Worst GM in baseball
by Matt Rox on Dec 18, 2008 3:04 AM EST
86 comments
Has to be either the Astros or Giants GM.
The Astros have cared so little about draft picks, signings, and the craziness of picking Max Sapp as a first round pick. The Astros GM, whoever he is, has a knack of picking overdraft draft picks. Perhaps by 3+ rounds. Jason Castro and Max Sapp. WOW
The Giants' Brian Sabean is well known as "the guy who lost his touch". He started out making decent trades, getting Schmidt, getting Kent...Now, however, his only strength seems to be drafting. However, he now makes horrible signings/trades. Renteria 2/18?
So, who's worse IYO?
1 recs |
86 comments
Email
Print
Comments
this has got to be the second or third worst thread I've seen on this site
facepalm.jpg
by Zonis on Dec 18, 2008 3:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
"The Astros GM, whoever he is"
About 2 minutes worth of web searching would have allowed you to: 1) know Ed Wade’s name; 2) know that he wasn’t the GM when Max Sapp was drafted.
by jibs on Dec 18, 2008 10:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Hey jibs
I’m a 350 pound obese piece of shit who doesn’t like to research, gets D’s and F’s in all classes.
So, you have a problem with people like me putting a controversial fanpost on minorleagueball?
by Matt Rox on Dec 18, 2008 6:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
uh...
wtf? Not really controversial, more just stupid…Anywho, do some research; drafting isn’t by any means a bad thing to be good at. And Sabes has gotten quite good at it. 2 years ago, yes I would agree he was one of the worst GMs, but now he’s doing great with what he has. I don’t think he “lost his touch,” whoever that came from. Since 06’ we’ve drafted a Cy Young winner, further developed a potential future Cy Young winner, brought up a decent closer, and established one of the best farm systems in the NL. Exactly how does that suck? The only thing he hasn’t done is gone around shitting money on free agents. Is that what a ‘good’ GM does with a non-competitive team? Yeah, he gave a ripe amount to Renteria, but how is that a bad deal? He’s on the team for 2 years and doesn’t crunch our payroll or inhibit our ability to sign other FA’s. And if he does good this year, and a few other things go just right for the Giants, they might even be able to compete in the desolate NL West. I think your poll needs a few better (or I guess worse) options.
by boonitez on Dec 18, 2008 6:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
second or third
There are one or two worse than this?
http://rswanzey.blogspot.com
by rswanzey on Dec 18, 2008 4:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Sabean
seems to have a nice collection of pitchers right now, I don’t think he’s the worst.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on Dec 18, 2008 8:16 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
scouts
thank them instead. He’s up there.
by Daniel Berlyn on Dec 18, 2008 5:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What is wrong with this thread?
People really need to lighten up. It is the hollidays people!!!!
"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."
-Jonathan Swift
by King Billy Royal on Dec 18, 2008 9:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Here will be a wild card
The D-Rays — the stupid decision to not add players at whatever the cost at the deadline last year cost them their ONE AND ONLY SHOT they will ever have at a WS.
Wade Davis and Jeff Niemann would have delivered them Jason Bay.
Desmond Jennings and Brignac would have delivered them CC.
You can quible with above deal but bottom line no one can argue that they did not have the talent to bring in both those guys…. They blew the best shot they will ever have at a WS to protects some prospects…. I just do not get.
by novaoakland on Dec 18, 2008 10:04 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Piling on
Think they wish they would have protected Josh Hamilton? They went through all kinds of bad times with that guy and right when he starts to right the ship they don’t protect him for the Rule 5.
by slurve on Dec 18, 2008 10:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
It's not like they didn't know what they were
Hamilton at the time had never played about A-ball and was a recovering Heroin Addict that was out of options. They knew that he had loads of potential but also did not feel that they could give him the playing time at the major league level that he would need to develop (at the time it was a HUGE risk that he would be able to hit major league pitching). Keep in mind that this is one of the absolute best minor league systems in baseball we’re talking about so 40-man roster spots are not exactly easy to come by. The Rays did right by Hamilton by giving him an opportunity to go elsewhere and publicly stated that they wished him all the best in getting his career back on track. Very classy for an organization that was in some ways struggling for credibility.
