Part 6/7:
The ramifications of this offseason stretched beyond player acquisitions. Increasingly, franchises were faced with difficult choices that pit them against a landscape of escalating costs and uncertain futures. The good teams thrived on their investments while those at the bottom of the structural pyramid found themselves scrambling to stay relevant. Every decision pushed some organizations to risk taking on unsustainable contracts just to remain competitive, as illustrated by the Blue Jays’ struggle to balance a fine line between escalation and viability.