Let's Grade the GM on the Off-Season

[FredLynn]

or I could be deceiving you

 

CP would never admit that Valentine is an upgrade

[Palodios]

Wow this thread got long while I was away. Well anyway, I rated him a B.

 

I think what many people are ignoring here is the sheer number of holes the team had. If you compare what the team had at the end of 2011 to the beginning of 2011 offseason, the team need to replace three big-inning starters (Dice-k/Lackey/Wakefield), three relievers (Papelbon/Jenks/Wheeler), a big bat (Ortiz), a RF (Drew/Kalish) and a catcher (Vairkek).

 

 

The good: Picking up Cody Ross for 3 million? Huge bargain. Picking up a catcher with a good arm? Finally! Andrew Bailey and Melancon for Reddick, Lowrie, and scraps? Exceptional deals. Nick Punto? A solid defensive replacement for later innings is fine with me. Loading up on depth signings

 

The bad: Paying Ortiz 14.5 million. If you have limited resources, you really cannot waste money on a lumbering oaf. He would have tested the market and come crawling back for a 1/10 or 2/18 deal.

 

The ugly: Trading Scutaro for nothing. It makes this team look cheap, and noncontenders. Try to compete in 2013, okay?

 

The really ugly: No #5 pitcher? Are you crazy? Instead of getting money for Theo... you got Christina Carpenter. Great work there. Oswalt sits on the open market waiting for a fresh offer.

 

The truly terrible, horrible thing: Jed Lowrie is gone

 

 

There is a lot of ugly. But in all fairness, Theo and Larry let this ship sink to the bottom of the sea.

[Dojji]

We tried for Oswalt. He wasn't interested.

 

You can't bring in a guy who won't sign with you.

[seabeachfred]

How could I reasonably give this off season an A? You must have a pretty low opinion of me. Regardless' date=' I'd realistically give it a C. So, you were wrong in context.[/quote']

 

Now now Emmz, don't rain on my parade. I said it was you and not LynNay and even though you didn't mean it, thank God, you still gave the grade and I said who did it . Now I could have said your friend was the one but I didn't. And, no, I do not have a low opinion of you. I once told you I prefer the company of women to me; that was no canard.

 

A little personal history would help. I have a lovely wife named Linda who I have been extremely happily married to for 41 years, six months and 24 days. I have a loving daughter and when my wife was expecting, unlike other men, I wanted a girl. I have a grandaughter and grand son, love them both, but the girl is more attached to me. As a dog lover I have four pooches----all female. No, despite what Lyn Nay might tell you, I like the ladies---very much. How about a peace pipe between us?

[seabeachfred]

Wow this thread got long while I was away. Well anyway, I rated him a B.

 

I think what many people are ignoring here is the sheer number of holes the team had. If you compare what the team had at the end of 2011 to the beginning of 2011 offseason, the team need to replace three big-inning starters (Dice-k/Lackey/Wakefield), three relievers (Papelbon/Jenks/Wheeler), a big bat (Ortiz), a RF (Drew/Kalish) and a catcher (Vairkek).

 

 

The good: Picking up Cody Ross for 3 million? Huge bargain. Picking up a catcher with a good arm? Finally! Andrew Bailey and Melancon for Reddick, Lowrie, and scraps? Exceptional deals. Nick Punto? A solid defensive replacement for later innings is fine with me. Loading up on depth signings

 

The bad: Paying Ortiz 14.5 million. If you have limited resources, you really cannot waste money on a lumbering oaf. He would have tested the market and come crawling back for a 1/10 or 2/18 deal.

 

The ugly: Trading Scutaro for nothing. It makes this team look cheap, and noncontenders. Try to compete in 2013, okay?

 

The really ugly: No #5 pitcher? Are you crazy? Instead of getting money for Theo... you got Christina Carpenter. Great work there. Oswalt sits on the open market waiting for a fresh offer.

 

The truly terrible, horrible thing: Jed Lowrie is gone

 

 

There is a lot of ugly. But in all fairness, Theo and Larry let this ship sink to the bottom of the sea.

 

A really good post Palodios and it is hard to find much fault with it. I was a big Jed Lowrie fan and if he can healthy he is going to put up some good numbers with the Astros this season. I wish we would have kept him. The guy is damn good clutch hitter.

[User Name]

Define "clutch".

[jacksonianmarch]

We tried for Oswalt. He wasn't interested.

 

You can't bring in a guy who won't sign with you.

 

Kuroda was out there.

[Bellhorn04]

Kuroda was out there.

 

Absolutely. And if the reports were correct the Red Sox 'had interest'. But he signed with the Yankees for $10 million.

 

Which brings us to one of the key points we're arguing here: were the Red Sox pinching pennies, and if so, where did the directive to pench pennies come from.

 

Personally I highly doubt it came from Benny.

[User Name]

Didn't a couple reports just come out that Kuroda took less money from other teams to sign with the Yankees?

[Dojji]

Kuroda was out there.

 

We tried for Kuroda. He fed us a BS line about wanting to stay on the west coast and then signed with the Yankees.

[mvp 78]

Kuroda isn't worth $10M.

[Muggah]

Kuroda isn't worth $10M.

 

Sure he is if you're legitimately committed to winning a championship.

[mvp 78]

Sure he is if you're legitimately committed to winning a championship.

 

With that logic, you should be happy with the Ortiz signing.

[Muggah]

With that logic' date=' you should be happy with the Ortiz signing.[/quote']

 

Please.

[Dojji]

Please.

 

Indeed.

 

Consistency? From Muggah? Child please.

[VA Sox Fan]

Now now Emmz, don't rain on my parade. I said it was you and not LynNay and even though you didn't mean it, thank God, you still gave the grade and I said who did it . Now I could have said your friend was the one but I didn't. And, no, I do not have a low opinion of you. I once told you I prefer the company of women to me; that was no canard.

