Jones+Tillman was WAY to much to give up for him, even if he had performed at Cy Young level last year. It’s his fucking fault for thinking this team was really good going into 08. Also, wasn’t Bedard injured most of last year? How does that reflect him lacking intensity or competitiveness.

First, let me emphasize that I come with good intentions, with the understanding that the Bedard trade might not be the favorite subject here, just as pretty much every personnel move the O’s made before the last few years are unpleasant memories for Orioles fans.

I’m not one of those fans who hopes that every player who gets traded away suddenly starts sucking. Ideally, the Bedard trade could have been good for both teams. The Orioles were in the tenth year of their eternal rebuilding project and needed prospects, while the M’s might have been one ace away from becoming a contender. The trade would have made perfect sense for the Orioles even if Bedard won the Cy Young award while leading the M’s to the World Series. In fact, I would have been happy for him and the M’s.

I remember seeing the Erik Bedard greeting cards here earlier, so I know you guys understand how Bedard is often misunderstood. Just because he’s quiet and doesn’t really enjoy the “fame” aspects of being a baseball player doesn’t mean he doesn’t care. People accused him of being a poor teammate in Baltimore, too, even though he was one of the few reasons anyone had to watch an O’s game.

In any case, I understand Bedard played through injury much of last year, and is healthier and pitching much better this year. I’m glad for him and for the Mariners, and rather irritated (putting it mildly) that Bavasi thinks that it was Bedard’s attitude that somehow prevented him from winning 40 more games and the AL West for the M’s.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but had to get that off my chest.

Just wow.

If you are really within inches of serious WS contention, then maybe this is a good ‘win now’ trade………..but the ‘08 M’s were several FEET from WS contention. Even if Bedard put up season comparable to Pedro’s 1999, we still wouldn’t have been close.

He had such a lack of intensity and competitiveness that he pitched half a season truly hurt. He was damned if he did damned if he didn’t. Your new team gave up a mother load for you and you don’t pitch because you’re hurt. Or, you try and gut it out at far less than 100% and you don’t pitch nearly well enough to justify your trade price.

I’ve come to rather like Erik and I hope we can keep him.
Oh, and Fuck you Bill.

What a load of bullshit. I like you, Bill. You seem like a nice guy. But don’t blame your mind-boggling ineptitude on a player you so horribly misjudged. 95% of people who have brains knew this was a terrible trade at the fucking time. We don’t need hindsight. The fact that it looks stupid now doesn’t change the fact that it looked stupid at the time. FUCK.

Too bad he was a pussy and manage to be the 40 win player he should have been.

Yea. Let this be a constant reminder as to why Bill Bavasi will never be a baseball GM ever again.

He always seemed like a stand up guy who would stick up for the players and try to give them a fair shake. Then this.

From a certain point of view I understand him trying to back peddle and defend what is, in effect, a career ending blunder, but I really expected more from him. Sad.

I will never forgive Bill Bavasi for being a failure and ruining the Mariners. He helped make me a cynical person by showing me at a young age that the GOB system trumps good sense.

Tillman + 2 good prospects was reasonable but trading Adam Jones was an obviously foolhardy move. He was still so young yet so advanced. He had torn up the minors and was ready to learn at the ML level.

It’s amazing to me that an enterprise that generates as much capital as the Seattle Mariners can be as ineptly run as it is. Surely ownership care enough about their investment to recognize that people like Bavasi are clowns. So much for the free market smiting inferior products.

:(