There’s something refreshing about a World Series that doesn’t feature the usual big spenders. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays are both looking for their first championship, and they’ve reached baseball’s biggest stage with two of the lowest combined payrolls in a World Series matchup in decades.

That makes this series about more than who wins four games. It raises a question worth asking: Is baseball becoming a little less about buying the biggest names and a little more about finding the right players and building a team that works?

The Brewers won 103 games this season. The Rays won 98. Those aren’t the records of two lucky clubs that happened to catch fire at the right time. Both teams have put together excellent seasons, and now they have a chance to finish the job.

Finding Talent Matters as Much as Buying It

We’ve heard plenty about the Moneyball approach over the years. The basic idea is that teams can find value where other clubs might overlook it. Good scouting, player development, analytics, and smart roster decisions can help an organization compete without spending like the richest teams in baseball.

But I don’t think there’s one secret formula. Finding good players is one thing. Developing them, putting them in the right roles, and getting them to play well together is another. That’s where the Brewers and Rays deserve credit. Their success suggests that a club doesn’t necessarily need to win every bidding war to build a winning roster. It needs to make good decisions, and it needs enough of those decisions to work.

Of course, this isn’t proof that money doesn’t matter. Big payrolls can buy proven talent, and that advantage isn’t going away. The Brewers and Rays have simply shown other ways to build a team capable of winning at a high level.

A Championship Would Raise Bigger Questions

If either club wins the World Series, it will be a terrific story for its fans. If they meet as two first-time champions-in-waiting, it also gives baseball something to think about. Is this a victory for smart team-building, or does the payroll gap point to a bigger problem? Perhaps it’s a little of both. Smaller-market clubs can compete, but they often have to be more careful about how they spend and how long they can keep their best players.

One series won’t settle that argument. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate what these two teams have accomplished. Baseball has always been about more than the names on the back of the jerseys. The Brewers and Rays have reminded us that finding the right players, making them better, and building a team that fits together can take you far.

Now comes the hard part: winning the World Series. And that would be a pretty good way to make their point.

Related: The Blue Jays Don’t Need to Start Over, But Need to Find Themselves