by Ophidian on Dec 18, 2008 2:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Those trades sound bogus
I don’t think either of those trades was actually on the table for Tampa.
by aap212 on Dec 18, 2008 2:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
I think the packages those players did actually get in return were better than what he posted anyway
by slurve on Dec 18, 2008 4:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
lost Dukes too
they’re still pretty good, though.
by Daniel Berlyn on Dec 18, 2008 5:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
no
My pirates getting Niemann and Davis would have been world’s better than the shit sandwich we got fed for Bay.
Now CC, yeah i think LaPorta was a better get than Brignac/Jennings.
I agree - Noonan is as valuable as a dead horse… and he too should be beaten by some dude in a top hat who looks like he’s holding his junk.
by cool hand Charlie on Dec 19, 2008 8:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Right...
A team that made the world series out of the AL East on a 40 million dollar payroll, relying on a slugging 1B they picked up for virtually nothing and a rotation that didn’t include a single player they selected with a top draft pick is clearly among the worst run in baseball.
Friedman is very good at his job. He’s built the Rays into a contender without a single major free agent acquisition. Contrary to popular belief, this year’s Rays team was not just a product of the team losing over the last decade. They had a grand total of 2 regulars that the team acquired through its high selections in the draft in the last decade – Upton and Longoria – and the rest of the core was acquired through smart trades and an amazing allocation of resources to undervalued free agents.
The Rays just made the world series and their young core should only get better next year with Price moving into the rotation, a full season from Longoria, and improvement from Upton. They’re doing just fine.
by slamcactus on Dec 18, 2008 11:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
true
But in all fairness, you can’t underscore the contribution that Upton and Longoria had in the run to the World Series this year.
I agree - Noonan is as valuable as a dead horse… and he too should be beaten by some dude in a top hat who looks like he’s holding his junk.
by cool hand Charlie on Dec 19, 2008 8:21 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
"the best shot they will ever have at a WS"
Not quite…
Who's world is it? It's yours.
by BlackOps on Dec 18, 2008 11:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I would bet my first born child that th D_rays do not make it back to WS in next
7 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yanks and Bo Sox will not let that happen. Hell if TB wins 90 games again i will be shocked.
Sorry folks but NO chance they are better than the Yankees or RedSox.
Follow the money … Look at the vegas lines.
by novaoakland on Dec 18, 2008 8:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, well
If you would have told me the Rays were going to the 2008 series this time last year, I would have said the same thing. Look at where that would have gotten me.
by slurve on Dec 19, 2008 1:40 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yankees will never be that weak again
Small market teams need to jump on these opportunities
by novaoakland on Dec 19, 2008 8:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Well, yeah...
even so, they were a 97 win team last year with their best days ahead of them. I think the Yanks are more worried about the Rays than vise-versa no matter how much they spend.
by slurve on Dec 19, 2008 8:38 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
How much potential still exists in the Rays lineup? BJ Upton, Dioner Navarro and Evan Longoria can all take steps forward. They have prospects coming up in the system to fill gaps in SS and RF. Their rotation is (I believe) all under 25, and it features guys that haven’t even hit their ceilings yet. The Rays are beastly.
And the Yankees? Do you mean the Yankees with the aging lineup and the bloated contracts and the bad defense? They’re a good team, but they’re not going to be as good as the Rays in the long term.
by demondeaconsbaseball on Dec 19, 2008 5:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Hold on here.
