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SoMnFan -> RE: MLB General Information PT 4 (7/31/2013 3:41:08 PM)
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Bowden grades the GMs
Gave TR three grades higher than I would have.
Yep, I would have given him a H.
While many people are going to day this year's trade deadline was a bit of a dud, there were still plenty of deals made. Here's how I would grade how every GM did leading up to the deadline, but please keep in mind that sometimes standing pat is the best course of action, and some GMs who did very little still received good grades.
So here are the grades for ever GM, with the teams listed in alphabetical order.
Kevin Towers, Arizona Diamondbacks ..... B-
This was a team that I thought should stand pat, but they did make one notable move, shipping Ian Kennedy to San Diego for Joe Thatcher, pitching prospect Matt Stites and a competitive balance draft pick. Kennedy once looked like a potential No. 2 starter, but he's had a terrible year and would have been the odd man out in Arizona's deep rotation next year. Thatcher is one of the best situational lefties in the game, and he will come in handy against Adrian Gonzlalez, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier in September, when the D-backs face the Dodgers seven times.
Frank Wren, Atlanta Braves ..... B
With Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty both out for the year, the Braves needed another lefty reliever to take the pressure off of Luis Avilan. Scott Downs, who they acquired from the Angels for Cory Rasmus, is the perfect fit. Lefties have a .462 OPS against Downs this year, and this trade could end up being huge for the Braves in October, particularly if they end up facing the lefty-heavy Dodgers.
Dan Duquette, Baltimore Orioles ......A
The Orioles were able to give their rotation a big boost (acquiring Bud Norris and Scott Feldman), not to mention their bullpen (Francisco Rodriguez), and only had to give up thre good-but-not great prospects in L.J. Hoes, Jake Arrieta, Josh Hader and Nick Delmonico. They still don't have a true ace, but they are far better equipped to compete in the AL East and did not mortgage the future in the process.
Ben Cherington, Boston Red Sox ...... A
Cherington has quickly become one of the best in game. He added Jake Peavy, who was the second best starter traded, and Matt Thornton, who gives them a much-needed lefty out of the pen. Best of all, they didn't have to give up any of their top prospects (such as Xander Bogaerts or Jackie Bradley Jr.) to make it happen.
Jed Hoyer, Chicago Cubs .... A
The Cubs did what they were supposed by trading veterans that were not going to fit in their plans while acquiring a bunch of young prospects. Righties C.J. Edwards and Corey Black can throw hard and have some upside, while Justin Grimm and Jake Arrieta can eat some innings. It's also possible that Mike Olt -- who came over in the Matt Garza deal -- is their third baseman of the future.
Rick Hahn, Chicago White Sox ..... B
The White Sox are in complete rebuild mode and did what they had to do at the deadline, trading their No. 2 starter and two best set-up men for a bunch of prospects. Avisail Garcia, who came from Detroit in the Peavy deal, is the best of the bunch and should man a corner outfield spot on the South Side for years. This grade could be bumped up depending on what the return for Jesse Crain ends up being.
Walt Jocketty, Cincinnati Reds ...... C+
The Reds were quiet even though they could use someone who can fill in on the left side of the infield. They are hoping that Ryan Ludwick, who is set to come off the DL after getting hurt on Opening Day, can come back and give them a spark, essentially serving as a deadline acquisition.
Chris Antonetti, Cleveland Indians ...... D
The Indians are one of the surprise teams in baseball and unfortunately weren’t able to get anything major done at the deadline. (Sorry, adding Mark Rzepczynski doesn't count.) This is a team that could have used some help in the rotation, and that could cost them a playoff spot. They should have been more active.
Dan O'Dowd, Colorado Rockies ....... C+
I can't ding the Rockies too much for staying quiet because they aren't good enough to be buyers and don't have veterans to deal. However, if I were O'Dowd, I would have explored a deal for Rafael Betancourt like the one the White Sox did for Jesse Crain. Shopping an injured reliever and basing the return on how much he pitches for his new teams.
Dave Dombrowski, Detroit Tigers ...... B+
Dombrowski always gets it done when his teams needs it most. Jose Iglesias, who came from Boston in the Peavy deal, gives the Tigers a defensive upgrade at shortstop and protection if Jhonny Peralta is suspended this week, as many expect he will be. They also added Jose Veras from Houston, and he gives their weak bullpen a big boost.
Jeff Luhnow, Houston Astros ..... B
Jeff Luhnow continues to build the Astros the right way by trading veteran players for young players with upside. Danry Vasquez, the outifeld prospect they got from Detroit for Jose Veras, is a perfect example of this: He may never play in the majors, but he's got a shot to make an impact if he does. Left-hander Josh Hader and outfielder L.J. Hoes, who they got for Bud Norris, also show promise. Hader, who has arm strength and projectability, is just 19 years old and may be the best prospect they got at the deadline.
Dayton Moore, Kansas City Royals .... C
If they wanted to sell, the one guy they could have moved was Ervin Santana. However, they are trying to win, so I can see why they held on. In that case, they should have really tried to get an upgrade at second base. They did get Justin Maxwell from the Astros in a minor deal, and he'll make a nice platoon partner for David Lough in right.
Jerry Dipoto, Los Angeles Angels ..... D
The Angels reduced payroll by trading away Scott Downs and Alberto Callaspo, but they also made their team worse without adding an prospects of note. Their work is just starting and they have a lot to do between now and spring training if they want to contend in 2014.
Ned Colletti, Los Angeles Dodgers ...... A
The Dodgers gave up a bunch of second-tier prospects to get Ricky Nolasco while keeping all of their top guys. Their willingness to take on the rest of Nolasco's 2013 salary was key, and that's a luxury they enjoy. They also took a flier by signing Brian Wilson, and he could end up being their closer by the end of the year.
