Well now that what many of us thought would happen actually did happen (Bailey extension) time to take a look at what Walt did this offseason and give him a grade.
The pertinent info:
- We lost Choo and we will without question miss his OBP. But the contract he got from Texas would have proven to be more of an overall detriment than his OBP skills could have offset over the long haul. I believe the call to let him walk in order to extend Bailey (& I also believe Latos eventually) was an overall plus.
- The Skip deal strikes me as solid if unspectacular. It has the air of being one of those moves you look back on at the end of the season and say "that was a key under the radar type move."
- The Brayan deal also seems like one of those moves that lacks in the WOW department but could be key as well. He's insurance in case Meso struggles against RHP. That's not insignificant.
- We got good value back for Hannigan. I do believe it was time to move him and let Meso have his shot. So the timing of the move was..well...timely.
- Locking up Bailey to a long term deal that is favorable is key. We now have him under club control to use for the full length of the contract or to trade for other assets in the future if need be. Either way the important part is he isn't going to walk with nothing to show for it but a comp pick. That's huge.
With all that said I give Walt a rock solid B+.
What say you?