The Trial of Ned Colletti

Discussion in 'Los Angeles DODGERS' started by southerndodgerfan, Jul 8, 2013.

  1. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    **First, this took a LONG time. I worked hard on it. If you think it sucks, just move on. I would like constructive input on both the content and style. Thanks,

    Ned Colletti has a tough job. No one will dispute this. Because of his job, he is been the fodder for jokes and been canonized for his shrewd maneuvering. I will be the first to admit that I have been a part of both camps. I lambast Colletti when I think he makes a moronic move but praise him (usually with a caveat or disclaimer) when he pulls off something of merit. With all that said, I am not sure that anyone has truly researched Colletti’s tenure as GM. The attached spreadsheet is a comprehensive list of Colletti’s transactions, trades, and moves.

    For clarity’s sake, I have color coded the types of transactions. The transactions in red indicate signings. The transactions in black represent trades. The transactions in purple represent releases and the like. Please note, I have included some minor league deals that I believe had a direct impact on the major league team. I did not include all minor league deals. I can assure that Ned was apparently working toward a record between 2010 and 2012. Also, please note, I have included background colors to indicate ownership. McCourt’s tenure is colored in gray (because that is how I view his style of ownership). Magic Gugastan (all rights to name pending) is colored in green (that was too easy).

    I cannot attach the spreadsheet. I have it in PDF and Word doc. Please help.

    My opinion:

    Obviously, Ned started out with a great trade. He was able to shed himself that was the albatross of Bradley while picking up what would be become an Allstar who would be in our outfield for years. His next signings all panned out save Mueller (who was hurt) and Tomko (who was terrible). The Edwin Jackson trade in hindsight was probably ill timed. However, at the time, Baez was an established closer and Carter a decent RP. The releasing of Joel Hanrahan also stings a bit. However, it did take him about four years to become the closer/rp he is today. The Valdez signing worked to our advantage and Saito was an absolute steal and great addition by Colletti. The Ross trade will always be a sore spot. He did hit well while he was up with the big club. He was sent down to the point that he was out of options. He was basically traded for anything. We received next to nothing in return. The interesting part of the Ross Situation is that JD Drew was occupying an outfield spot at that time. Had Ned known that he would opt out after three years, I am sure that he would have kept Ross on board. This would have probably alleviated the Juan Pierre signing that Ned felt was a necessity due to Drew’s departure.
     
  2. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    The Toby Hall and company trade seemed genius at the time. Hall was a decent backstop. Hendrickson was looking great in Florida. Seo was becoming a heart attack waiting to happen and Navarro was being Navarro (that Russell Martin guy was looking pretty good too). No one (not even himself) knew that Justin Ruggiano would show up six years later and actually be a good outfielder with power). Rumor has it the Lakers are considering bringing on Hendrickson to play center or sell plush Kobe toys.

    The trade for Betemit was lambasted at the time. However, he served his purpose but was unable to lay off bad pitches. Great bat, bad eye. The Julio Lugo trade was a wash. We received what we thought was a great middle infielder who could hit. They received what they thought were two great prospects to solidify their roster. We were both wrong. Shit happens.

    As much as I loved watching Izzy and Cora turn a double play, this trade was a good one. Maddux would become a solid addition to our staff and probably made Martin into a better backstop.

    Enter the Marlon. I am not sure where Nunez is today but given the effort and production that Anderson gave the Dodgers during his tenure, I do not really care. It seemed like a simple trade at the time. It was a coup. And, who can forget that back to back to back to back game—not me.

    JD Drew is a bitch. I think that about sums up Nancy’s time with the Dodgers.

    The 2006 Free Agent class was a decent one. Ned appeared to have a license to spend and the willingness to do so. Of the signees , only four would be beneficial to the Dodgers in the long run. We often forget that Gonzalez and Wolf were great additions during most of their tenure. Pierre was a reactionary signing to the loss of Drew (again, Ross). He was not terrible but his contract was. Leiberthal did what he was paid to do—be a warm body with some athleticism. But, the signing that will live in infamy is that of Jason “Damaged Goods” Schmidt. Let me just say it: Ned fucked up. The signing seemed great. Schmidt was a legitimate ace. However, Ned should have been aware of the health issues. He was not only privy to Scmidt’s health records but also was with him while he was assistant GM of the Giants. It seems that Sabien pulled one over on Ned. It would not be the last time the teacher schooled the student.

    At the end of 2006, a pretty good looking player named Jayson Werth was given his release. However, Ned gets a pass on this one. Thanks to an AJ Burnett fastball, Werth could not get his wrist to heal. It was later discovered that he was misdiagnosed and could have been back to playing much faster if not for ignorance on the part of the medical team.
     
  3. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    For the early part of 2007, most trades were merely the moving of meh players from one team to another. However, the Betemit for Proctor trade will have always have a special place in my heart. Not only did Betemit seem to figure out how to hit for New York, but Proctor would soon become Torre’s bitch. It is rumored that Proctor still checks his bed for Joe Torre every night.

