Cashman & Co. draft up plan that is on the money

In the quiet of the visiting clubhouse yesterday, Dave Dombrowski, the genial GM of the Detroit Tigers who found himself front and center on Bud Selig's carpet last week, was making his case for having to exceed the commissioner's bonus guidelines in signing his first-round draft pick, Seton Hall Prep righthander Rick Porcello, for $7.28 million. "Look," said Dombrowski, "the draft is our most important element for success here. I can't can't compete against the Yankees in free agency. I can't compete the Yankees in Latin America or Asia. The one place I can compete against them is in the draft."

He was referring to the fact that half of the Tigers roster was procured through the draft - a testimony to superior scouting which, in itself, would not be enough in an open bidding situation. But up until a couple of years ago, anyone could compete against the Yankees in the draft, such was their uncanny ability to come up empty for high school and college talent, year after year, for over a decade. Continue