1. Just because you have prospects doesn’t mean you trade them for rentals. That’s where you get stupid. It’s like throwing the sailors overboard because you think the ship might be sinking and you need to cut weight. I’m not saying that rentals are ALWAYS a bad thing, but you HAVE to take into account the amount of control you have over the prospects you’re trading away. “At whatever the cost” is never the answer. Gotta examine both sides. That’s what leads to rape jobs like the one Texas performed on Atlanta (Teixeira).
For a relatively low payroll team like the Rays, trading a guy with frontline upside like Wade Davis for a rental is just not intelligent. If its for a good player controlled for several years, that’s one thing (again, weigh the situations), but not for a rental. Frontline starters don’t come cheap on the free agent market. Having one around for well below market value is a good thing, even if you have several of them.
2. Their window to contend is NOT closing. Replacing Edwin Jackson, their weakest starter, with David Price alone should help the team, both financially(Edwin was arb eligible) and talent wise. The AL East is a complete wild card next year, with three very strong teams vying for a spot. And, since a good part of the Rays players are going to be around for a while, and cheaply at that, and many haven’t hit their primes yet, their window is far from closed.
"And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic..."
by Blicks on Dec 18, 2008 11:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Bay
Bay isn’t a ‘rental’ since he is signed for another year, imo.
I agree - Noonan is as valuable as a dead horse… and he too should be beaten by some dude in a top hat who looks like he’s holding his junk.
by cool hand Charlie on Dec 19, 2008 8:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Eh
They were on a long term plan and they held to it, which I give them a lot of credit for.
That being said, if they could look into the future and know that they were going to play in the World Series, would they have then gone forward with a trade for Bay? I think they just might have pulled the trigger on that one. But they couldn’t know that, because the playoffs are a small sample size crapshoot. And trading part of the future for a team that could have gotten knocked out of the playoffs round 1 wouldn’t have been a good idea.
I’m sure the Rays are open to the idea of making a serious run at some point in the very near future, and when that happens I’m sure that trading minor league assets for major league talent is going to be a consideration for them. It’s not like it wasn’t a consideration THIS year.
by mrkupe on Dec 18, 2008 3:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
1. How can you say that this will be their “one and only shot at the WS?” They have a young talented team that can compete in the AL East regardless of where CC and Tex go.
2. Not protecting Josh Hamilton was a mistake, but would you have protected a washed up heroine addict who had not shown any promise in 4 years?
3. Hinske, Pena, Navarro, Wheeler, Balfour, Howell, Garza, Bartlett, Aki, Aybar. Not to mention the contracts of Kazmir, Longoria, and Crawford.
The guy is one of the BEST GM’s and talking about him in this thread is ridiculous.
by BigBadBossman on Dec 18, 2008 11:18 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
I tend to rate them as organizations rather than GM’s because sometimes it’s spending restrictions (on free agents, on the draft, on resigning players, on keeping your arb-eligible guys). So the question I ask myself is “worst run organization in baseball”… right now, Kansas City is pretty much the clear leader in the clubhouse where they’re bad and little hope for future optimism. In past years it was pretty obviously the Pirates until the recent regime change.
by Ophidian on Dec 18, 2008 2:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
uh huh
You lost me at “on the draft.”
Get back to me when they don’t hold the record for most spent in a draft.
Founder of the Johnny Giavotella fan club.
by doublestix on Dec 18, 2008 3:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
-1 for Reading Comprehension
The whole first two sentences explain my valuation mechanism.
And you and I both know that “spending” != “spending well” (and yes, before your get your panties in a knot I believe Hosmer+Melville is spending well).
by Ophidian on Dec 19, 2008 2:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
???
They have one of the better systems in baseball. They made a stupid signing with Jose Guillen and have made some questionable moves this winter, but he has also done a great job fielding a low cost pen in the past, found Joakim Soria from nothing, surprised everyone by getting good performance out of Gil Meche and has generally had some good drafts. I certainly have my share of criticism for Dayton, but to say he’s the worst is pretty far off.
