Dombrowski in Cherington Out

[sk7326]

Compared to the enormous challenges on the pitching side, the offense is relatively a non-issue, but there is an issue at first . If Hanley can't hack it there, he has to be moved. I like Shaw, but not everyone is convinced that he is the answer. Sandoval against lefties is a huge issue. Who is the real Jackie Bradley-- the 2014 version or the August/September 2015 version. These are small issues compared to the wreckage that Ben left on the pitching side. It is not smoothe running machine that DD has inherited.

 

Hanley will be fine. Give an offseason for the shoulder to heal and he will hit - enough to put him wherever you want on the field, including first. Shaw is a decent guy who will be useful trade bulk. Sandoval is what he is - certainly better than 2015, but probably not that good. Dombrowski's work with the staff is considerable - the tools he has to fix it are pretty vast.

[cp176]

Hanley will be fine. Give an offseason for the shoulder to heal and he will hit - enough to put him wherever you want on the field, including first. Shaw is a decent guy who will be useful trade bulk. Sandoval is what he is - certainly better than 2015, but probably not that good. Dombrowski's work with the staff is considerable - the tools he has to fix it are pretty vast.

 

Everyone - and I mean everyone knew that we needed at least one top top of the rotation guy to make this year interesting. Cherington gets to ride no excuse for his failure to at least try to acquire the one thing that we need most. I am sure that Hanley Ramirez has the potential to hit. Everyone knows that. How well will he hit - don't know - the averages seem to say well but not overwhelming for sure. How many games will he play? Will he hit well enough to play him anywhere that you want him on the field? You must be kidding! Already tried that one. My guess is that DD will give him a short leash. His bat entitles him to even have a leash. Ultimately, he is gone.

[sk7326]

Everyone - and I mean everyone knew that we needed at least one top top of the rotation guy to make this year interesting. Cherington gets to ride no excuse for his failure to at least try to acquire the one thing that we need most. I am sure that Hanley Ramirez has the potential to hit. Everyone knows that. How well will he hit - don't know - the averages seem to say well but not overwhelming for sure. How many games will he play? Will he hit well enough to play him anywhere that you want him on the field? You must be kidding! Already tried that one. My guess is that DD will give him a short leash. His bat entitles him to even have a leash. Ultimately, he is gone.

 

That meant he's gonna be a shaky fielder wherever - but his bat plays anywhere. He went in the toilet after he hurt his shoulder ... it happens. Offseason to heal, and that part will be fine.

[a700hitter]

That meant he's gonna be a shaky fielder wherever - but his bat plays anywhere. He went in the toilet after he hurt his shoulder ... it happens. Offseason to heal, and that part will be fine.

I disagree that his bat plays anywhere. He needs to have some minimum level of proficiency. It is no accident that the team is playing much better with him on the sidelines. His fielding wrecked game after game.

[cp176]

That meant he's gonna be a shaky fielder wherever - but his bat plays anywhere. He went in the toilet after he hurt his shoulder ... it happens. Offseason to heal, and that part will be fine.

 

Ok - thanks for clearing up the bit about his fielding, you had me nervous there for a bit. It still astounds me that an athlete that has done what he has done, could be such a lousy fielder wherever he guts stuck. He may get another chance. He might be worth a look but I don't think that it will be a long look.

[Kimmi]

If he decides to take a vacation, the other possibility would be that he is stupid. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt that he is not stupid.

 

Why would he be stupid if he decided to take a year off? Maybe he's burned out and needs a break. Maybe he wants to spend time with his family. Maybe the right job that he's looking for hasn't presented itself yet.

 

There was a good article by Cafardo today on Cherington's vision finally panning out and how he did not have the luxury of a patient fan base, which is exactly what I've been saying.

 

Also in that article, it was mentioned that Cherington turned down the opportunity to interview with Seattle for the GM position. Despite your beliefs, there is interest in him.

 

He’s speaking to people in and out of baseball about his next move. He would love to run a team again and in his words, “really make a difference.” He says he’s not close to anything and no team is ready to hire him.

 

But Ben Cherington remains an intriguing option to the Phillies, Brewers, Angels, and others contemplating a new general manager. He turned down a chance to interview with the Mariners.

[sk7326]

I disagree that his bat plays anywhere. He needs to have some minimum level of proficiency. It is no accident that the team is playing much better with him on the sidelines. His fielding wrecked game after game.

 

His low OBP/low power combo hurt a lot more. From Butch Hobson to Ryan Klesko to umpteen other cases, teams have survived with dumpster fire defenders who could hit. (and in Hobson's case he didn't really hit all that much). 1B or 3B he will be less bad if he hits to his normal ability. Heck, if he hit to his normal capability, he'd have been a justifiable starter.

 

His teammates have done quite nicely the last 2 months ... it has been fun.

[a700hitter]

Why would he be stupid if he decided to take a year off? Maybe he's burned out and needs a break. Maybe he wants to spend time with his family. Maybe the right job that he's looking for hasn't presented itself yet.

