Callis delivers vicious Bavasi cockpunch!

by Jerry on Jan 11, 2007 4:39 PM PST

Jim Callis gave his take on the Vidro fiasco. It was buried beneath an article on Jeff Samardzija. Not really anything that we haven't been saying for a while, but it is always nice to know that knowledgable outsiders agree with us:

Christmas Comes Early For Nats

Trades have a funny way of turning out differently than expected. Yet it's hard to envision a scenario where dealing for Jose Vidro is going to work out for the Mariners.

Beset by leg injuries, the 32-year-old Vidro is a shell of what he once was offensively and can't cover enough ground to play a passable second base. The Nationals owed him a total of $16 million over the next two seasons, and would have been content to just dump most of his salary, regardless of which players he would have brought in return.

But not only did Seattle pick up $12 million on Vidro's contract--not to mention give him a vesting option for 2009--but it also gave Washington two promising youngsters. Outfielder Chris Snelling hasn't been able to stay healthy, but he's fully capable of hitting for a higher average and more gap power than Vidro. Righthander Emiliano Fruto may be an enigma, but he'll show a plus-plus changeup, a plus fastball and a plus curve, and he should offer some bullpen help.

Vidro will DH for the Mariners, who gave up three more young players (Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera and Shawn Nottingham) during the summer to acquire the DH platoon of Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez from the Indians. Embattled Seattle GM Bill Bavasi has a mandate from ownership to win now, but the Vidro deal will hurt Seattle in the present and in the future.

I like how Callis puts the whole search for a DH in perspective. Basically, the M's have pissed away Snelling, Cabrera, Nottingham, Fruto, and Choo to acquire Vidro's albatross contract and whatever spare parts we got from trading Broussard.

Sweet.

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Comments

The solution to our DH woes was with us all along

by Slozbury Stouvre on Jan 11, 2007 4:59 PM PST reply actions

my favorite photoshop I have done

by Scruffy Lefty on Jan 11, 2007 5:50 PM PST up reply actions

This picture

needs to go on the sidebar for game treads.

by Jed C on Jan 12, 2007 7:08 AM PST up reply actions

Don't worry,

It is.

by Slozbury Stouvre on Jan 12, 2007 10:11 AM PST up reply actions

Funny part is

I took a picture of Willie that doesn't even require Photoshop to look like that.

Marinerds - a different daily dose of baseblog.

by Deanna on Jan 12, 2007 12:03 PM PST up reply actions

Oh man

When I get some free time today, I'm totally gonna photoshop that into the Sistine Chapel mural.

by Slozbury Stouvre on Jan 12, 2007 12:09 PM PST up reply actions

Done!

by Slozbury Stouvre on Jan 12, 2007 12:49 PM PST up reply actions

Callis hasn't been impressed with many M's moves.

... and rightly so. I'll note that he's a bigger Fruto fan in his rankings than a lot of other publications have been, but even then, this move isn't defensible in any way I'm capable of thinking of.

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett

by JY on Jan 11, 2007 5:42 PM PST reply actions

The cock punch is effective.

by anotherjeff on Jan 11, 2007 7:24 PM PST reply actions

What we need

We need a Bavasi cockpunch. Not only would it be therapeutic for us, but it might have the same effect that it did on JJ.

by jtopps on Jan 12, 2007 8:19 AM PST up reply actions

Too late

Bavasi has dug himself a hole so deep he is hitting magma.

He would have to pull off a few Kazmir trades to get back in the black.

Even if he did have a string of good moves starting right now (Rodrigo Lopez???), would you feel good about giving him another offseason?

I wouldn't.

He had his chance. Next!

by Jerry on Jan 12, 2007 9:38 AM PST up reply actions

I agree

Partially because of the rumors that he and Hargrove are tied, and Howard Lincoln might be on the line as well for sticking with both.

I didn't mind Bavasi coming into the offseason. I liked his ability to trade scraps for prospects with a decent amount of upside, even if they weren't working in his favor, and the improvements we've made in the farm system and the scouting therein really cannot be understated.

But the Vidro trade, and other moves this offseason (and arguably going back to the middle of last year) reek of desperation, and I don't think enough of the stability of this team to want to sacrifice more young talent in an attempt to push it higher. Now we're deeper in the hole, as Jerry said, and it's going to be more difficult to pull ourselves out.

I'm still holding out hope that Bavasi will give some of the players still under club control some contract extensions that will carry them through the next few years at a reasonable rate, but...

"Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett

by JY on Jan 12, 2007 11:40 AM PST up reply actions

Well said

That pretty much sums up my thoughts on Bavasi perfectly.

I had mixed feelings about him coming into this offseason. He seemed to make good moves pretty often, but offset those by some really stupid ones (Washburn). But I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He has to get some of the credit for turning around the farm system by bringing in Fontaine. And most of his small trades were pretty solid.

But my opinion of him just plumeted. I regret every nice thing I have ever written about him on any blog. The guy is just a completely failure.

Nothing less than a complete front office overhaul is acceptable.

by Jerry on Jan 12, 2007 5:15 PM PST up reply actions