[ThatSeventiesGuy]

Once won a division with a 89-73 record with the expansion 1977 Mariners. Pretty much murdered my minor leagues making the trades to do it, though. Free agency also helped, but not completely (Roberto Clemente was 1979 Stargell-esque - Hank Aaron, not so much).

If you want to win right away, do it that way...and hope you have enough money to keep it going through free agency. If you don't mind waiting, trade your old guys for prospects/draft picks.

I suppose the middle-ground approach would be to trade old guys for younger guys who have some experience as backups, but are roadblocked at their position on their current teams. I did a bit of that, too. More than one approach works.

Weird thing about those Mariners: I left them after the 1984 season, it's now 1989, and they still haven't finished worse than second...ever. I must have done something right!