Conversely, for the sake of argument, lets flip the script to the position side. Maybe this will make it easier to explain my point.
The year is 2027, and I want guys like Kyle Teel, Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony in my lineup playing for the league minimum, so I can still fit in my budget going out and spending $30 million+ on a power bat to play 2B/3B/RF (wherever) and fit in the lineup.
If everyone on my team is 1.5 years away from free agency I'm looking at breaking that team up in a year or two or going over budget and the reality is I'm not the METS.
That's why I want guys who are cost controlled for long periods of time. Perhaps my definition has been a bit amorophous but 1 1.5 years certainly does not project into your long term plans unless you're INEVITABLY PAYING those guys, in which case they're no longer "young, COST CONTROLLED, players"