tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post9178573626829369109..comments2024-01-06T02:22:33.000-05:00Comments on Camden Depot: Cups of jO's: MacPhail on O's International Spending (Part I of II)Jon Shepherdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03521809778977098687noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-13870061194424681372011-07-13T08:16:14.230-04:002011-07-13T08:16:14.230-04:00Bret-My point here is that in this moment where ma...Bret-My point here is that in this moment where many fans are throwing themselves off bridges, there is a silver lining. That lining, like any silver lining, is a thin margin. I am not saying that this is something for us to be dancing the streets and thrilled beyond belief and my writing is certainly characterized by a more wholistic perspective. That said, as bad as things are, there are good things that have happened. This is not the band playing while the Titantic sinks. It is the quarter-filled life boats moving away from the ship.<br /><br />Agnes-Nicely put.<br /><br />VPutin-Thanks Comrade.Jon Shepherdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03521809778977098687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-16449156699696427212011-07-12T12:42:25.013-04:002011-07-12T12:42:25.013-04:00Really enjoyed this, especially the parallels you ...Really enjoyed this, especially the parallels you draw to irresponsible free agent signings. That's the real problem I have. It would be one thing to say, "Our analysis shows investment in IFAs does not produce the same ROI as investment in the Rule 4 draft." Fine. Still don't agree with it because the rule 4 draft offers a much more limited supply, but I get it.<br /><br />But how you can say this on one hand and then turn around and blow money on Garrett Atkins, who any idiot who has taken both high school math and can use google to find his B-R page can tell was rapidly declining as a 3B in Colorad (much less a 1B in the AL East, or a borderline replacement player in Kevin Gregg, or an aging, superfluous DH in Vladimir Guerrero is really beyond me. And then of course we have the Gonzalez debacle, where we not only wasted big $$ on a reliever but also sacrificed one of those supposed-to-be-valuable draft picks. <br /><br />If you want to tell me, "we have limited resources and want to spend them in ways to make sure we get the best possible return," I can live with that. But that's not what's going on here. We're talking about roughly $20 million a year over the last two years that has been thrown at guys who EVERYONE acknowledges are nothing but stop-gap guys in the best case scenario! Not even MacPhail would possibly contend that Atkins, Gonzalez, Gregg, Lee, Guerrero, or Accardo were pieces of the future. So why would a rebuilding team waste all that money on stopgaps as opposed to investing for the future? It just doesn't make sense.<br /><br />One final point: the fact that IFAs might not get you the same return as Rule 4 picks is not evidence that you should simply not sign them. It's probably evidence that you should wade more carefully and allocate a smaller percentage of your budget in the market, but it doesn't mean that you should ignore them altogether. Any decent investor would tell you that you always diversify your portfolio. You invest more heavily in areas where you think you're getting the greatest balance of risk and reward, but you still have your hands in multiple pots. <br /><br />I've mostly defended MacPhail over the last few years, but this infuriating juxtaposition of no investment in the international market with throwing money at stopgaps (relievers especially) is by far the least defensible aspect of his tenure.Go To War Miss Agneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06149430492591259655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-62220070737631662342011-07-12T10:50:21.602-04:002011-07-12T10:50:21.602-04:00The first 6 things you mentioned are not exactly j...The first 6 things you mentioned are not exactly jump for joy type things.<br /><br />1. He is a good player but still not the hitter advertised. Look at his OPS, over the last 3 years, is he really becoming a better hitter (wOBA .330,.303,.323)? If so show me how. His K's have gone done a bit but so has his walk rate from last season and his power isn't what was sold.<br /><br />2. Good player, no reason to be paying him 10 mill next year when the team is in a complete rebuild (which needs to take place).<br /><br />3. Not really developing. Plate discipline is no better (worse than 2009), numbers are really the same as last year and 2009 (wOBA .343,.333,.344). I would try to move him while his value is high and he isn't egregiously expensive.<br /><br />4. Defense is awful and he isn't exactly cheap over the next two years. He is the only guy on the team who walks and has power though so I won't rip on him too much.<br /><br />5. First two yes, last one no and all should be traded in the right deal.<br /><br />6. They took the best player, can't fault them but I can't get excited until he actually signs which seems like a big if at the moment.<br /><br />This is the Titanic at the moment, hard to spin it otherwise.Bretnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-73484458021072043512011-07-11T15:55:24.497-04:002011-07-11T15:55:24.497-04:00Excellent reporting..you got the facts right!!!!!!...Excellent reporting..you got the facts right!!!!!!!VPutinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2893512317902577458.post-87493217934013632062011-07-11T15:22:43.204-04:002011-07-11T15:22:43.204-04:00Ugh you're totally right with every thing you ...Ugh you're totally right with every thing you say in this article. How can Macphail justify spending 14 million dollars on Michael Gonzalez for two years while he sits back and lets quality international free agents like Chapman, Darvish, Sano and countless others just slip away. I mean, for the money that was spent on Gonzalez and Atkins they could have built two top quality international facilities in countries like, Venezuela, Dominican Republic and Japan. Hell they got Simon out of the Mexican league even that would be a step in the right direction...<br /><br />-IanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com