Larry Beinfest, Miami Marlins ...... B-
The Marlins knew they weren’t going to be able to re-sign Nolasco, and with attendance, fan interest and revenues dwindling, they needed to move Nolasco’s contract. They got second-tier prospects from the Dodgers in return, but when you factor in the financial savings they did a solid job.
Doug Melvin, Milwaukee Brewers ..... C+
Nick Delmonico is a decent infield prospect with some pop, so getting him for a half-season of Francisco Rodriguez was a decent haul. The Brewers need to do a bit more rebuilding, and even though they didn't move Kyle Lohse, don't be surprised if he ends up in a waiver deal in August.
Terry Ryan, Minnesota Twins ...... D
Ryan stubbornly refused to trade hometown boy Glen Perkins, which was probably a mistake for this rebuilding club. And the Twins' inability to eat salary is why Justin Morneau didn't get moved to a club like the Orioles. They were way too quiet considering how much improvement they need.
Sandy Alderson, New York Mets ...... C
The Mets didn't have much to trade beyond Marlon Byrd, but most clubs don't seem him as an impact player and were unwilling to give up anything of value for him. Rather than trade him for pennies on the dollar, Alderson decided to hold on to the outfielder and see if his club the finish the season on a good note.
Brian Cashman, New York Yankees ...... B
Cashman was apparently opposed to trading for Alfonso Soriano because he thinks relief prospect Corey Black has a bright future. However, with a Yankees team trying to win with an aging roster during Mariano Rivera’s final season, they owed it to this group of veterans to try and win one final time. Soriano will give them power and help improve the offense. It’s just doubtful it will be enough to win this strong division.
Billy Beane, Oakland Athletics ...... B
They don't have a lot of weaknesses, so there weren't big improvements to be made. The A’s love players who can play multiple positions, and ALberto Callaspo, who they got from the Angels, fits that mold. Grant Green, the guy he was traded for, has looked over matched at the plate at the big league level, so it's a small upgrade for A’s.
Ruben Amaro, Philadelphia Phillies ...... B-
The Phillies have so many high-salaried players that it was really hard for them to make any big deals. They tried to move Cliff Lee, but no one was willing to take on his contract and send top prospects back. I think they should have figured out a way to trade Michael Young, as there is no way they will give him a qualifying offer this winter, which means they will get nothing back in return.
Neal Huntington, Pittsburgh Pirates ...... D
The Pirates have the best record in the league, but it's hard to believe that they didn't do anything to improve their right field situation. When you consider their deep farm system and the fact that they haven't made the playoffs in 21 years, I find it hard to believe that they didn't make a move to ensure a postseason spot.
Josh Byrnes, San Diego Padres ...... B
They are going to the playoff this year, but Byrnes improved their rotation for 2014 with the acquisition of Ian Kennedy from Arizona, and only had to give up reliever Joe Thatcher, relief prospect Matt Stites, and a competitive balance pick. A 1-2-3 of Andrew Cashner, Corey Luebke and Kennedy looks pretty good for next season, and I expect Kennedy to bounce back from his poor year with San Diego.
Brian Sabean, San Francisco Giants ..... C+
There were too many holes in this ship to salvage this season, but it would have been nice to see the Giants try to get something of value for Hunter Pence, Javier Lopez or even Tim Lincecum. It appears they hope to resign Pence and Lopez while offering a qualifying offer to Lincecum this winter in hopes of getting him on a one-year deal or an extra draft pick if he signs elsewhere.
Jack Zduriencik, Seattle Mariners ...... D-
The Mariners' inactivity really surprised me because they have a few pieces that contenders might want, such as Michael Morse, Oliver Perez and Tom Wilhemsen. This team has a real chance to contend in 2014, and Zduriencik should have done everything he can to make that happen. All he has done is make it more likely the Mariners finish with a mid-level draft pick, which is one they would likely have to forfeit should they sign a big-name free agent.
John Mozeliak, St. Louis Cardinals ..... B
Michael Wacha, Carlos Martinez, Matt Adams, Kolten Wong and Oscar Taveras are all still Cardinals, which means they made the best move for them and that was no move. Sure, the Cards would have liked another veteran starter or an upgrade at shortstop, but not for the prospect asking price. They might have the most well-rounded roster in the game, so no major moves were needed.
Andrew Friedman, Tampa Bay Rays ...... B
Friedman has always been an out-of-the-box thinker, and his acquisition of the injured Jesse Crain was brilliant with the return being players to be named later or cash depending on Crain’s health. The Rays are obviously comfortable enough with Crain's medical reports that they think he can be an impact arm for them in September and (hopefully) October.
Jon Daniels, Texas Rangers ....... A
The Rangers traded for the best starting pitcher available (Matt Garza) and did so without giving up Jurickson Profar, Martin Perez or Joey Gallo. The package was deep in quantity, but didn’t include any player that was expected to become an impact player in Texas. The Rangers tried to acquire an impact bat for the middle of their order, and even made calls on Jose Bautista and Giancarlo Stanton, but there wasn't a match. They were better off standing pat on the offensive side than trading a good prospect for Marlon Byrd or Alex Rios.
Alex Anthopoulos, Toronto Blue Jays ...... B
This was another club I thought should stand pat and they did just that, so they get a decent grade for not being hasty. Now they have two more months to decide if they should rebuild or reload over they winter. If they don’t turn it around they can be headliners at the winter meetings by making a number of top players available.
Mike Rizzo, Washington Nationals ...... B
This was another club that I thought should stand pat, so I can't ding them for not making major moves. There really wasn’t any deal out there that could have improved their lineup or rotation without giving up their top prospects, so tweaking the bench by adding Scott Hairston was about the best they could do.
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