Sounds good, but it's not reality. This doesn't include last year, but that only adds to the point.
In the wild card era (1995-present), 26 of the 29 teams to win a World Series ranked in the top half of MLB in opening day payroll.
In the same time frame, 20 of the 29 World Series champions ranked in the top 10 in opening day pay payroll.
Only three World Series champions—the 2017 Astros, 2015 Royals and 2003 Marlins—ranked in the bottom half of MLB in opening day payroll. The 2017 Astros (Justin Verlander) and 2015 Royals (Johnny Cueto, Ben Zobrist) both made midseason trades that put them into the top half of payroll by the end of the season.
Only one team, the 2003 Marlins, won a World Series after ranking in the bottom 10 in opening day payroll.