Well Burnett would not be a FA. He would be acquired through a trade. Look, if you had in your division a team with an "unlimited" budget, you have to make moves like this. I am just glad that I am not a Blue Jays, Orioles, or Devil Rays fan.
i dont understand how people are like wow thats cool i like the yankees and red sox i sure am glad they just got another great player. doesnt that get old there is no suspense. you already pretty much know who will make the playoffs next year. red sox yankees braves cardianals there ya go half your lineup. and if you like the pirates, blue jays, tigers, diamondbacks. what do u have to look forward to? the only reason i could see for myself being a fan of these teams would be for the love of baseball. because u know that there not going to do crap next year. they need a salary cap on baseball so bad its crazy. fans would have some hope for there teams. for the most part now u have resign yourself to the fact in most cities that your team will be out of it. and take your pick sox, yankees, cards, or braves. you never somewhere and find someone that has never been to detroit and are like im a HUGE tigers fan. nope ill just root for the yankees because u know there going to win. sorry i just think its really stupid, and if it was done like the NFL it would be a much more popular league.
The Diamondbacks just won a title several years ago, the Blue Jays needed to rebuild and are in the midst of doing that -- probably a year or two behind the Indians in the process -- as are the Tigers. For the Tigers, the AL Central is game for any team to rise up, as Minnesota's hold on that division has never been tight. For the Diamondbacks, if they can resist the urge to sign every washed-up player out there (which admittedly they aren't doing a good job of right now), they'll be in prime contention to contend in a year or two along with San Diego; that division has never been locked down by any given team, either. I'll give you the Pirates -- their management isn't exactly the brightest. Winning in baseball is a multi-level commitment. Teams like the Marlins and Angels and Diamondbacks all used different strategies to win the title, showing that any team can win it all given good coaching, good management, and time. The Marlins took a largely home-grown talent base to the top once they installed a decent manager in McKeon; before then, Torborg and co. just weren't getting it done. The Angels took the core of their team, one that had been together for years, and added bit pieces -- their bullpen was made up of home-grown talent and, save for Percival, was very cheap -- to win the title. The Diamondbacks rode their star pitchers to the crown. The Red Sox, Yankees, Braves, and to a lesser extent, the Cardinals have been up there for many years. But, as history has shown, it's not always going to last. All of those teams have flaws that can be exploited. But, those teams also have some of the best managers, general managers, and internal staff in the business. The Braves win not because they outspend everyone -- they win because they are excellent drafters, develop their own talent, make astute trades, and have some of the best coaches in the business. The Red Sox won off of chemistry and astute moves at the trade deadline. The Cardinals won despite not having hardly any decent pitchers down the stretch last year. And the Yankees...well, I'll concede the Yankees. My point is this -- the top teams, except for the Yankees, are there because they make sound financial decisions and develop their own players well, plus have good coaching staffs. There's more to it than outspending everyone. Look at Oakland and Minnesota and their successes. Watch Cleveland this year, as their talent matures. Teams like San Diego and Florida don't have the largest payrolls either, yet will be competative. In this decade, the championships have not been dominated by any single team, nor have they been dominated by the four teams you mention. They make the playoffs each year, but all that means is that other teams have to step up to the challenge and get better -- not decry the lack of a salary cap. It's talent and coaching, not spending; look at the top teams in the NFL and NBA, leagues where there are salary caps, and you can see how that is done. Green Bay and Philly can't outspend anyone, but they are always up there. Same with Detroit, San Antonio and Indiana in the NBA. All five of those teams have contended for titles for essentially the past 5-15 years, but it's not because they outspend everyone. A salary cap might help things in baseball, particularly at the bottom end, but it's not likely to have any significant impact on the top teams unless other changes are made to improve the lesser teams in terms of scouting, coaching, and player development.
Well some of you may have heard...Dodgers have pulled out of this deal so Randy is still with the DBacks. Story can be found on ESPN's website and I am too lazy to copy and paste here. I still think that the Yankees get him but it looks like they and Arizona will have to find someone else to be that 3rd team.