Ed Wade is pretty awful. He has a below average club, but is deluded into thinking they can make a run. He was the only sucker to trade for Miguel Tejada. He thinks paying millions for mediocre relievers is a wise use of resources. He seems to overreach in the draft. I’d say he’s a good candidate.
Not too impressed with Bill Smith thus far, but its early – we’ll have to see how some of his young players pan out.
Sabean has been long ridiculed and deservedly so, but he has at least developed a good system more recently.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Dec 18, 2008 4:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Oh yea and Ned Coletti
Coletti probably is the worst. He signed Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones and Jason Schmidt. Egads.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Dec 18, 2008 4:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Don't forget Casey Blake
3 years at $6.5M for a mediocre 3B’s age 36-38 seasons isn’t likely to turn out well.
by DrunkIrish on Dec 18, 2008 7:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
And totally
got played by Furcal today… though he’s not a bad signing.
by slurve on Dec 18, 2008 7:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Colletti constantly ignores the kids too. Though maybe thats Torre’s doing too.
by demondeaconsbaseball on Dec 19, 2008 5:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Moore still fails at roster construction
While the trades he has made hasn’t really cost him much for what he got, he’s not exactly acquiring pieces that you build a competitive roster around. This is an all-around terrible offensive unit. Nothing says “make the offense better” than acquiring a couple of low OBP guys to slot into the top half of your lineup. And don’t say Billy Butler when rumors have been they want to trade him and they were playing the immortal Ross Gload ahead of him.
Beyond Moustakas and Hosmer, the positions prospects cupboard is pretty bare. The pitching prospects are nice but TINSTAPP and it’s not like KC has a great track record for developing pitchers…
I would like to see more coherent moves from Dayton before I’m going to move him out of my doghouse. The Astros do have actual talent at the major league level but little hope for the future. I view them as being in KC’s current position in about 5 years…
by Ophidian on Dec 19, 2008 2:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
im a royals fan...
and i pretty much hate what dayton has done with the major league team….but he has done a great job building up the minor league system…which is a major part of his job…dayton is nowhere near the worst gm in baseball…is he good? the jury’s still out and im leaning towards no…but he doesnt belong anywhere near this conversation
TPJ...you're dead to me
by billybeingbilly on Dec 18, 2008 10:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
dayton
was a minor league guru that aided in building the braves 90s machine….the braves took off in 91, but there are tons of moves before that happened that led to that explosion, and the system was a huge part of sustaining that success….royals fans should be very happy with moore for many years to come….
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.
by biggentleben on Dec 19, 2008 12:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You can't have a worst GM poll
without Ned Colletti and Bill Bavasi on the poll somewhere. Even if Bavasi is now a former GM, he’s only recently removed from GM dom. Jim Bowden also should get a few mentions.
Bavasi is free to go back to being the Angels GM at anytime though.
"And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic..."
by Blicks on Dec 18, 2008 12:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
he's actually working for the Reds now
awwwwwsome.
by Charlie Scrabbles on Dec 18, 2008 1:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Is he that much worse
Than having Dusty Baker manage the workload of your young pitching?
by Ophidian on Dec 18, 2008 2:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
doug melvin\brewers
he has cost the brewers for years.
keep ned yost way too long
paid way too much $ to:
brady clark
wes helms
geoff jenkins……to name just a couple
didn’t land a good trade for Carlos Lee
he is just a terrible gm for the type of team\market in milwaukee. i can’t wait for him and the mark cuban wanna be owner the crew have are gone.
by FRANCHISEv2 on Dec 18, 2008 3:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Every GM makes his mistakes.
I don’t see enough big mistakes under Melvin’s name to put him at the level of “worst” GM IMO.
"And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic..."
by Blicks on Dec 18, 2008 6:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Melvin is not that bad
He has been pretty successful at picking up talent in the draft so far. Also, they made the playoffs this year from the largest division in the MLB, though calling Houston and Pittsburg MLB teams right now is misleading. There have been mistakes trade wise and with some contracts, but all GMs makes these errors, and none are really atrocious. The main weakness I have noticed with the Brewers under Melvin is the inability to develop/maintain a good starting rotation or bullpen.
by tdot mariner fan on Dec 18, 2008 6:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Really?