 

There was a good article by Cafardo today on Cherington's vision finally panning out and how he did not have the luxury of a patient fan base, which is exactly what I've been saying.

 

Also in that article, it was mentioned that Cherington turned down the opportunity to interview with Seattle for the GM position. Despite your beliefs, there is interest in him.

I have not siad that there would be no interest in him. I said that if he can't land a GM gig this year with all of the openings, that would be very telling. If a 41 year old in the baseball business passes up employment to take a year off to relax, that imo would be a mistake and yes, a stupid mistake.

[Kimmi]

I have not siad that there would be no interest in him. I said that if he can't land a GM gig this year with all of the openings, that would be very telling. If a 41 year old in the baseball business passes up employment to take a year off to relax, that imo would be a mistake and yes, a stupid mistake.

 

You are implying that if Ben is not a GM somewhere next season, it is because either he stinks and no other team wants him or he is stupid for taking a year off. Sorry, but neither one of those reasons is close to being true.

[a700hitter]

You are implying that if Ben is not a GM somewhere next season, it is because either he stinks and no other team wants him or he is stupid for taking a year off. Sorry, but neither one of those reasons is close to being true.

That is your opinion. Don't state it as a fact.

[SoxnCycles]

You are implying that if Ben is not a GM somewhere next season, it is because either he stinks and no other team wants him or he is stupid for taking a year off. Sorry, but neither one of those reasons is close to being true.

 

It's called projection.

 

They know THEY'D never land another job, if they took a year off, therefore anyone that does it is obviously stupid.

[a700hitter]

One GM opening has been filled.

 

Brewers To Name David Stearns As GM

By Zach Links [september 21, 2015 at 9:43am CDT]

 

SEPT. 21: Stearns will be introduced as the new general manager today at 1pm CT, tweets MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy.

 

SEPT. 20: The Brewers are expected to name Astros assistant GM David Stearns as their new GM, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. Stearns will indeed be the next GM in Milwaukee, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com tweets, and he adds that a formal announcement will come on Monday.

 

Stearns, 30, will now become the youngest GM in baseball. He is, in fact, younger than seven players on the Brewers’ current roster (Ryan Braun, Matt Garza, Kyle Lohse, Adam Lind, Nevin Ashley, Francisco Rodriguez and Cesar Jimenez). As an assistant GM in Houston, he was tasked with assisting GM Jeff Luhnow in “all baseball operations capacities including player evaluations, player transactions, and contract negotiations,” per his site bio. The Harvard grad served as the director of baseball operations for the Guardians in 2011/12 and has previously worked in the baseball operations departments of the Mets and Pirates.

 

Stearns is “adored by his colleagues,” Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweets. Despite his academic background, Passan notes that he is “far from an all-analytics guy.”

 

In August, it was announced that longtime Brewers GM Doug Melvin would move to an advisory position within the organization. Melvin, 63, became Milwaukee’s general manager nearly 13 years ago and prior to that spent eight years as GM of the Rangers. He was the GM in Texas for the team’s first three postseason appearances and helped to construct a pair of playoff teams during his Brewers tenure as well, including a 96-win team that made it to Game 6 of the NLCS against the Cardinals in 2011.

 

The Brewers have conducted an exhaustive search to fill their GM vacancy, but it seems that they have found their man before the official end to the season. The team was known to be focusing on candidates who were both younger and had an analytics background. Rays VP of baseball operations Chaim Bloom, Pirates director of player development Tyrone Brooks, A’s assistant GM Dan Kantrovitz and the Brewers’ own scouting director Ray Montgomery were all names linked to Milwaukee’s GM opening.

[mvp 78]

@JeffPassan: Sources: Red Sox starting official GM hiring process. Well-regarded Astros director of player development Quinton McCracken is interviewing.

[sk7326]

@JeffPassan: Sources: Red Sox starting official GM hiring process. Well-regarded Astros director of player development Quinton McCracken is interviewing.

 

Makes sense - job now is a gussied up player development director gig - which is good if you are moving up the ladder. Astros shop (which is tied to Saint Louis) as good an any there is.

[iortiz]

GMs are becoming coffee boys. In Boston the new GM is gong to be puppet (like Cherington) , DD (like Luchino) is the one who is going to make the calls, for good or for bad.

 

Said that, It's irrelevant who takes the position.

[sk7326]

GMs are becoming coffee boys. In Boston the new GM is gong to be puppet (like Cherington) , DD (like Luchino) is the one who is going to make the calls, for good or for bad.

 

Said that, It's irrelevant who takes the position.

 

Disagree - the job description changed. DD's focus is on the major league roster - I don't think he has the time or interest to focus on the rest of the baseball operation (which is a pretty big job). GM in Boston under this org chart is the guy in charge of the "other stuff" which DD is not looking at - and probably the guy the day to day staff interacts with the most. It's a promotion from an assistant gig - but no, it's not a chance to be the one true baseball fuhrer. A guy who can step in and keep the executive talent here will not be nothing.

