I think there is something to be said for going after the older rookies that aren't "prospects" when they have put up decent numbers already.

I'm thinking guys like Matsui, LaRoche, Tracy, Thomas - guys who might not be stars but are still better than what you might get in the free agent pool and are still likely to help you for a few years or longeer. Instead of waiting for the "prospect" to get his chance to play you actually have someone who can help this year as well.

A bird in the hand...