How Would You Rate O'Brien's First Year As GM?

[M2]

Originally Posted by Aronchis

3)Redux for the "veterens". Casey,Wilson,Haynes,Graves,Larson ete. Bring them back, see if they can bring their value back up and possibly trade them.

Even when jerry-rigging an argument to support DanO, you manage to point out something he failed to do. 3/5 of that list did bring up their value. 2/5 of that list should have been at the top of the team's to trade list. None of them got dealt.

Originally Posted by Aronshis

Maybe DanO was to "sleepish" he missed on some big deal that would have transformed the Reds around.

Back to the same old strawman again. NO ONE expected DanO to transform the Reds in one season. That is a false expectation you've invented for argumentative purposes. What people expected, or at least hoped for, was that DanO would be able to diagnose the team's averarching problem -- lack of pitching -- and start adding players who could be part of a rebuilt, quality staff.

It's a problem he should have been aware of walking into the job, because it's no more difficult than going to zoo and picking out the elephants. Yet he got next to nothing. Every single kid arm DanO brought in is covered in warts. All of them, except maybe Kozlowski who's coming back from TJ surgery, has been getting exposed in the minor leagues. So we do have a clue as to how they'll turn out. That clue is performance and their performances tell you that unless they start doing some things a whole lot better, then we needn't worry about them being quality pitchers in the majors. Where the clues/evidence is lacking is in support of the notion that they've got bright futures ahead of them.

I agree DanO had/has limited resources in terms of cash and talent. Welcome to the Cincinnati Reds. That's not going to change any time soon. Either he figures out how to operate with those limitations or he takes this team nowhere. So far he hasn't shown any ability to thrive within those constraints. You used the phrase "nihilisitc" earlier in this thread. Well, I think it's quintessential nihilism to sit and there and insist that the Reds can't start, and let me stress that word -- START, making the kinds of player acquisitions needed to turn this franchise around. I don't buy that sort of fatalism for a moment. You're trying to justify the team's lack of progress with the pat excuse that progress is an unattainable goal. Bull.

It's not like people are calling for his head, but surely you've got to recognize that more of what we've seen in DanO's first year would dig this franchise deeper into the hole. He's got to do far better than this if we want to be rooting for a winning franchise anytime this decade.