Top 5/Bottom 5: Current MLB General Managers

[Maynard]

under shapiro...Antonetti has been the GM for 2 years...one of which was a 92 win season. but you keep trying pete

[Goober]

1) Become GM
2) Have losing record as GM
3) ???
4) Be proclaimed a top 5 Gm by maynard

[Warner2BruceTD]

under shapiro...Antonetti has been the GM for 2 years...one of which was a 92 win season. but you keep trying pete

So one 92 win season makes him a top five GM? Pretty low standards. There are active GM's with World Series titles and multiple 90+ win seasons who nobody has even mentioned yet.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Braves avoid free agency for the most part, but when he has gone shopping on the FA market, Wren has missed frequently. That's been his one shortcoming (Kawakami, Lowe, Uggla who was a trade then extend, etc.), but because these deals aren't quite as large as most team's albatross contracts, it doesn't hamstring the team as much. Probably why it doesn't get as much attention (though we are reminded of both contracts plenty in my estimation). Uggla and BJ combined will cost 28 million total over the next two years ... or close to what Howard or Hamilton or Pujols will be getting during that time. Then Uggla is gone and BJ will have two years left. They are bad contracts, sure, but not insanely bad to the point where I think it matters much. There's still a chance to redeem some value, they are not totally sunk costs yet IMO. I don't think it's out of the question that you can few 2-3 win seasons between the two of them.

Anyway, Wren's ability to find cost controlled pitching is his calling card as a GM, and it's why the team remains competitive throughout the years. You can live with two bad contracts if you're getting top of the league run prevention out of a 11 man pitching staff for $20-25 million total.

Yeah, I don't disagree with any of that. I don't know how it plays locally or on the blogs but Wren seems to be teflon nationally when it comes to his bad moves.

But yeah, every GM does dumb shit. Billy Beane went through a period of two or three years where he tinkered too much and made some pretty bad trades, for example.

[Maynard]

So one 92 win season makes him a top five GM? Pretty low standards. There are active GM's with World Series titles and multiple 90+ win seasons who nobody has even mentioned yet.

and what are their payrolls? (thanks woy)

[Warner2BruceTD]

and what are their payrolls? (thanks woy)

Why does it matter? Some high (Cashman, Sabean) some mid level (Jocketty). None of them named, nobody complaining about it, all far more accomplished than Antonetti.

I have no strong opinion on Antonetti either way. Can he do a good job for longer than ten minutes before we crown him?

[Maynard]

Why does it matter? Some high (Cashman, Sabean) some mid level (Jocketty). None of them named, nobody complaining about it, all far more accomplished than Antonetti.

I have no strong opinion on Antonetti either way. Can he do a good job for longer than ten minutes before we crown him?

no need to be defensive. just talking baseball here. im not saying you are wrong or i am right. fundamentally we agree, but my point was simply that when dealing with a bottom payroll that you should get more credit than a gm dealing with a huge payroll. wouldnt you agree its easier to buy talented players then it is to find low priced talented players? teams like NY, Boston, Philly and LA should lose points for having such high salaries.

plus, doesnt a GM get credit for having a top farm system? you guys seem to be looking at it through a narrow glass in terms of MLB, titles and so on.

[spursup]

no need to be defensive. just talking baseball here. im not saying you are wrong or i am right. fundamentally we agree, but my point was simply that when dealing with a bottom payroll that you should get more credit than a gm dealing with a huge payroll. wouldnt you agree its easier to buy talented players then it is to find low priced talented players? teams like NY, Boston, Philly and LA should lose points for having such high salaries.

plus, doesnt a GM get credit for having a top farm system? you guys seem to be looking at it through a narrow glass in terms of MLB, titles and so on.

Your farm system means absolutely nothing until they accomplish something for you at the major league level. In which case...they wouldn't be in the farm system anymore. So no, having a deep farm system means nothing for GM accomplishments.

Didn't Boston just win the World Series? Didn't LA make the playoffs? Both of those teams are far more accomplished than the Indians. In my opinion, if you need to pay to win games and you pay and win games, you have done better than someone who has a low payroll and misses the playoffs for the better part of a decade.

[MVPete]

no need to be defensive. just talking baseball here. im not saying you are wrong or i am right. fundamentally we agree, but my point was simply that when dealing with a bottom payroll that you should get more credit than a gm dealing with a huge payroll. wouldnt you agree its easier to buy talented players then it is to find low priced talented players? teams like NY, Boston, Philly and LA should lose points for having such high salaries.

plus, doesnt a GM get credit for having a top farm system? you guys seem to be looking at it through a narrow glass in terms of MLB, titles and so on.

The top 5 listed in the OP are small to medium markets.

[MVPete]

Your farm system means absolutely nothing until they accomplish something for you at the major league level. In which case...they wouldn't be in the farm system anymore. So no, having a deep farm system means nothing for GM accomplishments.

Didn't Boston just win the World Series? Didn't LA make the playoffs? Both of those teams are far more accomplished than the Indians. In my opinion, if you need to pay to win games and you pay and win games, you have done better than someone who has a low payroll and misses the playoffs for the better part of a decade.

You still want a strong farm system even if your team has very few holes or your team can print money. The best way to acquire the talent you want that won't cost you a ton on the open market requires prospects. Otherwise you're going to get stuck trying to offer the most money and a ton of years for guys that are 29/30/31 on the open market.

[spursup]

You still want a strong farm system even if your team has very few holes or your team can print money. The best way to acquire the talent you want that won't cost you a ton on the open market requires prospects. Otherwise you're going to get stuck trying to offer the most money and a ton of years for guys that are 29/30/31 on the open market.

I'm not saying its a bad thing to have a good farm system. What I'm saying is that having a good farm system while missing the playoffs doesn't make you a good GM just because your payroll is low.

[RyanLeaf16]

Close the thread! It's Andrew Fucking Friedman and the field.

[MVPete]

I'm not saying its a bad thing to have a good farm system. What I'm saying is that having a good farm system while missing the playoffs doesn't make you a good GM just because your payroll is low.

[moneyman255]

How is Doug Melvin in the bottom 5? I think he's in the middle of the road, def. should not be in the bottom 5.

He took the Brewers from one of the worst teams in baseball to at least pretty decent. He traded for CC in 2008 which was a steal and CC led the Brewers to a postseason birth. He traded for Greinke in 2011 and gave up pretty much no one. Greinke led the Brewers to the NLCS. He signed numerous players to very team-friendly extensions (Lucroy, Gomez, Braun) He had a couple poor FA signings (Jeff Suppan, Randy Wolf) but also signed Matt Garza to a pretty decent deal this past off-season.

How is he in the bottom 5?

[SethMode]

How is Doug Melvin in the bottom 5? I think he's in the middle of the road, def. should not be in the bottom 5.

He took the Brewers from one of the worst teams in baseball to at least pretty decent. He traded for CC in 2008 which was a steal and CC led the Brewers to a postseason birth. He traded for Greinke in 2011 and gave up pretty much no one. Greinke led the Brewers to the NLCS. He signed numerous players to very team-friendly extensions (Lucroy, Gomez, Braun) He had a couple poor FA signings (Jeff Suppan, Randy Wolf) but also signed Matt Garza to a pretty decent deal this past off-season.

How is he in the bottom 5?