He made the tough decision to trade Nomar and landed a Gold Glover shortshop (in my opinion, he should have re-signed Cabrera). He acquired Dave Roberts whose steal enabled the 'Sox avoid getting swept. He traded for a Gold Glove Manciewicz (sp?). He talked Schill to come to Boston, via trade, over a 2003 Thanksgiving visit. He signed Foulke as the 2004 closer.
He has orchestrated the rebuilding of a farm system that finally produced home-grown pitching and brought along: Youk; Pedroia; and Ells. Pitching: Pap; Bard; Delcarmen; Lester; and Buchholz.
As to free agents, he picked up Millar, Ortiz, Mueller, and few others who have contributed. He has had some bust signings (Renteria, Clement, some say JD Drew for the price he paid).
Though I do not agree with everything he has done, he is the GM credited for 2 WS championships in my lifetime. So, I am not ready to throw Theo under the bus. If this "bridge year" turns out to be a myth and those AAA prospects are busts next year, then, we will have to wonder whether the talented assistant GM's that he has lost to other teams were the real talent behind Theo.
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With all due respect to the narcissist that is our GM, I must disagree. This is a young man whose talent seems to be number cruncing. Success after success leads one to believe they have the midas touch, that they can do no wrong, that somehow mistakes will even themselves out and the GM will look like the hero. Yes, Theo has made some good signs and some bad (Eric Gagne comes to mind here).
ReplyDeleteI thought the signing of V-Mart was a pretty good move, but that lead to an overcrowded bench. I did not think the team was "broken" at the end of last season. They made it to the post-season and imploded at the hands of one guy. Yes, make offseason acquisitions that will be beneficial. However, too much tinkering can also be a bad thing.
With the Sox hitting a low point in the season so early on and fans and players alike searching for answers, there will naturally be some finger pointing at the GM. There needs to be a reassessment here, starting from the top down.
Let's not forget how the organization has rebuilt its image. Look how they worked with Lester and now Ryan Westmoreland.
ReplyDeleteI recall the days of past GM's: Dick O'Connell, Lou Gorman, and Haywood Sullivan who not only made horrible trades but treated players horribly. How could they trade Tony C after all he had done? Sullivan mailed Pudge Fisk's contract too late causing him to be a free agent. How could anyone trade a Fred Lynn? And, Jeff Bagwell for Larry Anderson???
No, Theo is not perfect but I have lived through many GM's of Red Sox past who were absolutely the pits. And, they never delivered a WS title.
I am very annoyed with the whole Mike Lowell situation and the state of the Sox at the moment, so I do not have a positive view of Theo. By the way, he was criticized for attending a Pearl Jam concert in Boston on Monday night as his team was imploding at Yankee Stadium. Funny that it was a Pearl Jam concert! Wonder if he broke out the gorilla suit!?
ReplyDeleteAnother facet that irks me about Theo is the fact that you never see him in ANY Red Sox apparel, not even a polo shirt! I don't work for that organization, but you can bet I own tons of Sox clothing and wear it with pride! You'd think their GM would represent his organization better.