 

A little personal history would help. I have a lovely wife named Linda who I have been extremely happily married to for 41 years, six months and 24 days. I have a loving daughter and when my wife was expecting, unlike other men, I wanted a girl. I have a grandaughter and grand son, love them both, but the girl is more attached to me. As a dog lover I have four pooches----all female. No, despite what Lyn Nay might tell you, I like the ladies---very much. How about a peace pipe between us?

 

Do me a favor ok? Don't accuse me of telling people things I didn't and don't tell them. I don't care what you think about anything, why would I care what you think about women?

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Why is it that SBF tells us about his life all the time?

[Elktonnick]

Absolutely. And if the reports were correct the Red Sox 'had interest'. But he signed with the Yankees for $10 million.

 

Which brings us to one of the key points we're arguing here: were the Red Sox pinching pennies, and if so, where did the directive to pench pennies come from.

 

Personally I highly doubt it came from Benny.

 

Was there a directive? If there were please show us. According to all the publiic statements from ownership,other than Ben, I can find none. Quite the contrary all their public statements indicated the opposite. Seems like a great deal of conjecture to excuse Ben's failure to significantly improve this team over the competetion.

[FredLynn]

Absolutely. And if the reports were correct the Red Sox 'had interest'. But he signed with the Yankees for $10 million.

 

Which brings us to one of the key points we're arguing here: were the Red Sox pinching pennies, and if so, where did the directive to pench pennies come from.

 

Personally I highly doubt it came from Benny.

 

Cherington does not make up the budget. Its not his money to spend. That directive has to come from the owners.

We really needed another quality SP this year to bring us up to the level of the Rays and Yankees' SP rotation, but we got a dung heap. Its pretty disappointing that we exceeded the cap, gave Scutaro away, then failed to secure another good SP because the owners were too cheap to spend the money for a one year contract.

[FredLynn]

Was there a directive? If there were please show us. According to all the publiic statements from ownership' date='other than Ben, I can find none. Quite the contrary all their public statements indicated the opposite. Seems like a great deal of conjecture to excuse Ben's failure to significantly improve this team over the competetion.[/quote']

 

Don't you think Ben would prefer a budget that is unlimited? That could only make him look better.

If I own the club and its MY money, I would be sure and reserve the last word on how much of MY money would get spent.

[Bellhorn04]

Don't you think Ben would prefer a budget that is unlimited? That could only make him look better.

If I own the club and its MY money, I would be sure and reserve the last word on how much of MY money would get spent.

 

It's that simple. Not sure why nick doesn't get it. But apparently he needs a public statement from the Red Sox front office about what the budget is and who set it, before he would accept such a notion.

[Emmz]

Now now Emmz, don't rain on my parade. I said it was you and not LynNay and even though you didn't mean it, thank God, you still gave the grade and I said who did it . Now I could have said your friend was the one but I didn't. And, no, I do not have a low opinion of you. I once told you I prefer the company of women to me; that was no canard.

 

A little personal history would help. I have a lovely wife named Linda who I have been extremely happily married to for 41 years, six months and 24 days. I have a loving daughter and when my wife was expecting, unlike other men, I wanted a girl. I have a grandaughter and grand son, love them both, but the girl is more attached to me. As a dog lover I have four pooches----all female. No, despite what Lyn Nay might tell you, I like the ladies---very much. How about a peace pipe between us?

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EpQRYSc12b0/SUbSXxVLm1I/AAAAAAAAABk/zS6c_SDrqWw/s400/thanks-for-the-info.jpg

[Elktonnick]

Don't you think Ben would prefer a budget that is unlimited? That could only make him look better.

If I own the club and its MY money, I would be sure and reserve the last word on how much of MY money would get spent.

 

Of course he had a budget but we are assuming it was such and such. There has never been any public statement from ownership that finances inhibited Cherries room for negotiation. Everyone assumes that there was because of the way Cherries has acted or failed to act.

[Elktonnick]

It's that simple. Not sure why nick doesn't get it. But apparently he needs a public statement from the Red Sox front office about what the budget is and who set it' date=' before he would accept such a notion.[/quote']

 

I get it. You assume that were specific instructions regarding money. I think it was sometihing else,.....incompetence, inexperience, and indecision.

[Emmz]

Of course he had a budget but we are assuming it was such and such. There has never been any public statement from ownership that finances inhibited Cherries room for negotiation. Everyone assumes that there was because of the way Cherries has acted or failed to act.

 

If your owner gives you a budget, arent you going to make the most out of that budget? I think there's very little substantiate your claim.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

That image Emmz just posted >

 

Dying.

[Elktonnick]

If your owner gives you a budget' date=' arent you going to make the most out of that budget? I think there's very little substantiate your claim.[/quote']

 

My point is that he didn't. The team is worse now then when the season ended. That's the bottom line.

[Muggah]

My point is that he didn't. The team is worse now then when the season ended. That's the bottom line.

 

It really is. why can't people accept that?

[FredLynn]

My point is that he didn't. The team is worse now then when the season ended. That's the bottom line.

 

I think we are very close to the same in terms of talent level as at the end of the year. Look who our SP were at the end of the year: Wakefield, Weiland, Miller etc. This year at least CB is back, and Bard could work out. The rest of the SP besides Lester and Beckett suck, but are they really much worse than last year? Lackey being gone is a (+). And replacing Francona with Valentine is also a (+).

I guess thats the crux of it; you think we are worse than last year, I think we are just no better.

[FredLynn]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_EpQRYSc12b0/SUbSXxVLm1I/AAAAAAAAABk/zS6c_SDrqWw/s400/thanks-for-the-info.jpg

 

Does this mean that I can post pictures too?

Mod?