Maybe I work in a different environment than some people who participate here, but in my profession, judgment on work quality is results-based. While it is true that Toronto was not going to compete the year the deal was consummated nor the year after, the fact is, we fleeced them in this deal. In return for Rolen and 4 MILLION DOLLARS, we gave up a guy who is nothing more than organizational fodder in Roenicke (and I will admit, at the time, I hated losing the dude because I saw something in him I really liked), an awful person and terrible baseball player in Edwin and a top prospect in Stewart. However, in my very humble opinion, the only thing tougher in all of sports for scouts to project than a pitching prospect's development and long-term potential is doing the same for a high school offensive lineman to college or a collegiate offensive lineman to the pros.
I don't see how we aren't getting everything we could have wanted out of Rolen. Yes, he has been injury prone - it's not like one could make the argument that he magically got healthy when he arrived here. But his defense has been stellar, he has hit very well, and there is just no question that his "intangibles" factor is real and not imagined. With no Rolen, we do not win the division last year. "But how can you possibly know that???" Can I tell you with any degree of certainty that a perfectly-cooked pork loin won't fall on my head next time I step outside? No, but let's just say I won't be carrying two slices of Texas Toast and a bottle of barbecue sauce next time I let my dogs out back.
The move was a wonderful move - when considered against circumstances as they were at the time and as they are now. Truly a great move by a great GM.