Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

Sorry for the extreme tardiness. We had technical problems this morning, and then I had to take care of a personal errand.

What strikes me today, as we approach Thanksgiving, is how fat the Yankees' and Mets' wallets are. The Yankees can sign Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera, and Alex Rodriguez, and it's like they're just doing their annual holiday shopping.

On a smaller scale, the Mets are bringing back Luis Castillo, but remember, they would have gladly matched the four-year, $52.4-million deal the Yankees gave Posada. And if there were an ace to be had on the free-agent market, the Mets would likely be all over him.

Our local clubs have tried to emphasize development in the last couple of years, but this winter spending shows the miles they have to go before they can claim success. Granted, we're talking about a couple of future Hall of Famers in Rivera and A-Rod, and a possible third one in Posada. But the Yankees didn't have much leverage in these negotiations, because they didn't have obvious replacements (since they want Joba Chamberlain to start, not pitch relief).

The Yankees and Mets can claim fiscal responsibility, but the truth is that they, along with the Red Sox, have the most room for error in baseball. If Rivera's elbow blows out this April, or if Castillo flops, the clubs can absorb those mistakes like many small-market clubs can't. It's an unfortunate reality of baseball's financial structure. The good news is that revenue sharing and the luxury tax have nevertheless made the game more balanced than it ever has before.