Draft-pick compensation is part of Baseball's collective bargaining agreement, and any changes would have to be negotiated with the players union.
"(General managers) talk about it every year," said Ash. "We can give recommendations, but at the end of the day it's always dropped (from discussion) as not being important enough (to pursue)."
The $423.5 million doled out by the Yankees to sign Sabathia, Burnett ($82.5 million) and Teixeira has resulted in expected cries from other clubs that Baseball needs a salary cap. Teams are penalized for excessive spending with a luxury tax, but that didn't stop the Yankees from signing Teixeira a day after being assessed a $26.9 million tax for their 2008 payroll of approximately $200 million.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, in an interview Tuesday with Bloomberg News, called the Yankees' spending into question and said the sport might need a salary cap.
As Ash noted, management has fought many wars with the players union over the years in attempts to get a salary cap; all met with failure. It took years of battling - as well as damaging work stoppages - just to get the current system of revenue sharing and luxury taxes.
"Everybody in the game thinks we need (a salary cap), except for the players union," said Ash. "We've been to battle with them for two decades with no success.
"Obviously (the Yankees) have their reasons for doing it, including revenues from their new ballpark, but it can't be good for the game. The only consolation is that they've done this in the past and it hasn't worked. Overspending doesn't necessarily guarantee you'll win a championship.
"There are factors such as chemistry that come into play. We'll see what happens this time."
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The city of Anaheim will have to live with a hometown Baseball team named Los Angeles.
The 4th District Court of Appeal ruled late Friday against the city of Anaheim, which has been fighting to overturn the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim name for nearly four years.
The city sued the team, claiming that owner Arte Moreno violated the city-owned stadium lease agreement that required the team name include "Anaheim." An Orange County Superior Court jury sided with the Angels in 2006.
