Team Strategies
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How many teams feel like they can "buy a championship"? It seems as though any owner in the DC/Baltimore area (with the exception of the Ravens and Wizards) feel like they can buy a championship. See Peter Angelos and Dan Snyder for starters. They have won how many championships during their respective tenures? ZERO. You can't buy love and you can't seem to buy a championship.

The NFL makes it difficult to buy a championship because of the salary cap, so I would like to focus on Major League Baseball. How many owners try to buy their teams a World Series ring? Every team in New York tries to buy championships. The Orioles in years past have tried unsuccessfully, as have the Red Sox, the Dodgers and the Phillies seem to be the latest teams trying to use money to become the best in the league. Teams spend millions and millions of dollars for their one chance to win the big one. How many have actually done it? The answer: not many.

There is a reason they call it building a championship team. During the Yankees run in the late 90s, many of the Yankees key players were players from their farm system. Look at their roster and who their key players were: Andy Petitte, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera were many of the key players in the Yankees run of success. All of those players are former Yankee minor leaguers. Their recent slump (having not won a Championship since 2000) is in part because of a lack of help from their farm system. The free agenst have been productive but have yet to get over the hump.

Teams like the Florida Marlins, Atlanta Braves Oakland A's and Minnesota Twins have to build a winner. The 2002 Angels and Marlins were World Champions. The Twins won the AL Central three straight seasons. All of these teams have one key element in common: Many of the key players on these teams came up through the farm systems. The teams drafted, signed and developed the talent and made them a key performer for their club. The players develop together and develop chemistry early on coming thru the farm system.

The 2002 Anaheim Angels had five home grown players of their 9 (C: Molina; 3B Glaus; OFs Garret Anderson, Tim Salmon and Darin Erstad) from their farm system. Three of their starting pitchers (Washburn, Ramon Ortiz and Lackey) and most of their key members of the bullpen were developed by the Angels (Percival, K-Rod, Weber, Schoenweis and Donnelly).

Most of the Twins are home grown products and their farm system is still producing. With their payroll, they have to have a strong farm system in order to be able to compete. The can't sign the big free agents and often can not re-sign their own developed talent when they become arbitration eligible or free agents (a la the 1990s Expos).

The Atlanta Braves have won 14 straight division titles. The big reason, their farm system. Smoltz and Glavine, two of the big three of the 90s (along with Greg Maddux) are products of the Braves minor leagues. Yes, I know Smoltz was acquired from the Tigers for Doyle Alexander in 1987 for the stretch run. Look at their line-up this season: Braves farmhands manned 1st base, 2nd base, Shortstop, 3rd Base, and two of the 3 outfielders. Their catcher spent a year with Richmond, including several key members of their bench. Year after year the Braves farm system produces key players and year after year, the Braves win.

Other teams feel like they can buy their championship. It worked for the 1997 Marlins who followed their Championship by selling off every player except Billy the Marlin. The Yankees of the late 90s bought some free agents but nothing like they have done in recent years. Most of their key players (Tino, Brosius and Paul O'Neil) were acquired from trades. They won before King George spent the gross national product of 3rd World Countries to field a team. Now that King George is making all the big moves, the Yankees have fallen into a "slump", not winning a World Series since 2000. The 2004 Boston Red Sox had the 2nd highest payroll in baseball. They brought in the hottest pitcher in last winter's trade market (Schilling) and added the best closer on the market (Foulke). They added key players without grossly overpaying for them. The top 5 player payrolls for the Red Sox at the start of the season equals over $69 million of their $125 million payroll.

Under Kevin Malone, the LA Dodgers tried to buy a championship in the late 90s as well. They signed Kevin Brown for 7 years and $105 million. What did the Dodgers get? He missed about 36 starts (roughly one season). He went 58-32 in 129 starts with a very solid 2.83 ERA. He isn't a great clubhouse guy, but he is usually a winner. They got Todd Hundley as their catcher who was a total flop. Darren Dreifort has not been worth the $60 million he got paid after a solid start to his career. The paid Shawn Green an incredible amount of money to be the only hitter the Dodgers had until this year when Adrian Beltre figured out how to hit the ball the other way and had his career take off. How many playoff appearances have the Dodgers had with all of this payroll in the late 90s and since? One. And that was after Hundley and Brown were gone.

The Rangers tried to spend their way into contention after success in the mid-to-late 90s. They signed A-Rod for $252 million after the 2000 season. What did they get for $252 million? Three last place finishes. They overpayed for Chan Ho Park after the 2001 season. Park has been one of the worst starters in the league since moving from Chavez Ravine. A-Rod was the MVP of a last place team in 2003. Then he was and wasn't traded to Boston; named team captain and finally ended up with the New York Yankees. After parting ways with the one of the best players in baseball in before 2004, the Rangers improved by 17 games.

Does money buy happiness and wins? The answer is yes to a degree. The real way to win is to draft and develop your talent. The farm hands can be used in trades or developed into starters. Free agents should be used to fill holes rather than to rebuild your team. Teams like Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and even Tampa Bay are on the right track.

The Brewers ended 12 consecutive losing seasons. They have several of the game's top prospects who got big league time. 3/4 of the Brewers infield of the future played this season. 1B Prince Fielder, 2B Rickie Weeks and SS JJ Jardy should be manning the infield at Miller Park in April 2006.

The Pirates finished 2004 very well but lacked punch during 2005 due to a plethora of injuries. The Pirates traded team icon Brian Giles for tehir 2004 NL ROY Jason Bay and staff ace Oliver Perez. Top prospect Zack Duke made his debut and dominated in his 14 starts. Catcher Ryan Doumit and OF Chris Duffy will be other key players to help lead the Pirates to respectability.


Tampa Bay won 70 games for the first time in 2004 and finished out of last place for the first time in team history. They finished 2005 with a 39-34 record with key contributons from farmhands Aubrey Huff and Jorge Cantu. Scott Kazmir (acquired for Victor Zambrano, another grad of the D-Rays minor leagues). Tampa Bay has new ownership, a new General Manager on the way and will have a new manager. With SS B.J. Upton and slugger Delmon Young on the horizon, the D-Rays should be better next year. The problem is their lack of pitching depth outside of Kazmir. Top pick Dewon Brazelton has been a disappointment as have the rest of the rotation. Mark Hendrickson has been inconsistent as the Opening day starter.