Saturday, January 08, 2005 |
Pickoff Moves
Applying The Same Ointment To A Different Wound
While I've had my doubts about the reliability of both GMs on the teams I cover, I admit that, no matter my temporary disappointments with DePodesta, Stoneman is the one who gives me more concern over the longer haul, especially when doing things that don't obviously make sense -- such as signing Orlando Cabrera. But, as I occaisionally remind myself, the front office of a baseball team is typically as opaque as lampblack, and every bit as messy. We see, dimly, what the front office wants us to, and only imagine the machinations that went into the decisionmaking process.Armed, as it were, with a bit of imagination, Tom fleshes out a conversation between McCourt and DePodesta regarding the goings-on of the last week. Chalk it up thusly: the Dodgers, caught once again by the Scylla of overpaying versus the Charybdis of having to rely precariously early on the kids (read: Hanrahan, Miller, Jackson, not necessarily in that order), have the means to go out and spend too much on a couple carefully selected players (read: Lowe, and depending on how you look at it, Perez). The point being, you can't have an infinitely cheap team; there's only so far your farm can take you. A big-market team has the luxury of supporting a few stiffs, relatively speaking, so why not do so when it means you can buy your farm a half-season or more of breathing room?
Similar lessons apply, depending on your read, to the Angels as well, who have a similarly stocked farm system. Sure, you overpay a bit for Cabrera now; but it gives you some space so that you don't have to force-feed any of the promising young shortstops through the system later on. Does the Angels' starting rotation look iffy? Yes, but if that's true, it's what's going around. Next year's free agent class will be even weaker than this one's (and possibly, therefore, more expensive). You say, Odalis Perez could have as easily been in Angel red as in Dodger blue, and for the same price? And all the while amounting to a mid-rotation improvement without having to ram Ervin Santana through? No argument here, but recall the farm gives you the luxury of overpaying a bit for some positions, even if the marginal value isn't that great. As Tom complained after hearing about the possible Lowe deal, the reporters bringing this story to the fore "either have some extraordinary ulterior motives or are victims of a bizarre and expertly executed practical joke." In isolation, it's not the kind of move you want to see your team making, but in the porchlight of the team's fecund farm system, a little madness now and then/is relished by the wisest men.
Congratulations, Rich
Rich Lederer gets a little recognition from the Wall Street Journal, as his collaboration with Brian Gunn, "The Most Under-Over Underrated Player in Baseball", garnered a mention as one of the "top ten sports columns in 2004". Congratulations, Rich!Now, let's see what we can do about getting Blyleven in the Hall...
Sponsor A College Page At Baseball-Reference.com!
Baseball-Reference.com, a generally nifty site, now has lists of major leaguers by college, and you can sponsor them to show your love. I've already sent my money in for Cal State Long Beach, home to possible Angel Jered Weaver. Go, Dirtbags!Why The Yanks Could Tank
Two articles on this subject, unsurprisingly: first, one from Stan McNeil at The Sporting News, and Jayson Stark's ESPN column. They're old, Johnson's going to be pitching in a cold-weather state (the same affliction that caught up to Brown's old back), and on and on. A constellation of stars doesn't equal a ring.
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