Repollo
The Milwaukee Brewers completed a 4-0 NLCS sweep of the Dodgers on October 16, ending the two-time defending champions’ three-peat bid and sending Milwaukee to its first World Series since 1982. The Brewers won 103 regular-season games on roughly a $146M payroll — about a third of the Dodgers’ $500M roster — the lowest-paid World Series team since the 1994-95 strike. ‘Dynasty over’ believers say LA was out-pitched and out-executed in every game: getting swept at $500M is the sport telling that window to close. Skeptics counter that four games prove nothing — Ohtani, Betts and Freeman are locked in long-term, the Dodgers still won 95 games, and they will reload in free agency as always.