Point - Counterpoint

Point:

By Ramiro Delacruz

Sports Editor

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have a team salary of almost $119 million ranking them the sixth highest payroll in baseball.

The Angels though never have been known as a high salary baseball team, largely because their ability to build within the organization.

Currently the Angels only have Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, Kelvim Escobar, Gary Matthews Jr., Brian Fuentes and Bobby Abreu who have come to the team via free agency.

The Angels have been an organization who build their success from their Single-A system, and do a magnificent job of drafting and scouting players and developing them into quality baseball players. 

A prime example of this is southpaw pitcher Joe Saunders. Since first being called up to the Majors as a starter, Saunders has posted a 48-22 record with a 4.22 earned run average.

In two full seasons as a starter Saunders has gone 17-7 with a 3.41 ERA in 2008, and 16-7 with a 4.60 era this year. The amazing part about this is that "Saundo" as he is known by the organization is not earning C.C Sabathia money. 

Saunders is still playing under his minor league contract earning $475,000. To you and I that may be a lot of money, but Yankee southpaw Sabathia is earning $14 million this year. 

The Yankees are known to buy their talent. Sabathia only manufactured three more wins than Saunders this season while going 19-8.

Though the two have large differences in payroll, both are currently competing in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees currently have a 2-1 advantage but are a Macier Izturis error away from being down 2-1.

The less budgeted Angels have a much deeper pitching staff, which will be key in the Angels winning this series in seven games.

Counterpoint:

By Nathan Percy

Editor-in-chief 

Throughout the years, there has been an expression that has been said so frequently, it's practically engraved in a person's brain from the day they are born: "Money doesn't buy happiness."

However, the New York Yankees have been trying for years to prove that expression to be false by throwing mass amounts of money in the form of contract offers to star players.

For the second consecutive year, New York's yearly payroll has surpassed the $200 million mark. The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs are next in line at over $135 million.

In the history of Major League Baseball, only one team has gone on to win the World Series with a salary of over $100 million: The Boston Red Sox who did it in 2004 and 2007.

Last year, the Yankees became the first team in MLB history with a payroll of over $200 million. For 2009, they added to that by investing over $400 million in three players during the offseason.

But this year, they've finally done it. They got the winning formula of good starting pitching, along with a good mix of speed and power, which will take them to the World Series for the first time since 2003.

Yeah, an argument can be made against it, since they had a massive payroll last year and missed the playoffs completely, but they didn't quite have the talent they do this year.

There's no argument in the fact that outfielder Nick Swisher has filled in nicely for the departed Bobby Abreu and Mark Texeira has been a major upgrade from Jason Giambi, which has allowed Alex Rodriguez to see much better pitches this season.

They also have speed with Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Robinson Cano. While the Yankees' speed may not match that of the Angels, their power more than makes up for it.

The starting rotation improved immensely with the additions of C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, who took the places of Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy from last year and they still have Mariano Rivera, one of the greatest closers of all time, in the bullpen.

While this high-spending formula has yet to work for New York, there's no denying that the talent they have this year will take them to the World Series.