As pointed above, MLB teams in 2022 received ~$100M from revenue sharing and local TV deals before selling a ticket, a hot dog, or a jersey. Seems if these "small market" owners really wanted to win and close the gap on this "severe disadvantage", they'd at least spend that $100M free money on payroll.
Let's see how they did!
The payroll of the 2022 Pirates? $56M The A's? 48M.
Huh. Seems that the Pirates and A's (and 6 other teams!) decided to pocket a significant portion of this money instead of looking at it as a way to close the supposed severe disadvantage and spend it on player salaries.
A salary cap without a meaningful floor, which these exact "small market" owners will never vote for, won't change a thing with these owners. And even with a floor, the same cheap owners will continue to do the bare minimum and skimp everything in order to maximize profits.