I went down to the demonstration
To get my fair share of abuse
You Cant Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
From their 1969 album Let It Bleed, the Rolling Stones had incredible success with You Cant Always Get What You Want. The song was ranked the 100th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone in 2004. Interestingly, it topped out at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 while it was on charts, but its staying power lasted far beyond many of the songs ahead of it.
With the rumors that The Rolling Stones tended to copy the Beatles soon after the Beatles tried something new in the music arena, the fact that Stones lead man Mick Jagger was quoted as saying that he really liked the structure and musical style mix of Hey Jude, and a few months later, You Cant Always Get showed up with a very similar song structure and musical mix certainly doesnt dissuade those copycat conspiracies.
Baseball has long been a copycat game. From the first time that someone decided to throw the ball overhand to the first time someone attempted a curveball to the first time a bat was utilized with a narrow handle and thick striking end, baseball began as a game where innovation bred success, and success, in turn, bred duplication.
Even in the modern era, baseball was a slow adapter to the movement of power lifting and sport-specific training that other sports adopted in the late 1970s into the mid-1980s, but once teams picked up on things, the league went from one part-time strength and conditioning employee with an MLB team in 1989 to every team (including all four expansion teams that joined the league in the meantime) employing at least two full-time staffers in strength and conditioning within a decade.
The 2025 season is quickly coming to a close for Major League Baseball, and this is a season that Ive had to accept my fair share of abuse, as the song says. You cant always get what you want, indeed.
Coming into the season, my favorite team, the Atlanta Braves, was among the top bets to win the World Series. In fact, the odds had the Braves tied for the second-best bet to reach the World Series in Las Vegas, tied with the Yankees, and trailing only the Dodgers.
Instead, Atlanta started the season losing their first seven games. Injuries plagued the team throughout the year, and they finished 76-86.
The local MLB nine, the Minnesota Twins, had a similar fate. Not quite as popular a selection for the World Series, the Twins were a very slim favorite to win the Central division coming into the year. Instead, like the Braves, they finished fourth in their own division, closing with a 70-92 record. Now both the Twins and the Braves are searching for a new manager.
In fact, of the top 10 teams in preseason Vegas odds, five did not even make the playoffs, and this is an era when a third of the league makes the playoffs each year, so thats a fairly large swing and a miss by the odds-makers.
Last night began the final gasp of the 2025 season, as the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays squared off in the first game of the World Series.
The Dodgers are attempting to win back-to-back titles this year after winning the World Series last season. That said, it wasnt as easy as most thought for the Dodgers this year, as they were the third seed in the National League coming into the playoffs.
In an era of copycats in baseball, the Dodgers have been the best example of a team taking someone elses good idea and adding multiple layers upon it.
The Tampa Bay Rays led an analytical revolution in the game when they had Andrew Friedman as their general manager. He is now employed by the Dodgers, and hes using and expanding that analysis, but he also has the leagues largest checkbook.
Many dont like the Dodgers spending ability because so many of their salaries are deferred. However, one thing found with deferred salaries is that they tend to be significant bargains by the time the effect is felt on a teams luxury tax. For example, a player paid $30 million now against a teams $290 million salary allowable before exceeding luxury tax rules will occupy more than 10% of the entire teams salaries, but if you can get the player to defer $25 million to 10 or 15 years from now, the annual rate of growth of the luxury tax would estimate that a team will be working with a $350 million luxury tax cap by that point. That drops that players impact on the payroll to 7%. So, if the rules allow for it, deferrals are a smart way to do business in sports and entertainment.
It also helps to have a player in Shohei Ohtani who can do things on the baseball field that no player has ever done all at the same time. Certainly, players have been better hitters than Shohei. Players have been better pitchers than Shohei. However, he is among the top ten in talent as both a hitter and a pitcher, something no one has ever done as long as he has already.
The Blue Jays are back in the World Series for the first time since Joe Carter broke Phillies fans hearts in 1993. They made Canadian-born Vladimir Guerrero Jr. their franchise player last year with a $500 million contract. Hes arguably been the best hitter in the playoffs this offseason, propelling his team into the World Series.
As a side gig, I write and podcast about baseball and am the co-director of an organization that supports baseball writers. The main focus of my writing and podcasting is baseball prospects, and Im excited to see a player who was drafted in July 2024 and made his professional debut in the minor leagues this season, Trey Yesavage, start Game 1 of the World Series for the Blue Jays.
Yes, my Braves arent going to be hoisting the World Series trophy this year, but sometimes, when we dont get what we want, it can still be plenty exciting to watch.
Enjoy the last few days with baseball for 2025!
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