Quote:
Originally Posted by 757690
The biggest problem with Bowden, O'Brien and Krivsky is that from 2001-2007 they were always going all in, trying to win the division each year, when in reality, the Reds were never close. What was needed was to sit back, restock the farm system and wait for the team to rebuild.
It cost the Reds millions in wasted contracts, a destruction of their farm system, MLB talent in Kearns, Lopez, Hamilton, etc, all for losing seasons they were destined to have regardless.
Jocketty was the first GM to have the patience to sit tight, keep all the team's prospects, and rebuild the foundation for long term success.
I have no doubt that if Jocketty wasn't the GM in 2008-9, some combination of Votto, Cueto, Bruce and Bailey, would have been traded for mediocre middle relief and starting pitching. Seriously, no trades or moves could have been made in those years to make the team a contender, and Jocketty was smart enough to understand that.
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I look at it this way:
I'm fairly certain, judging by his "the losing stops now" mantra in April of '08, that Cast didn't have a clue just how far away this franchise was at the time.
To his credit, Jocketty was able to do what O'Brien - who didn't have a hope of being retained - and Krivsky - who unfortunately appeared to believe that the franchise could rebuild and contend simultaneously - were unable to do: Convince cast that best course of action was to continue to rebuild the foundation of the team for further success. In short: Winning now wasn't realistic. Thus, Jocketty was afforded the luxury of patience.
I believe that westofyou stated it best in a previous thread that Krivsky - who made two of the best deals (Arroyo and Phillips) in recent years - equates to Murray Cook and Jocketty - the master of turning spare parts into significant contributors = Bob Quinn.