Cy Young award winner Max Scherzer and left-hander Jordan Montgomery. These key acquisitions at the trade deadline further aided Texas to a playoff birth where they would surge through the postseason. The Rangers beat Tampa Bay, Baltimore and their in-state rivals, the Astros, to advance to the World Series for the first time in 2011.
The Diamondbacks were added to MLB as an expansion team in 1998, where they shined in their first couple of seasons. They won the National League West division title in their second season with a record of 100-62. They became the quickest expansion team ever to win the World Series when they won in 2001 against the New York Yankees in seven games.
Finishing with a record of 52-110 in 2021, the Diamondbacks had a bright future ahead with the trade acquisitions of ace Zac Gallen in 2019 and drafted outfielder Corbin Carroll with the 16th selection. In 2023, both players are superstars, with Gallen becoming a favorite to win the Cy Young in 2023 and Carroll locked in to win Rookie of the Year in the National League.
The Diamondbacks were close to not even making the postseason after dropping the final six games of the regular season. Now, they are in a prime position to bring home their second championship since being added to MLB and the Rangers are looking for their first title in franchise history.
