Only responding to some, as I agreed or concur with the rest you said.
That's why I posted the baseballprospectus article in response to BRB. But you need a farm system producing talent if you want to contend every year. You can't pay every single guy on the roster between $17 and $28 million per year. And continuously locking yourself into those kinds of contracts makes it harder to sustain success, not easier.
I can accept the faults of their farm system. That is on them. They have handed out contracts that didn't pay off. You're right you can't pay every player on the roster a large sum of money. So you have to pick and choose and rely on your farm system. I think they have done a better job with their bullpen than starting pitching help. The MLB draft is a lot different than hockey as you pointed out. More rounds. You can find a good pitcher in the middle teen rounds. They need to invest more money into their scouting and development. That is their problem right now.
You're working under the assumption that you have to stop competing to build up a strong farm system. The CBA is littered with ways to for big market clubs to beef up their farm system thanks to the compensation system. The Cardinals have been in the playoffs four out of the last five years and they have done all of that while amassing a staggering amount of young talent. The key is good scouting and player development people.
Cardinals are a model organization. The Cardinals let Pujols walk. They drafted and developed well. But to use the Cardinals as an example is unique. They are a finely run organization. How many organizations are operating like them? Or at least succeeding in operating like them?
But notice that the Red Sox have wised up and stopped counterpunching. The Yankees signed Ellsbury and the Red Sox basically shrugged because they have Jackie Bradley Jr. to plug in thanks to their system.
Let's wait and see how Bradley does for them before we check him off as a success for the red sox.
You listed four guys and the best two of them are in their 30s. Cano is 31. Gardner is 30. Even Robertson and Nova are 28 and 26 respectively. That's a stunningly small amount of production from the farm system. The Yankees are heading into next year without a single member of their starting nine under the age of 30.
Early 30s. In baseball that isn't awful. In hockey that starts to take the turn towards retirement for many NHLers. A lot of major leaguers play late into their careers. And a lot of major leaguers are effective into their mid 30s. Many major leaguers don't break into the show until their mid 20s. So I think you can't harp on two of those guys being 26 and 28. Or even 30 or 31. They will hopefully have these guys competing for the next few years allowing for development of prospects.
Damon got $52 million over four years. Ellsbury got $153 million over seven years. I know revenues have gone way up across baseball, but that's a massive jump. Also, the Yankees are in a way worse position today than they were heading into 2007. Back then they were a reigning division champ and the only competition they faced for a playoff spot was Boston. Now they're an 85 win team (that sported a -21 run differential) that has to deal with Boston, Tampa, and conceivably Baltimore.
The landscape is different. Damon got roughly $12 million per year. Ellsbury is getting roughly $21 million per year. As you said revenues are more bloated now. I don't think its that massive of a jump. I think Ellsbury compared to Damon, is a better player and warrants the extra money.
Also, one championship might not be so great if it's balanced off by serious pain in the last few years of the deal. Like you said, the Yankees need to contend every year to satisfy their market.
Honestly, I wasn't that upset about not making it to the playoffs this past year. I have seen 5 world series. And we had one most recently in 2009. The salaries handed out paid off. A player on one of those large contracts providing a world series ring is a success to me, even if its just one.
They do need to contend every year and thats why we signed McCann and Ellsbury thus far.
Ah yes, but there's a hidden cost there called development time. Most prospects take three to five years to reach the majors from the time you draft them. Pushing that clock back an extra year further delays when help can arrive from an already depleted system. On top of that, the Yankees were scheduled to pick 18th, which would've been their highest pick in years. And like I noted before, signing Ellsbury costs them the comp pick they would've gotten for Granderson thanks to the new CBA. And again, there's no more drafting guys overslot allowed so it's not like they can compensate with extra cash.
MLB is not a 7 round draft. They have sacrificed opening round picks, but the organizations problem is scouting and development. Not because they have signed big name free agents, costing them 1st round picks and compensation picks.
