The AL is better because they have more talent. Yes, the DH is an advantage too...obviously. I've posted details on this before. Don't feel like digging it all up again, but the point is the different rules require different roster construction, and when it comes time to use the DH, AL Teams have real DH's that can mash while NL teams have defensive minded bench players filling in at DH,.
You can't construct and NL Team with a David Ortiz, a Manny Ramirez, a Kevin Youkilis, and a Mike Lowell to fill three corner positions.
But aside from that....it's about money.
The Yankees are the engine that drives the AL. They have a huge payroll......so Boston has to keep up. Boston has a huge payroll, so other teams in the league have to spend or they will get blown away by NY and Boston every year.
6 of the 14 AL Teams, or 43% of the teams, have a payroll over 117 Million
3 of the 16 NL Teams, or 19% of the teams, have a payroll over 117 Million
And of those 3 teams, two of them, the Mets and Dodgers, spend their money like drunken fools due to horrible management.
One of these days, (Don't ask me when) the Mets and Dodgers will get ownership and management that knows what the heck they are doing....and when that happens, there will eventually be more parity between the two leagues. But right now there is no one driving the bus in the NL, forcing the other teams to spend big bucks on talent to keep up.
Why have a payroll of 120 million, when you can spend 75-90 million (or even less in some cases) and still have a chance to make the post season?
NONE of the above is intended to be a payroll whine, by the way.....it's not. It's just a simple observation of the facts.
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