i think that after 05, thats been the culture, to trade the minor leaguers for established vets in an attempt to stay in contention. after we won in 05 KW said this team was built to compete for multiple championship, but then he goes and trades Rowand for Thome, made a trade for Vazquez, and we became bottom feeders and didnt get into the playoffs till 08. what i think got us to the WS, along with the Pitching, were the small moves, along with the established vets we had a ton of, bringing in Podsednik, "el Duque" pitched in, that bullpen: Neal Cotts, Cliff Politte never looked so good, and the emergence of Jenks. so, IMO, we need that mix of established vets, and the up and coming young guys, and role players, like a sandwich, lol.
Established Veterans
Role Players in the bench and bullpen
Young guys steppein up.