For years, before and after the advent of baseball’s free agency, the road to a competing team was to have a minor league system that would develop its players, eventually leading to championships. Rather than “buy a team” and risk enormous amounts of money to roll the dice on superstars who made their name through other teams, smart baseball executives agreed that the best path to long-term success was to have a minor league system that finds, cultivates, and develops future players of elite-level talent to ensure MLB viability.
The relationship between a successful minor league system and success couldn’t be more evident than with the Oakland Athletics organization and their championship/winning years since their 1968 arrival.