When the New York Yankees spent about $171 million on the free-agent market last winter in an effort to defend their fortress, they left themselves open for waves of criticism.

With the Yankees set to visit Camden Yards on Tuesday, as the season nears the halfway point, it's becoming painfully clear to other teams that the Yankees didn't miss - or at least not by much.

Spending massive amounts of money doesn't always ensure success. Just ask the Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and Texas Rangers, who spent big on Albert Belle, Kevin Brown and Alex Rodriguez, respectively, and don't have a single playoff victory to show for it.

The Yankees, meanwhile, look like they're well on their way to their eighth consecutive postseason appearance, either by virtue of winning the American League East or claiming the wild card.

Here's where that money went, and here are the statistics entering today.

Jason Giambi: Signed for seven years, $120 million, he was batting .312 with 19 home runs and 59 RBIs.

Steve Karsay: Signed for four years, $22 million, he was 3-3 with a 2.53 ERA in 37 games.

David Wells: Signed to an incentive-laden deal for two years at roughly $7 million, he was 7-5 with a 3.61 ERA.

Rondell White: Signed for two years, $10 million, he was batting .252 with seven home runs and 30 RBIs.

Sterling Hitchcock: Signed for two years, $12 million, he was 1-0 with a 7.48 ERA.

In retrospect, the Hitchcock signing looks like a mistake, considering they had him penciled in to be their No. 4 starter. When owner George Steinbrenner convinced Wells to return, Hitchcock became expendable. He was injured to start the season and has struggled since coming off the disabled list.

White is batting more than 40 points below his career average [.295], and that's more proof that this is an inexact science. But Yankees general manager Brian Cashman also traded David Justice to the New York Mets for Robin Ventura, who already has 19 home runs and 52 RBIs.

After scoring 41 runs in three games at Coors Field, the Yankees' statistics might be inflated, but their 46-28 record is not.

Ramirez baffles Sox again

When Manny Ramirez began a minor-league rehabilitation assignment on June 13, the Boston Red Sox thought he might be back in the lineup by this past Tuesday, but his returned has been delayed a week. Ramirez remained at Triple-A Pawtucket, where he seemingly needed more at-bats to test the finger he broke May 11.

Then, on Monday night, Ramirez pulled himself from the game after the sixth inning for no apparent reason.

"I can't answer [why] exactly," Red Sox manager Grady Little told reporters. "He'll have himself ready to play when he joins us, and that's all we're concerned with."

But Ramirez has a history of getting a little too comfortable on the DL, leading some to question his dedication, even though he continues to produce monster numbers year after year.

With Cleveland in 2000, Ramirez played just 118 games because of a hamstring injury, drawing criticism from teammates and management. In August, while Boston was still on the fringes of the pennant race, Ramirez reportedly asked to go on the DL when his hamstring acted up again.

Boston entered today 21-17 since Ramirez went on the DL, but it hasn't been easy holding off the Yankees for first place. The Red Sox spent the past week in San Diego and Los Angeles, and at one point Little said the team was "undecided just yet if we're going to fly him all the way out here just to play a couple of games."

Yeah, wouldn't want to inconvenience a guy hitting .372.