Kimmi

My philosophy is to assemble as many BP arms as you reasonably can, and hope someone sticks. Usually, a few someones will. That's not to say that you don't spend any money on your BP. It's to say that you don't hand out huge contracts to relievers. If you're going to spend that kind of money/resources on a player, there are better ways to to spend it. And I'm not downgrading the importance of bullpens at all. I just think that there is a better way to build one in terms of the overall team building philosophy.

Who will Farrell/Dombrowski choose for a new bench coach? Dana LeVangie, Brian Butterfield, Alex Cora, Jason Varitek?

Another perfectly stated post. It's not difficult to put two and two together.

Theo > > > > > > Dombrowski It's not even close, really.

Perfectly said Dojji.

Maybe I don't like the crude and degrading way that you refer to his girlfriend or wife?

It can be a valuable statistic. It's just that the stat is often used incorrectly and that the sample sizes are usually not large enough to make it meaningful. That said, you're right that there are other metrics that can and should be used to evaluate catchers.

I have always preferred a defensive catcher over an offensive one, to wit, I would love to have a tandem of Vazquez/Leon next year. I have nothing against Swihart, I just don't think offense is that important for a catcher. Personally, I'd start Swihart in AAA to let him develop his defensive skills at catching. While it would be nice to give him reps at another position, like 3B, I think it would be more prudent to let him focus on his defensive game at catching to assess what we really have there.

There are better ways to build a bullpen than spending a fortune on them. That money is better spent elsewhere. Your best relievers are often the inexpensive guys that come out of nowhere. I have not been complaining about the lack of elite relief. I have said that this team is more or less good to go without any big moves. Make a few tweaks to the bullpen. We don't need Chapman or Jansen. And we don't need Encarnacion either.

It does appear that not re-signing Miller was a mistake. However, relievers are such a fickle bunch that there was really no way to know that he would continue to be lights out. A large contract to a relief pitcher is still a huge risk, and not one worth taking, IMO. We lost out on this one, but far more often than not, a team is better off not handing out large contracts to relievers.

I have said since the beginning that Kimbrel was a huge overpay. IMO, Kimbrel would have been an overpay if we had to pay just one of either the salary or the prospects. Having to pay both made it a double whammy. I am not unhappy about having Kimbrel on the team, but I have never liked his price.

I also think most teams/fans would sign up for one championship ring every four years, even if the other 3 years are last place finishes. Especially when those last place finishes were rather fluky. None of those teams, talent-wise, should have been that bad.

None of us knows for sure who was responsible for which moves, but if you take into consideration the philosophy and the goals of Theo versus Lucchino, some moves just have Lucchino written all over them. I remain convinced that both Theo and Ben could have done even better jobs if Lucchino didn't butt his nose into baseball ops.

Two thumbs down.

The job was Theo's dream job when he started. The job lost its appeal because he was not allowed his philosophical ideals in building a team. He was 'forced' to make moves that went against his beliefs. He didn't turn his back on his dream job. He walked away from a job that he was clearly unhappy with. Theo had no idea what might have happened if he tried to 'wait it out'. You are kidding yourself if you think he should have.

IMO, there's a huge difference between a one year commitment and a four year commitment. The fact that Clay's option is for one year is what's so appealing and sensible about it. As far as Miller is concerned, he's been absolutely amazing. However, I would not have been on board for signing him for 4yrs/$36 mil last offseason. I just cannot agree with signing a relief pitcher to that kind of a contract.

No, there's really no mystery. Times have recently changed a little, but the Yankees were willing to pay their free agents whatever it took. Bottom line.

Fair enough Moon. I got a different impression when I read your previous posts, but if you think he is clearly the best GM in the last 20 years and probably longer, I'm good with that. IMO, Theo was being very gracious with most of the stuff that he said in the interviews after leaving. He was not going to blame Lucchino for everything that turned bad. He took responsibility for it, though IMO, the blame does lie with Lucchino. Theo has been very clear with his team building philosophy. Theo and Lucchino have clearly butted heads many times. Many of the moves that turned out badly were due to the heavy hand of Lucchino wanting to make a splashy move. Maybe Theo allowed to get himself caught up with it, but I very much doubt those moves would have happened if Lucchino were not around. To answer your question, the 'quality or work' probably was not quite as strong in the latter years as it was in the earlier years, but I wouldn't call it a significant difference. Again, I think Lucchino is largely responsible for that, which is why Theo wanted to leave.

You have said many times that if Ben didn't have the authority or power to overrule Lucchino, then he should leave. Sure, Theo could have waited Lucchino out, but who knew how long that would be? Would you wait in a job situation like that for 10-15 years (or maybe more), especially when another job comes along in which you get full autonomy? I am fairly certain that if given the choice between staying here with the type of power that Dombrowski has or going to Chicago, Theo would have stayed here. You can't really fault Theo for leaving under the circumstances in which he did.

Dombrowski and Farrell have shown that they are not going to give someone a starting job or keep them in a starting role based on precedent, seniority, or salary. If Buchholz is pitching well enough to earn a spot in the rotation, he'll be there. If there are 5 others who are pitching better than he is, Buchholz will be moved to the pen. I really don't think you have to worry about Buchholz taking away a spot from Wright, Pomeranz, or ERod if those guys are pitching better.

You are finally able to see how great Theo is. You should just listen to me from the beginning.

There are still people who aren't giving him the credit he deserves, probably more on other sites than here. He is arguably the best GM ever. My impression from your posts is that you do not think that highly of him. Yes, you acknowledged the rings, but you also don't seem that impressed with his overall body of work, which is really unparalleled. Where do you think he ranks among GMs? The best? One of the best? Good but nothing great? Meh?

ugh!!!

Maddon tries too hard to make the baseball world believe that he's a genius. Unfortunately, he's not.

I do too. He's frustrating as all get out, but I like the guy as a pitcher. Most of the time.