I put a premium on D for C, SS and CF in particular on my teams. I also run very high salaried, vet laden ML squads. That's my prefered flavor of HBD. One reason I can successfuly do so is that I don't have to pay a lot for the C, SS and CF. There are usually quite a few of each who fit my needs on D (and have huge warts on O). Once they start to get too expensive, they can be replaced for younger glove guys at those positions.
Every world has it's own ecosystem, and sometimes I find that high PC Cs or legit upper echelon fielding SS are rare, but by and large I get the guys I use often for cheap. Those guys also help your pitching staff.
You may not run your team with the same overall philosophy, but I'm sure with whatever philosophy you choose you will be able to find those scrap heap or waiver wire guys that you can use to fill in your roster for not much dough. In a world without a significant shortage of the ytype role player you're looking to acquire, minor trades can be made, too.