Clark and Helms really weren’t paid very much, in the grand scheme of things.
Carlos Lee was traded in his walk year and they got Coco Cordero in return, who went on to have a fantastic year as Milwaukee’s closer in ‘07. And Melvin acquired him for Scott freakin’ Podsednik. Yeah, it’s an awful GM who can turn a no power speed guy into a top slugger into a star closer into two top draft picks. That’s a pretty damn good GM, if you ask me.
by Fanon on Dec 18, 2008 10:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Jim Bowden
Had a good draft in 2007, but totally messed up in the Aaron Crow negotations. And the major league franchise is a complete mess. He just cut one of his best SPs from 2008 in Redding. He has made way too many decisions that just really make no sense.
Bowden at least deserves some consideration for worst GM.
by guru4u on Dec 18, 2008 3:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Thanks Matt Rox, this was unbelievably stupid. Sabean is not the worst GM in baseball. Have you not been paying attention recently?
Quick question, who are you quoting here:
The Giants’ Brian Sabean is well known as “the guy who lost his touch”.
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. - Emo Philips
Neglectful father of David Quinowski
by marcello on Dec 18, 2008 3:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Brian Sabean of course
It’s the holidays silly, don’t be stupid
by Matt Rox on Dec 18, 2008 6:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
What the fuck are you talking about?
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. - Emo Philips
Neglectful father of David Quinowski
by marcello on Dec 19, 2008 2:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I have no idea what he is saying
but Sabean would get my vote for worst GM… maybe Bowden.
by alskor on Dec 19, 2008 3:05 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Sabean’s done solid work for about two years now. He certainly should be blamed for the state the Giants were in, but he seems to have turned it around.
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. - Emo Philips
Neglectful father of David Quinowski
by marcello on Dec 19, 2008 3:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Hate to say it again but… Renteria??
Also, there is no way he should have gone into the season with that offense. Make whatever trades you have to, everyone knew the Giants were going to be in serious trouble. They put a very flawed team on the field last season for basically no reason. Zito, Vizquel, Rowand, Aurilia… and putting up with Bonds forever… he has a thousand strikes against him in my book. The Pierzynski trade…
Even if he hasnt been as bad as he used to be the last couple years he still is a bad GM. I think most people around the game think he’s a bad GM – take a look at the reaction to the Renteria signing for instance. Im certainly not willing to admit he hasnt been as bad coming off a head scratcher like that Renteria deal. It makes absolutely no sense. I think some Giants fan on here actually defended it by saying “what else we are going to use the money on?” Ha!
I think he may just be the worst GM in the game. There is no plan there and they consistently have made bad free agent signings. They seem to have no idea how to value defense, either.
Hell, if he made the Zito signing and otherwise was a decent GM he STILL might get my vote.
by alskor on Dec 19, 2008 3:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Renteria was a good signing. The Giants had nothing at SS and they signed an average SS on a 2 year deal. There is no risk with this signing, it cost no picks and he’s easily benched/replaced whenever necessary. Dave Cameron’s take.
As for the offense this season, they went in knowing it was going to be a rebuilding year, so I don’t understand your point of doing whatever to make it better.
Anyways, I don’t think you can honestly say that Sabean is the worst GM in baseball. Moore and Colletti are much worse, at the very least, and Sabean has done a pretty good job recently.
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. - Emo Philips
Neglectful father of David Quinowski
by marcello on Dec 19, 2008 12:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You really have no clue do you Marcello
Everyone disagrees with you about Brian Sabean, and since you came from Mccovey Chronicles, where I post, you should just stay there.
by Matt Rox on Dec 19, 2008 4:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You know Matt Rox...
