Point - Counter Point

PCP returns all new this week with another interesting take on a old scenario.

No dramatic build up, no suspenseful lead in and no elongated introduction to the topic this week.
Well...almost

This weeks topic up for discussion will be the farm system.
It can be your greatest ally or your worst nightmare at times.
But more often than not it is essential to all things HBD. You can rarely make deals without it, it helps the future of your franchise & if you learn nothing else from the Tampa Bay Rays...it's fun to watch when it's all done.

Building a farm system can be done several ways. The first and most conventional way is to build through the draft. This method is generally the easiest due to the potential for compensation picks and the fact that not every team sees exactly the same pool.
The next method is through trading. This is more than likely the most culturally accepted way to build a farm. Trade off your established stars for a high ceiling prospect or two who'll be ready for the show in a few seasons.

The last and most costly not to mention annoying way to build it up is through international free agency signings. Much like the draft not every GM will see the same crop of players but the issue is by doing it this way you have to have a severe amount of prospect cash. There might be only 7 GM's who see the same player as you but the market is determined by what's willing to be paid and not by the talent of the player. You can expect to dish out anywhere from $50,000 for a filler type fringe player, to upwards of $25,000,000 for a flat out stud.
But in doing so if you overspend and leave yourself with no wiggle room you might end up not being able to sign your draft selections.

Either way can work for your team but the question is... is it better to have a stacked farm system and go through a bit of a rough patch until they are ready to be called up.
Or is it much better to have a ML juggernaut with a porous farm but with a genuine prospect sprigged here and there.

In a perfect ideal world one would have a juggernaut of a team as well as a dynamic farm to go along with it. Often times however this is not plausible either due to the feeling that the club needs to contend now in it's prime causing a lack of patience and meaning a raiding of the farm.
The other scenario is that there is a feeling that there is no chance on contention in a certain time frame so the team should be "gutted" and allowed to rebuild anew.
Both parties of thoughts are legitimate, both will likely work depending upon the strategy and patience of the owner.

A proper farm system and it's value are truly immeasurable, it can mean the difference between being on the cusp of the world series or actually being able to make that last second deal to ensure bring home the world series title.

Think about it, what's more important selling out the farm and loading up to eventually lose? Or is it better to keep the farm intact and make your move late to eventually snag that elusive WS crown.

32 GM's, 32 different opinions but at the end of the season 1 champion is crowned and 31 losers hope for next season. Which one do you wanna be?