This perspective reminds me a lot of the philosophy behind moneyball. You pay for players who are likely undervalued, not necessarily the highest valued players

This perspective reminds me a lot of the philosophy behind moneyball. You pay for players who are likely undervalued, not necessarily the highest valued players, because the highest valued players are too expensive for a smaller team to get when competing with the Yankees or the Red Sox. I think this probably applies to eng hiring.