There are two group of players comprising a 1B, 2B, SS, and 3 OF. Here are your two choices:

Group#1:

Salary::$32, 425, 000
Avg Age: 30.7
BA:.232
SLG:.381
HR:8
RBI: 43
SB: 3
CS:3

Group#2:

Salary::$7.679.500
Avg Age: 26.7
BA:.231
SLG:.359
HR: 15
RBI: 51
SB: 20
CS:4

Pick One?

OK did you guess that group#1 is Adam LaRoche, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Jason Bay, Nate McLouth, and Xavier Nady? Also that Group#2 is our own Clement, Iwamura, Cendeno, Jones, McCutchen, and Milledge?

Would you pay $32.4M for the top group when you get the performace from the bottom group for only $7.7M?

Now I was a bit unfair because I included Sanchez's $6M salary but he has not played yet this year. Also, Nady is not a starter for the Cubs, so his contribution is small. If I remove Sanchez and Nady from Group#1 and then Iwamura and Milledge from Group #2, we get the following:

Group#1:

Salary::$23,125,000
Avg Age: 30.3
BA:.237
SLG:.393
HR:7
RBI: 39
SB: 3
CS:3

Group#2:

Salary::$2,377,000
Avg Age: 26.0
BA:.240
SLG:.393
HR: 13
RBI: 37
SB: 16
CS:2

So now for 10% of the cost, the performance to date is pretty close and the Bucs are 4 years younger (on average). Yea the sample size is small, but with the millions saved, we can pay alot for draftees!