The New York Yankees fired up the free agent-signing days by offering CC Sabathia $161 million over seven years. The deal also includes an option for him to opt out of the contract after three years if he chooses to do so.

They didn't stop there and signed former Toronto Blue Jay pitcher AJ Burnett a five-year, $82.5 million contract.

After the Sabathia deal was released, Florida Marlins' president David Sampson went on a Florida radio station calling out the Yankees for throwing around so much money in times of economic hardship.

As much as Sampson is right, who is he to say anything to the Yankees about how much they spend?

New York wasn't the first team to bring a multi-year, $100- million deal to Sabathia's plate, which must be fairly large for a man of his size, or the first to offer Burnett upwards of $80-million so the Yankees can't take the blame entirely for the lucrative deals which will see Sabathia make more in one season ($23 million) than the entire Marlins' payroll in 2008 ($21.8 million). Burnett comes in a few million short at $16.5 million a season.

With a new stadium opening, tens of thousands of seats to fill while coming off the team's first non-playoff season since 1995, the Yankees have to do everything in their power to get back to glory. Sampson and the Marlins have to worry about entertaining their 500 fans who attend their games, which could drop even lower with the said economic hardship.

Yes the Yankees will always have their fans, but if they didn't fill their pitching staff void, fans would have been in an uproar, especially with Sabathia available for purchase.

On the other side of their pitching staff void, Mike Mussina retired at the end of the 2008 season after the first 20-win season of his career. Sabathia will fill that hole and will be expected to win at least 20 games. Burnett won't face the scrutiny Sabathia will if he doesn't live up to expectations, but he will be relied upon to get the Yankees back on top.

Gaining one 20 game-winner after losing one might sound like it cancels out on the field, but gaining two potential 20-game winners could very well put the pinstripers back on top.

If you add in the number of people who will buy 'Sabathia' or 'Burnett' t-shirts and jerseys, and will spend the extra money to see them pitch during their first year in pinstripes, especially if they pitch them into the post- season, the Yankees will be rolling in more than their $23 and $16.5 million salaries in no time.

With fans of lower-market clubs, for example Toronto, always complaining about not being able to keep up with the big money markets and their spending, it could get worse for them in the 2009-10 season.

It will be tough for underdog teams like the Tampa Bays and Colorados to make it back to the World Series if they can't spend the money to bring in the big name talent. Yes, Tampa Bay made it that far on a young pitching staff with young offensive talent last season, but how many teams have been bad for that long to have that many first round picks playing at one time? Not many.

With notable free agents such as Mark Teixeira, Adam Dunn and Bobby Abreu still available as of Monday, the rich will only get richer in purchasing their services, while the poor stay poor.