The beginning of the end for the Pirates run was when they traded Walker to the Mets. I personally don't care if the big market teams dominate again. F*ck a salary cap, f*ck a luxury tax/revenue sharing, what MLB needs is the soccer Pro/Rel system. Per Forbes, the Pirates are worth 1.25B, with a market size that's relative to St. Louis. There's zero reason why the Pirates cannot have a similar payroll, on a yearly basis that's akin to the Cardinals.