They HAD a well-developed farm system. It became well-developed when Steinbrenner was suspended and other people were spending his money.
When he came back, the system was bearing fruit, but then he started trading it away. Once it stopped producing players, that is when the real spending started (along with the already-developed players getting their big money).
Now, they are starting to develop players again. The question is, will Kim Hank-Il allow them to do so successfully?
They also have a real advantage in player development: they can sign the superstar prospects to real money while they are still on the islands, and afford to have most not pan out. In the modern baseball universe, that is HUGE.
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"Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen."
--Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun
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