A few points:

The fact that the Pirates managed a second and two third place finishes without breaking .500 says a lot about the NL Central over the past decade.

Also, the article has a somewhat valid point that without money for scouting or a major league roster you are at a disadvantage. But I think that disadvantage shows in the signing of big leaguers and early round draft picks. Even without money you should be able to do well in the middle rounds. If you skip over the dozen or two most expensive players each year (1 - 2 rounds) there are still forty or more rounds where you can afford whoever you pick. Make your first rounder a signability guy, maybe second as well, and then you are past money excuses. The fact that they have nothing in the minor league system is the biggest indictment of his administration.

Final point: Roy smith was one of my favorite players. He had this slow, giant, slow curve that took about a minute to get to the hitter. I saw him strike out Jesse Barfield in Yankee Stadium with it twice one game. He went back to the well one more time and Barfield about knocked the cover off the ball. He is proven winner, though, as he did pitch 16 innings for the '87 Twins. :-)