How to Get to the World Series

How does a team construct the right roster to get to the World Series? I'll give you a clue. It doesn't require A-Rod or Santana.

Whether you are the big pocket Yankees or the lowly Nationals, there is only one way to get to a World Series: You need a roster of hungry players who are playing for their next contract and who want to win.

Nothing is a larger motivating factor than money and providing for our families. To professional athletes, especially in the early years, winning is great and alot of fun, but it doesn't put food on the table. Let's be clear. The minimum salary for a professional athlete is well within the top 1% in the nation, so no one will be seeing these atheltes on the soup line. But, if you are an athlete, your goal since you were young was to make it to the big leagues and to set up your family for life. That is why they play. They pay their dues in the minors and are looking for that one big payday. Because of injuries, many hard-working athletes never get to see that day. So for those who are fortunate and have positioned themselves correctly, this is their chance.

How often are you likely to find a player on a long-term contract have a career season?? Very rarely. Most players, like ourselves, get comfortable at our jobs and will not push ourselves harder unless there is some reward on the other end. Motivation has been replaced by long guaranteed contracts. Is it really a surprise that some of the best players this year put up their best seasons in the final year of their contracts? A-Rod (Opt out clause), Jorge Posada, Torii Hunter, and Aaron Rowand were all playing for their next contract. Meanwhile, players who just received big contracts and are less motivated had off-years. See Alfonso Soriano, Gary Matthews, Jonny Damon, Vernon Wells, and Barry Zito.

The other players who put in on the line this year were the young stars who are playing for their first or next big contract. See Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Victor Martinez, Grady Sizemore, Dan Haren, Prince Fielder, Justin Morneau, and C.C. Sabathia. These players are hungry and seek to increase their future pay day.

Agreeably, some players, despite their salaries, still put forth a great effort on the field. Those are players like Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Vlad Guerrero, Chase Utley, and David Ortiz. But these players are few and far between. Most players are just like us. They play harder when they know there is financial security on the line.

So, the trick to fielding a World Series winning team is to gather young hungry players who are playing for their next contract. That means that signing players like A-Rod and Johan Santana to 10 year contracts will not guarantee you a ring. When was the last time A-Rod or Santana appeared in the World Series???