They aren't playing poker this is MLB baseball. All of those chips in, bad hand, etc., analogies are irrelevant. THE number one IMMEDIATE objective of EVERY major league team (i don't care what anyone says) is to make the playoffs every season. This game is about percentages and probabilities. If you don't make the playoffs you have 0% chance of a title, that's a big fat Z E R O. It's as simple as that. Long term planning, prospect development, trades that hurt in the short term but benefit in the long term, budget constraints, etc., obviously factor in but let's not kid ourselves and pretend that franchises don't want to make the playoffs every season to avoid "pushing all their chips in on a bad hand." To think otherwise is sheer lunacy.