Hey, Team Executive
From Hickey’s piece today:
“Lee has been talking to everybody about making a deal,” one member of the Mariners front office said Wednesday. “He’d like to get something done if it make us a better team.
“But I think he’s prepared to not do anything. He isn’t going to give anyone away. We aren’t a club that has to do things based on money. I’m not sure everyone knows that, but that’s the way it is.”
You’re not a club that has to do things based on money? Then please explain to me why you didn’t try to sign Vladimir Guerrero when he was a free agent. I asked Bavasi that question personally, and you know what he told me? “I was out of money.”
Or, if you don’t have to do things based on money, why didn’t you sign Miguel Tejada (thank God, but that’s not the point) or Barry Zito (ditto) or Carlos Lee (again, phew) or Carl Pavano (holy crap you guys tried to sign a lot of bad players) or Carlos Delgado (this is getting tiresome) or Hiroki Kuroda (hey, someone who isn’t totally awful!). Why did you go into this season with Brad Wilkerson in right field?
Why didn’t you keep Jose Guillen? Or Alex Rodriguez? Or Randy Johnson?
I’d keep going, but these are rhetorical questions. I already know the answer. You do make decisions based on money, just like every other franchise in baseball. You have a budget, and you don’t get to spend whatever you feel like spending on any player you want. Any money you spend on players is money you can’t spend on other players. If you’re giving $10 million to Jarrod Washburn, that’s $10 million you can’t give to C.C. Sabathia.
So, Mr. Team Executive, stop patronizing your fan base. We’re smarter than that. We understand cost/benefit analysis – do you?
The Manny Deal
In case you’re curious, I’ve written up my take on the rumored Manny Ramirez deal over at fangraphs. The long and short of it – the Marlins are making an unbelievably horrible deal. This is worse than the Bedard trade. This is the worst deal any team has made since the Bartolo Colon for Cliff Lee/Brandon Phillips/Grady Sizemore debacle. Okay, I take that back – the Scott Kazmir for Victor Zambrano deal was worse. But this is up there.
The Marlins are reportedly giving up three years of Jeremy Hermida, solid pitching prospect Ryan Tucker, and one or two more minor leaguers in exchange for Manny Ramirez. The problem, though, is that Manny Ramirez isn’t appreciably better than Jeremy Hermida. He’s a great hitter, but a horrible fielder, and Hermida’s a pretty decent player in his own right.
At absolute best, this move will add a couple of runs to the Marlins ledger over the rest of the season, and that won’t be enough for them to leap over the Phillies and Mets. Manny’s going to leave at years end, and they’re going to have given Hermida and some good young talent away for nothing.
If Theo Epstein can really turn Manny and some cash into Jason Bay, he should go right into the hall of fame. The deal makes sense for Pittsburgh, too, with the Marlins just taking it in the shorts.
Hopefully someone in Miami wakes up and realizes that they’re about to make a franchise crippling move, because this deal is awful from their perspective.
Game 107, Mariners at Rangers
5:05
General trade tomfoolery thread
I think the M’s should get in on that hot Barry Zito action. Trade Vidro for him, get Vidro back in the NL where he thrived, give up Silva, maybe…
The Move Washburn Campaign
We’ve only gotten one place to bite on the “Jarrod Washburn is awesome and has a new splitter and it’s great” story. Get out there and keep pushing, we need this guy moved in the next day!