Congratulations Sox!

[junYUN]

i would HARDLY call the red sox farm system one of the best in the game, in fact it's somewhere in the middle of the pack at best.

[GeoffM]

Actually, I think the Yankees and Red Sox have the best farm systems of all-time. What better than to have somewhere around 20 other teams groom players, and then have them play for them. The Yankees use MLB as a farm system for their team, as do the Red Sox. Who needs to develop players when someone will do it for you .

[junYUN]

haha, great point.

[Chutups]

LOL, I completely agree. But I think it's catching up to the yanks they can only pick up free agents now, because they have no prospects to trade and the players they do have to trade are payed way too much.

[jimmytheg]

Exactly. There is only so much out there on the free agent market every year. And they can't get em all. They cant get better through trades.

It adds up to a team of high priced talent, that isnt really a team. Paper champions. I bet most yankee fans wish they still had guys like scott brosius and paul o'neil and tino martinez. These guys weren't superstars like giambi and arod and sheffield, but they played balls-out, and were team first guys. Same goes for Wells and Pettite over Brown and Vasquez.

This new Yankees team is just a bunch of paper champions, and the only way for them to improve is to go out and sign more high priced alleged superstars.

The Red Sox dynasty is upon us

[eddo31]

i dont think that the yankees can even be called paper chamnpions, since they havent won anything since 2000, when they had all of the old players still.

even with the ability for an enormous payroll, i think that you have to build a team through the traditional player development system. i am not sure that you can build a great team only through trades and free agent signings.

[jimmytheg]

paper champions was a phrase coined by some athlete, describing another team that on paper looks like the best, but doesnt come through in the end.

these yankees are a bunch of overpriced primadonnas. no heart at all. and i totally agree that you can throw all the money in the world at that problem, and it won't fix it

[GeoffM]

Ya, but you know what guys, just because they don't make prime time prospects, doesn't mean they spend more. Jeter was a farm product, and he makes close to $20 million a year now. I think they have simply diverted much funds out of player development in the minors and put it right towards their major league roster.

As guys leave, guys will come in. Lieber, gone, Quantrill, gone. They are cutting salaries yearly from unnecessary players and adding each year.

They will make a big move again next year. This is I believe the most profitable MLB team, despite carrying that massive payroll, so perhaps that justifies their payroll.