[mrbaseball]

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the way i see it, a high-impact bat is much more reliable than a dominant pitcher, both in terms of performance and injury risk over a 3-5 year period, plus offense is sexy and hitters play every day (well, some of them do).

also, don't forget that it can be pretty hard to even get to the postseason, and a Pujols can do wonders for that effort.

still, i'd personally rather have the dominant starter than a dominant hitter, all things be equal, at the end of the year. i think the extra money comes from the reliability that the hitter will be playing come September, or the simple fact that some GM's are very short-sighted.


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Simple fact is there just aren't enough "good" pitchers to go around. Hitters are easier to find and aren't as prone to breakdown or injury. Teams therefore despite big payrolls have to rely on young pitchers developing and known stars (Martinez, Prior, Johnson, Wood etc.) staying healthy and effective. This doesn't always happen. Big money free agent pitchers like Brown and Hampton for example are risky at best.