I tend to lean toward the point of view that Sean's adopted, and after reading a few articles by writers on ESPN.com, it's even more solidified in my mind.

Sure, they do have deep pockets, but at what price? Many people have pointed out that Georgie Porgie's hastiness to take the title back to New York had made clubhouse chemistry suffer. Put Gary Sheffield, Kenny Lofton, A-Rod, Jeter, Kevin Brown and company in the same clubhouse, and do you think Joe Torre will be able to keep the peace? There's so many gigantic egos that it might become a big problem as the season wears on.

You also have to consider what they've given up to get so many superstars. They got rid of Nick Johnson to get Javier Vasquez, and Johnson was supposed to be the heir apparent to Jason Giambi if the big man's knees failed him. They got rid of Jeff Weaver for Brown, and everyone is quick to forget that Weaver was a pretty damn good pitcher in Detroit before he was thrown into the fire. And just imagine a pitcher of Weaver's potential in a place like Dodger Stadium. . . they gave up Soriano for A-Rod, and Alfonso had a phenomenal 2003 outside of the disastrous postseason. The guy that A-Rod is replacing, Aaron Boone, cost the Yankees their best prospect in Brandon Claussen. They gave up draft picks to sign Sheffield and Lofton.

One writer pointed out that one of the losers in this trade are the small-market teams. I don't think that's necessarily true, because lots of teams in recent years have shown that it doesn't take a lot of money to be a World Series contender. The A's are the leading example, but there's also the Twins, Royals, Blue Jays, Marlins, Cardinals and Giants. Most of these teams, if not all of them, have farm systems in better shape with better prospects for the future than the Yankees.

It may burn Red Sox fans that they missed out on A-Rod because of a small difference in cash, but they should remember that they still have Manny Ramirez and Nomar Garciaparra. Manny is still one of the best sluggers in the game, and Nomar is still one of the top three shortstops in the majors. Just because they missed out on number one doesn't mean it's the end of the world, because they still have number two.

Obviously, trading for A-Rod makes any team better, and the Yankees are no exception. Somehow, though, I don't think it makes them that much better. At the very least, it will probably have huge repercussions down the road.