“I don’t why some people choose to ignore the possibility that 2018 was indeed an accident. But what gets me the most is being told this: ‘It was a signing nobody should be faulting, in my opinion.’ Well I beg to differ.”
That was my quote about the Mikolas signing, of course. And that’s why I try and add tiny softening caveats to my strongest baseball opinions, NJ. Things like “in my opinion” or “for me.” Feels less like intellectual internet bullying that way.
I mean, I don’t ever want anyone to dread exchanging ideas with me online for fear that I’ll ridicule their views. I would hate that. Instead, I want my ridicule to always be a horrible and emotionally crippling surprise.
“The Allen Craig trade was a great trade for the Cardinals but it was still a bad extension. We should make that distinction.”
I still need persuading, on that last point. Based on what the Cardinal brass knew at the time Allen received the extension, it was a good extension as I recall. (Did anyone publicly criticize it at the time? It felt a lot like the one that Carp got a few years back. Some risk, but potential reward.) And the final outcome for the Cards and Allen Craig, his being traded to Boston for John Lackey, was also a good outcome for St. Louis. (More like a great outcome, as it wound up. We got a lot from Lackey, then got a high draft pick as well, I think, when he left. Although I could be mistaken about the latter.)
Or I should probably put it this way: For me, the mere fact that the Red Sox were willing to take Allen and his contract — and give something of real value in return — is the strongest possible evidence that Allen’s was not an onerous contract at all. In this case perception = reality. If the BoSox perceived Craig’s contract as okay, then be definition it was okay.
“The attempt to give Heyward a huge contract was a bad attempt. He didn’t want our money. Again, sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.”
Lucky is better, I agree. But bear in mind that the Cards could always have come over the top in their bidding for Heyward — like the Red Sox did against the Redbirds, when the Cards wanted to pay David Price nearly $200M for 7 years, or like the Cards themselves did with Dexter Fowler (blechh). But the Cards showed enough discipline to back away from Heyward, just as they did with Price. And Pujols for that matter. I’m disinclined to criticize a team very much for a contract never signed. Maybe a bit, but not much.
“As for Ben Cherington he did win a World Series in 2013 unfortunately so his tenure in Boston wasn’t all bad for them.”
Nope, not all bad. He was terrible, though. The conspicuous success the Carmines enjoyed in the years immediately before his arrival, and immediately after his departure, tells us all we need to know. To me there’s a healthy chunk of luck involved in a playoff run. But there’s no randomness involved when finishing last 3 of 4 years after inheriting a bloated budget and all-star roster. Just a bad GM, and he brought in two bad managers, and made bad signings. Good thing for him the club didn’t release David Ortiz before he returned to the illegal PED’s. That age 34-40 Ted Williams/Stan Musial impersonation really came in handy.
Not that I’m bitter.