You’ve already shown your true colors here so maybe you should stop, take a deep breath, and walk away from the keyboard.
Let’s all keep in mind that the Giants new outlook consists of being competitive long range. Let’s let it play out before we make our judgements.
Renteria fills a hole at no risk and no damage to the long term planning of the team. And if he proves that last year was just a down year… yeah it was a pretty good signing.
by dogdays on Dec 19, 2008 6:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Long-term
I agree that we shouldn’t totally write of Sabean, as he’s been less awful for the last 8 months or so. That said, Rowand was just last offseason and already looks pretty bad (though less bad than Pierre-Matthews), and Zito was only two years ago. An argument can definitely be made that if it weren’t for the absolutely ridiculous deal that Zito got, the Giants would be able to contend right now, as they could spend on the bats they so desperately need. Without Zito, they could be in the mix for Teixeira, or perhaps Abreu and Furcal or some such combination of lower priced guys. Instead, they’re rebuilding while they have a great pitching staff, largely because they have $17M a year eaten up by a contract for a guy who at this point in his career performs a hell of a lot like Jose Lima.
by Fanon on Dec 19, 2008 7:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
New outlook?
So what? The Brian Sabean tenure has been full of terrible decisions. Ive yet to see a compelling reason why we should limit the quesion of “who is the worst GM in baseball” to the last couple years…
There is absolutely no way in the world Renteria was a “pretty good signing.” Everyone in the baseball world is still laughing about this signing. Im not saying Renteria is all done – he’s still a useful player – but no other team was interested in this guy at anywhere near that price. The Giants bid against themselves and way overpaid him. He hit .270/.317/.382 .699 last season. .249 EqA. He wasnt even the leader in VORP for a SS on his own f***ing team last season! Ramon Santiago had him beat! How is that even possible?? Its a stupid deal any way you cut it, and be honest with yourselves – none of you like the deal. The defenses of it I hear each time start out with “Oh, its not that bad.” That’s always a good tipoff that its a crappy deal. The same way every defense of Sabean begins with “He hasnt been that bad for the last two years/ X amount of months.” OF COURSE he hasnt been as bad as he used to be. There will never be another deal as bad as Barry Zito – whom the entire baseball watching world was aware was toast – so there was no where to go but up. If Brian Sabean were any worse a GM over the last two years we wouldnt be debating this – because he would be fired.
Sabean has been killing a franchise for years that easily could have had a stretch of playoff runs. He’s a joke. He squandered some of the best years by any player ever by surrounding Bonds with garbage vets signed to bad deals – which is all he could afford because of the previous set of 35 year olds garbage vets he signed to multi-year deals. If I were a Giants fan I would go to sleep at night dreaming of the day he’s fired.
by alskor on Dec 19, 2008 9:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
In the interest of full disclosure
Ive decided I would vote for Colletti instead of Sabean… and Bavasi would obviously be the choice by a huge margin if he was still around.
but Brian Sabean…? Not a good GM. Easily one of the worst in the game.
by alskor on Dec 19, 2008 9:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
You’re basing it off of one bad year, that’s why you’re wrong. And you have no clue who was offering what, so don’t try and pass that off as fact.
The Zito and Rowand signings were no good, and there’s no defense for that. However, he’s done a good job outside of those two, and he hasn’t done anything stupid since the Rowand signing. I honestly think the team has a new direction and Sabean has done a decent job leading it. Most any intelligent analysis of the Giants offseason has been positive.
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. - Emo Philips
Neglectful father of David Quinowski
by marcello on Dec 20, 2008 2:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Where you post? You pop your head in, say some asinine shit, and leave.
