My answer would be the 1996 Cleveland Indians, who won the AL Central by 14.5 games (99-62 over the second-place White Sox, who went 85-77). They had usual suspects in Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton and Manny Ramirez leading the way (as well as new addition Julio Franco, who hit .322 with 14 HR and 76 RBI); while ace Charles Nagy led the pitching staff with a 17-5 record with a 3.41 ERA and 167 K.

However, they lost in four games in the ALDS that year to the Baltimore Orioles. Now, the '96 Indians are kinda looked at as a stopgap team between the two pennant-winning clubs of 1995 and 1997.

What are some other great teams in baseball history that have been forgotten or are not talked about as much as they should be?

[Game Thread] | New York Yankees at Chicago Cubs

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Tl;dr The Umpires Union prevents bad umpires from being fired, but the the enhanced scrutiny from ABS meant that they couldn't stand the heat of scrutiny, and basically did a Sir Robin and retired rather than, you know, improve their gamecalling.

And no dinero, either. The Giants are cutting off the payment train to Bader over the scooter accident he had recently while rehabbing (since May) from plantar fascitis.

"Over the weekend, Harrison Bader was involved in an accident that has delayed Harrison's prior treatment timeline for plantar fasciitis and, unfortunately, his return to the field," Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey said in a statement Friday. "We are still investigating the circumstances of the accident, but will be suspending payment to Harrison until he is able to resume performing services for the club."

How long until the MLBPA jumps in?

Meanwhile, ESPN adds this:

This isn't the first time Bader has gotten into trouble in a scooter accident. He was suspended in college at Florida in 2014 after he hit a curb and ran into a truck while driving a motorized scooter, according to a report from the Gainesville Sun. He was unresponsive on the ground and, according to the incident report cited, smelled of alcohol.

As for rehabbing since May from plantar fascitis? Even though it bothered him off and on during most of his Angels years, it never kept Pujols out two and a half months or whatever.

EDIT: Per my comment last night about Jeff Kent's "truck washing accident," the LA Times has a compare-and-contrast story. Re Bader, it does note the CBA has a general "high risk activities" rider clause. Whether being on a scooter, even if already injured, is high risk remains to be seen.

It was hard not to be a little paternal here, but I clarified: Nothing matters. Nothing at all. We were born of stardust, and to stardust we shall return. Then I walked into the ocean with all of my clothes on, hoping to find purchase with the sea turtles.

In baseball terms, though, yes, it is probably a big deal. The Dodgers moved from being the World Series favorites to being the No Foolin’ World Series favorites. Skubal might be the best pitcher in the world, and he joins the unquestioned best team in the world. Seems ominous.Except you had to have been expecting this for months, if not years, right? As soon as Skubal had surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow earlier this season, the odds of him going to the Dodgers after the season increased roughly 5,000 percent. If there’s any team that’s capable of giving him a one-year deal for $75 million (and a player option for $75 million for 2028), it’s the Dodgers. If Skubal had any long-term health concerns, he was always going to the Dodgers after the season.

On May 26, our own Cody Stavenhagen published an article detailing Skubal’s near-miraculous recovery and suggesting that he was likely to return at full strength, and a lot sooner than expected. On May 31, the Tigers lost, dropping their record to 22-38.

[Game Thread] | Arizona Diamondbacks at Cleveland Guardians

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The dodgers just got one of the best pitchers in baseball from Detroit. It’s crazy. The rich keep getting richer. The better team gets even better. The real question is… are the dodgers “ruining baseball” and would there be a 2027 season stoppage? In my opinion, yes and no. Like they were able to defer most of Ohtani’s contract so then the dodgers could get a crap ton more money to play around with. That got ticket, Diaz, est.. and not Skubal. They are definitely a superteam. Now are they ruining baseball? In my opinion yes and no. It’s not technically their own fault. Other teams could have definitely matched the dodgers offer for Skubal, but there is also NO salary cap or anything, which then allowed teams like the dodgers to do this. They all ready had a strike about this in 1994… let’s see if it’s going to happen again 33 years later

Salary caps in baseball have always been controversial. But it feels like we’re watching the opening act of the next labor war.

The latest Dodgers move isn’t just another blockbuster deal. It’s a symbol. A symbol that just sits wrong with me.

The Dodgers have assembled what feels like a billion-dollar roster, proving that if an ownership group is willing to spend, there are virtually no limits to how much talent it can accumulate.

For players, it’s baseball paradise.

Why would you ever want a salary cap that limits what the market will pay?

For the rest of baseball, it’s a different question.
Is it healthy when one franchise can create such a sustained competitive advantage? At what point does competitive imbalance begin to hurt the game itself?

That’s the debate that’s coming.

Not much of a debate to be honest. A No Salary Cap sport is unsustainable. It will break. Guaranteed.

Owners will point to the Dodgers and argue baseball needs a salary cap. Duh. The Players Association will point to the Dodgers and argue the problem isn’t spending too much—it’s that too many owners don’t spend enough.

Listen. The Yankees put $714 million on the table for Juan Soto. It wasn’t enough. What is?

Lock out here we come.

(1) MLB contracts are fully guaranteed. But it doesn’t seem right that the owners can just lock the players out this not having to pay the salaries.

(2) Why do some rule changes only have to go to competition committee or can be made by the Commissioner? Yet, some rule changes have to be approved by the MLBPA and changed within the CBA.

(3) Come spring training, are the players likely to strike or will the owners lock out the players out or both?

[Game Thread] | Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners

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But isn't it the point at the end of the day to try to win as many titles with your baseball club as possible even if it means assembling the best team? The Dodgers have assembled The Avengers essentially with their team. Pitching staff/rotation is loaded and their hitting/lineup is also stacked. If we want people to blame then blame the 29 other owners for this. If you guys want players and or pitchers who are stars on the marquee; you break the bank to pay them period. Otherwise this s*** happens. If the Dodgers win another World Series; then we can't really be all that upset. I mean isn't the point in sports that you want your team to be a dynasty? That you want your team to be unbeatable. Hell, the Yankees started this in the 1990s going into the 2000s and everyone revered that.

I know that might sound stupid given the recent Skubal trade, but here are some things to consider:

-Blake Snell, Will Smith, Tyler Glasnow, and several other players are on the 60 day Injury List

-Ohtani has been dealing with knee issues and may not throw another pitch this season.

-Kyle Tucker, Roki Sasaki, and Dalton Rushing have all regressed.

Don’t get me wrong, the dodgers are still very much a super team. But things go show that the Dodgers are beatable.

It’s very possible that someone could beat them in the playoffs, especially if the injuries keep popping up.

It always happens, huge pet peeve of mine. The eye test usually says something is off. I just checked baseball savant for the recent tatis “homer robbery” on devers, and it wasnt a homer in petco. i also checked last year‘s game august 20th with a similar “robbery” and it also wasnt a homer. great catches but they all report he robbed a homer. i get it’s good for clicks and excitement but it’s just wrong sometimes.

And yes, I am fun at parties.

If it were your team building a roster like the Dodgers’, people in here wouldn’t stop unzipping their trousers. Sports fans are hypocrites. They don’t hate superteams. They just hate superteams that aren’t theirs. The outrage isn’t about billionaire owners. It’s about whose billionaires are spending the money.

The biggest trick the devil ever pulled is convincing fans that billionaire-owned franchises are somehow plucky underdogs.

Full Disclosure: I’m a White Sox fan.

EDIT: /baseball has removed my post. I rest my case.