oh, i'm sorry... so then from just your 98 team alone, Chili Davis, Tim Raines, Darryl Strawberry, Chad Curtis, Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill, Luis Sojo, Chuck Knoblauch, Scott Brosius, Joe Girardi, David Wells, Mike Stanton, Jeff Nelson, David Cone, Graeme Lloyd, Hideki Irubu, Orlando Hernandez were all Yankee draft picks... My mistake...
Let's take this from the top.
-Chili Davis: The Yanks tried to trade for him in 1997 and offered Jorge Posada, the Royals turned them down. He was not a major FA that was coveted by a ton of teams and just outbid by the yanks. Any team could have had him. The yanks signed him to a deal where he made less than a $mil more than he was in KC.
-Tim Raines: A minor deal as Raines was not a coveted player and was heading into the twilight of his career. In '95 playing for the ChiSox he made $3.7 mil, as a Yanke in '96 he made $2.1 mil.
-Strawberry: yet another player nobody wanted and everyone could have had.
-Chad Curtis: Acquired in 1997 for David Weathers who was a big part of our '96 Cahmpionship. Once again, another player anyone could have had. Made a whopping $3 mil in 2 1/2 years w/ the yanks. Yep another bought player.
-Tino martinez- Traded for our top prospect Russell Davis and a quality LH pitcher in Sterling Hitch****(a future LCS MVP) so he wasn't acquired for nothing, this wasn't a straight salary dump.
-Paul O'Neill: was a PLATOON player in Cincy and we gave up an ALL-STAR in Roberto Kelly to get him, a young All-Star by the way.
-Luis Sojo: Are you kidding me?
Yanks got him off waivers, there was a major battle to get him
-Chuck Knoblauch: Gave up not 1 but TWO All-Stars to get him. Christian Guzman & Eric Milton plus 2 other players. Minny got the bst of that deal as Chuck was never a great player for us.
-Scott brosius: Did you even know who Scott Brosius was before he was a Yankee? Another guy no one wanted and was a .203 hitter the year before we got him.
-Joe Girardi: yet another low cost FA anyone could have had.
-david Wells: Was the ONLY major FA the Yanks signed on that team and the only other major FA we had on any of those teams was Jimym Key and Key was on 1 title team in '96 and Wells just 1 title team in '98.
-Mike Stanton: Took a pay CUT to come to the Yanks. made $1.7 mil in '96 w/ Bos, made 1.6 mil w/ the Yanks in '97.
-Nelson: acquired in Tino deal and was a throw in, a player anyone could have had.
-David Cone- Gave up 3 bit time prospects, not the yanks fault they didn't pan out.
-Grame lloyd: gave up Gerald Williams, a player teams were trying to trade for for years and we wouldn't give up, and some guy named Bob Wickman.
-Irabu: was a FA we singed but was not a contributor.
-Hernandez: Int's FA, others could have signed him. The yanks took a major risk especially after the Irabu signing was a dud. Made $750,000 in '98, don't you think other tams could have afforded that?
If anyone accuses the Yankees of "buying" their championships, their fans argue that Jeter, B Williams, Pettitte, Soriano, Rivera, and Posada are all home-grown talent.
the core of the LATEST dynasty was mnostly homegrown(outside of O'Neill), then we traded away good prospects and good players to get players who were a better fit for us and added very few high salaried FAs. As usual you are wrong again.
Has there ever been an elite free agent the past 15 years the Yankees weren't rumored to be "close to a deal" or "inquiring about?" Please.
Actually we did that in the 80s and are doing it now but in the 90s we didn't go after every FA, we made wise moves. We gave up big time prospects to get certian palyers and signed others to low salary deals and sprinkled them in w/ the core of homegrown talent which is why we won. The major reason we haven't won since 200 is b/c we have TRIED to buy Championships but it has not worked.
Please don't mention past Orioles or Dodgers teams' payrolls back then... You needed Jeffrey Maier to get past the O's, and the Dodgers were inept...
We needed jeffrey maier to get by the O's?
Last I checked we won 4 games to 1 not 4 games to 3 and we blew game 2 when mariano wasn't available b/c he had pitched 2 innings in game 1. In game 2 we had a 3-2 lead in the 7th where Mo normally would have pitched the 7th and 8th and the Maier play probaby would have beena double anyway and we'd have had the tying run on 2nd. regardless of that we would have won the series.
I give you credit, at least you tried. You were unaware of circumstances of the acquisitions but now you know and now you know we didn't buy Championships in those years.