When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realized God doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and prayed for forgiveness. - Emo Philips
Neglectful father of David Quinowski
by marcello on Dec 20, 2008 2:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Jim Hendry should get a look
Cubs fans had been asking for his head for years before 07, and just because ownership gave him $400 mil or so to play with over two years, the hostility ended. There are a lot of Cubs who are overpaid by a few mil each season, it adds up. To make matters worse, these are mostly backloaded deals. The don’t have the prospects or money to get Peavy anymore when they were practically handed him and they lost a valuable fan favorite in Wood, and now they don’t have any room to improve the team. They’ve tried to be the Yankees and it isn’t working out the way they wanted it to.
by Daniel Berlyn on Dec 18, 2008 5:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Not that he is w/o flaws...
but c’mon… the guy put together one hell of a team the last few years. It’s not his fault they haven’t shown up in the playoffs. They were a favorite to win it all this year and were 5 outs away from a WS a few years ago. If they would have appeared in either of those two, anything he would have done would be viewed as what was necessary to get it done – something that hasn’t been done in a century.
They’re still in a great position to contend for the next couple of years. Losing Wood sucks, but 10 mil is a lot to pay for any closer, let alone an oft-injured one and they have Marmol who can do the job for a fraction of the price. They haven’t tried to be the Yanks – they’re about 50-60 mil off that pace. They are also for sale – have been for a while, yet he’s been able to convince current owners to extend Zambrano, ARam and go get Soriano. Until Peavy actually takes the field in a Pads uniform, that deal is not dead. Towers is holding out and rightfully so – Hendry thinks he will flinch and he probably will eventually as they really need to get rid of him.
by slurve on Dec 19, 2008 4:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
JP Ricciardi I think is in the bottom 5
He has really failed to produce anything but sustainable mediocrity despite being in charge for quite a bit longer than he was initially allotted for. His drafting has been pretty poor in the early rounds, with many first round flops and questionable picks, though he has been better in the past couple years.
For free agents, the Burnett contract caused alot of controversy in the media, but he pitched very well in the end. Some of his other acquisitions leave me to question his ability to develop a competitive team in the long run. The signing of the Frank Thomas was a pretty poor decision, in that he overpayed a gave multiple years. The Hillenbrand , Batista, and Koskie signings were poor at best. For trades he never was ripped off outright, but they were really short sighted.
As of right now the Jays have an aging offence in Rolen, Eckstein, Zaun, Wilkerson, and Overbay. They have little surefire positional talent left in the minors after Snider graduates this year despite Riccardi being in charge of the organization since 2002 and the draft since 2003. The nice starting rotation the Jays have right now was wasted in 2008 and could quite possibly never be the same due to aging, injuries, and lack of depth.
Riccardi is just running the organization with the goal of saving his job, not looking to progress the team on the field. How long can a GM really last without showing any signs of success for so many seasons.
by tdot mariner fan on Dec 18, 2008 7:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
He has major bullet dodging skillz though
Founder of the Johnny Giavotella fan club.
by doublestix on Dec 18, 2008 7:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Damn can't believe I forgot about the Dunn fiasco in the media
by tdot mariner fan on Dec 18, 2008 8:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
well that
And I was referring to when he said the Jays “dodged a bullet” when the Royals outbid them for Gil Meche.
Founder of the Johnny Giavotella fan club.
by doublestix on Dec 18, 2008 8:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I like how ...
he uses the Renteria signing (2/18) as the example of Sabean making horrible signings. There are so many other ones that are exponentially worse than the Renteria deal.
LinceCain and pray for rain .... or for someone to take Zito off our hands.
by Lincecain on Dec 18, 2008 10:48 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Renteria
I think Renteria is a good example of how Sabean’s not getting any better, and is thus worth adding to the discussion.
I actually think Colletti picked up all Sabean’s bad habits and none of his good ones, and is now probably the worst GM around. Hell, Pierre is paid almost as much as Rowand.
by Fanon on Dec 18, 2008 10:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Recent past:
Dan O’Brien
Present: Jim “Leather Pants” Bowden
I’m lucky enough to have experienced both as a Reds fan.
by BoydsOfSummer on Dec 20, 2008 5:31 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
