Bradford Doolittle Oct 21, 2026, 07:00 AM ET

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MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com

Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com

Been with ESPN since 2013

Welcome to the small-market World Series. This is a theme you're likely to encounter a lot this week, as the momentum toward this Rays-Brewers showdown gathers.

To be sure, there are a number of similarities between the Brewers and Rays, but those similarities are mostly top-line items. The sub-traits beneath them are very different.

Take their markets, for example. They are small in different ways. By metro population figures and Major League Baseball's internal market score, Milwaukee is at the bottom of the league, while Tampa Bay ranks closer to the middle.

But if you look at revenue, their places flip. The Milwaukee metro area might be small, but the Brewers are a regional franchise that has fans all over Wisconsin.

It's a similar situation on the field.…