In the wake of two major lockouts in the NFL and now the NBA, I turn my attention to baseball, where the MLB has the best chance for small market teams to be successful, and unless you are a fan of the World Champion Green Bay Packers, it will grow increasingly difficult for your small market teams to thrive and flourish next to their big market (big money) counterparts. But with a few of the small market MLB teams playing well through the mid-point of the season, some of the not-as-rich teams have caught my eye the past few months.

There is something to be said for the small-market teams like the Tampa Bay Rays. With a 49-41 record and sitting third in the American League East Division behind the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, two of the most storied, rich, and successful franchises in baseball, the Rays are competitive and are careful not to overspend, landing high value players at a cheaper price, i.e. former Red Sox and Yankees player Johnny Damon, who is aging but still productive, given he is healthy. If Rays Manager Joe Maddon had the financial freedom to sign a highly paid roster similar to Steinberner’s Yankees, the World Series title wouldn’t leave Tropicana Field too often. The Rays are possibly the saddest of all the small-market teams, considering they won their difficult division last year and barely had anyone in the stands. What if they actually moved the stadium from St. Petersburg to Tampa Bay?

In Cleveland, a city where fans (and owners, i.e. Dan Gilbert) are still reeling from the break-up of their relationship with LeBron James, their best hope for a championship very well lies with the Cleveland Indians. With a 47-42 record, and only a half game back from the first place Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division, the Indians are a well-grounded team and a good sleeper pick to make the postseason, which they have a great chance of making if their pitching holds up for the remainder of the regular season.

Citizens of the state of Wisconsin have a great chance of celebrating again this year with the chance of another one of their smaller-market professional teams in the championship hunt. Lead by the big bat of Prince Fielder, the Milwaukee Brewers have been playing solid baseball and are tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for first place in the National League Central Division with a 49-43 record.

This season, there is a small possibility the city of Pittsburgh could celebrate a championship parade with a team not named the Steelers or Penguins. Gasp! After so many seasons of utter disappointment, the Pirates are slowly turning into a hot team to follow in baseball. Led by All-Star Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates have finally kept themselves competitive in their division. With a 47-43 record and only a game behind the Brewers and Cardinals in the NL Central, Pittsburgh fans want to think this could possibly be their year to do well.

So there you have it: four small-market teams that have enough pieces to make a good run in the postseason – as long as they can pay the bills.