[iortiz]

Disagree - the job description changed. DD's focus is on the major league roster - I don't think he has the time or interest to focus on the rest of the baseball operation (which is a pretty big job). GM in Boston under this org chart is the guy in charge of the "other stuff" which DD is not looking at - and probably the guy the day to day staff interacts with the most. It's a promotion from an assistant gig - but no, it's not a chance to be the one true baseball fuhrer. A guy who can step in and keep the executive talent here will not be nothing.

 

I was referring to the major legue moves/ team-building. As I said, the new GM is not going to make the calls. He is going to make the paper work for DD, in whatever subject he demands in order to make the decisions.

[sk7326]

I was referring to the major legue moves/ team-building. As I said, the new GM is not going to make the calls. He is going to make the paper work for DD, in whatever subject he demands in order to make the decisions.

 

Fair enough - although the word puppet was an interesting choice. GM will be in charge of keeping the machine running - whether it be for Red Sox talent or trade currency. Somebody from the Astros or Cardinals makes sense - both have had created an organizational advantage in developing pitching. Clearly the Sox have had no issue with the position players.

[Spudboy]

And of course there is now this. It seems that Ben has a new job.

 

 

http://www.overthemonster.com/2015/10/26/9616186/ben-cherington-accepts-position-at-columbia-university

[a700hitter]

And of course there is now this. It seems that Ben has a new job.

 

 

http://www.overthemonster.com/2015/10/26/9616186/ben-cherington-accepts-position-at-columbia-university

Is this the kind of position that Duke had while he was on hiatus? It certainly seems like a low pressure position.

[Spudboy]

Is this the kind of position that Duke had while he was on hiatus? It certainly seems like a low pressure position.

 

Not sure other than Duke did start a baseball team out in the Pittsfield area at one point.

 

 

I just posted that because it had been discussed.

[cp176]

And of course there is now this. It seems that Ben has a new job.

 

 

http://www.overthemonster.com/2015/10/26/9616186/ben-cherington-accepts-position-at-columbia-university

 

Thanks for passing this one on. I am not one bit surprised by this. He is a bright young man. A school like Columbia may offer him everything he wants professionlly without the headache of trying to run a major league gig in Boston. I would be surprised to ever see him work as a GM again. Good for him! It is sad when things don't work out well for good people but it no surprise that he landed on his feet.

[Kimmi]

And of course there is now this. It seems that Ben has a new job.

 

http://www.overthemonster.com/2015/10/26/9616186/ben-cherington-accepts-position-at-columbia-university

 

Good for Ben.

[Kimmi]

And for anyone who still has any doubt that Ben has already drawn interest from other ball clubs, there is this, written before Ben accepted the job with Columbia:

 

Also from Olney’s post, he reports that the Pirates are in “informal discussions” with Ben Cherington about a possible front office job. Since stepping down as Boston’s general manager last summer, Cherington reportedly declined opportunities to interview for both the Mariners and Phillies GM jobs out of a desire to take some time away from the game. It’s fair to speculate that a position working under his friend Neal Huntington could be more attractive to Cherington than a return to the full-time grind of a GM position.

[a700hitter]

Thanks for passing this one on. I am not one bit surprised by this. He is a bright young man. A school like Columbia may offer him everything he wants professionlly without the headache of trying to run a major league gig in Boston. I would be surprised to ever see him work as a GM again. Good for him! It is sad when things don't work out well for good people but it no surprise that he landed on his feet.

My impression of him is that he is a stand up straight shooting guy -- a humble guy who always was accountable for the team's performance. Maybe he was too honest/nice of a guy to be a GM. Good luck to him.

[cp176]

My impression of him is that he is a stand up straight shooting guy -- a humble guy who always was accountable for the team's performance. Maybe he was too honest/nice of a guy to be a GM. Good luck to him.

 

I agree - A very good post. Too nice a guy to be beaten to death by the burdens of this particular job.

[a700hitter]

I agree - A very good post. Too nice a guy to be beaten to death by the burdens of this particular job.

Unlike many other GM's who mislead at times by being deliberately vague about future moves, he was always very straightforward about his intentions. When he said that he liked our pitching last off season, I knew that there would be no additions to our staff prior to the start of the season. He didn't say it to be coy or not to telegraph his moves. He said it, because he believed it. You could take it to the bank. He was terribly wrong so his statement ended up in my signature.

 

I guess I will have to retire both parts of my signature.

[a700hitter]

I read an article that said that Ben had been in negotiations for an extended period with Columbia University. The sticking point in the negotiations was the job description. Ben was very opposed to the position being called Gym Teacher. Columbia countered with Phys Ed teacher and Ben still balked. In the end, the parties came to an agreement.

[GomesBeard]

Good for Ben. I suspect he will end up n a front office again somewhere, to rehab and rebuild his brand.

[Bellhorn04]

Ben could have been part of the Evil Empire!

 

http://nypost.com/2015/10/27/yankees-tried-to-hire-departed-red-sox-gm/