O's two "Win Now" guys in the top management positions.

[Lucky Jim]

That puts you at odds with pretty much everyone in a position of power in any major league organization.

The farm system, especially for teams with a finite budget, are THE pipeline of talent that keeps the team competitive year after year. Supplying both a steady stream of major league players, and trade chips. Even the Yanks have 7-8 of their key players that came straight from their farm system.

Why would anyone want to prioritize low-priced players in the productive years of their careers, when they can focus on inefficient contracts at huge cost for players who are sure to decline?

[DrungoHazewood]

Why would anyone want to prioritize low-priced players in the productive years of their careers, when they can focus on inefficient contracts at huge cost for players who are sure to decline?

Because you want to win right now, so that huge crowds will come watch your team, you'll get big playoff revenues, and that'll support the contracts of the guys you signed for their age 30-37 seasons and the otherwise crippling debt you've incurred. When they start to go into a freefall in their mid-30s you just do some creative salary dumps to teams like the Orioles who're always willing to take on that vastly overpaid last year or two of a former star's career.

There's really only a trivial chance that the mountain of debt and commitments to zero-contribution outyears will cause you to, say, go begging Bud for cash to make payroll.

In other words, when you're committing someone else's cash to an endeavor there's no reason to worry about anything but winning right now. The glow of that long ago playoff appearance will keep your spirits up when your 51-111 team is holding firesales and being dragged into court.