    The latter part of 2007 was a decent haul for Colletti. He managed to grab Wells when other teams were afraid of the cost effectiveness of having a buffet so close to the locker rooms. He grabbed Loaiza after Billy Beane decided that he had enough staring pitching--yeah. Wolf was resigned and he was able to sign a Japanese hurler named Kuroda who would become one of the best pitchers for the Dodgers in recent years. And, yes, he signed Andruw Jones. Yes, I bitched and yes I moaned about the cost after that first year. However, did anyone really believe that Jones would go from being that good in Atlanta to that bad that quickly? No. It seemed merely a bad year. But, alas, he did. Not only did he piss of Dodger fans by swinging at anything within four miles of the strikezone but he also showed up to Spring Training about thirty pounds overweight. So, to sum it up, Andruw—not only does your name have a fucked up spelling—you suck.

    Colletti’s 2008 was much like Chris’ mom, it was an up and down affair. Everyone remembers that Colletti (at the behest of the penny pinching bastard McCourt) traded away Jon Meloan (wait, you were more upset about that Santana guy…my bad) for Casey Blake. However, Blake was God-like for two years with the Dodgers. In Beard We Trust, remember? Yes, in hindsight McCourt’s needed to save a million and cost us an Allstar catcher was probably one of the stupidest moves of any GM ever. However, when your boss tells you to do something and Frank agrees with Jamie, you better do it. But, then—MANNYWOOD. I do not need to say anything more, do I? And do not forget that we grabbed Maddux for a playoff run for next to nothing. The latter part of 2008 was resigning the left side of the infield. Unfortunately, both signings were probably a year too long.
    2009 was a year of addressing the needs of the club while still ensuring that Jamie and Frank could hire the best Asian hookers that money could buy. And, to his credit, Ned did a decent job of reducing payroll while filling a roster full of guys that will be hard questions on Jeopardy one day.

    We learned a few things in 2009. Randy Wolf will implode with enough time. Just because a guy is a kickass closer on the Orioles does not mean he is a kickass closer. Flat Breezy become Flat Sucked. Tony Abreu is apparently worth Jon Garland and Jim Thome. Padilla can fucking pitch when he has the motivation—he can also piss off most of Texas if he wants to as well. Juan Pierre is worth shitty prospects . Jamie Carroll may be related to Casey Blake in that they are both God-like on occasion. Belliard is good enough to make Orland Hudson cry. Orlando is a racist. Manny does PEDs. 2009 was McCourt making an attempt to field a time on a shoe string budget and failing and Ned patching up wherever he could.

    2010 was much like IBB’s stint after going to a gay bar—a lot of in and out. The usual suspects were resigned with the same reaction that girls have to a night alone with 4everblue, “is that it?” Sadly, our good friend Jason Repko was released as was a guy named Eric Stults—we would see him again in a Padre’s uniform pretending to be Cy Young. A few trades were made. All save one were had minimal impact on either club—save one. That’s right, Octavio Dotel was traded for James “It’s my mound and I will cry if I want to” McDonald. It should be noted that the second coming of Babe Ruth, Andrew Lambo, still sucks---we were all wrong. Another Dodger can’t miss prospect that missed. A bunch of number 5 starters were signed or resigned. We said hello again to the forever Dodger, Juan Castro. It is rumored that Colletti receives a set of steak knives for every time he managed to get Castro on the ML roster—unconfirmed. The Dodgers and major league baseball learned a very important lesson that year. Truthfully, everyone but the Dodgers knew it. The lesson: no matter how good they look, anyone with the last name of Ortiz will suck when the game starts.
     
  4. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    2011 was painful on a few levels. First, we fans saw the release/loss of Juan Castro, Jamie Hoffman (the second coming of Andrew Lambo), and Kuo. It still tears me up. We watched Martin turn his career around while we signed Matt Treanor. Colletti signed about four hundred middle infielders to play in three spots—ironically, we would need them all. We released Navarro, again and no one noticed. AJ Ellis became the stuff of legends with his OBP ability. We all ripped Ned a new one for trading away another can’t miss prospect in Travon Robinson. We received Fed Ex, Fife, and Rodriguez. 2/3 are currently with the major league club. Robinson is languishing in the minors somewhere. We signed Harang because you can never have enough number 4/5 starters. Tony Gwynn was helpful and then proved to be Tony Gwynn. Finally, we locked up Matt Kemp to a deal that may or may not be the equivalent of Vernon Wells on roids.

    2012. Much like A Tale of Two Cities, this was the best of times and the worst of times for Dodger fans. The Dodgers were able to grab Abreu from the Angels in much the same fashion that they had Rivera. Kudos to Ned. And an effort to make sure that fans were not too happy, we saw MacDougal and Coffee pitch. The last move made prior to the entrance of Magic Gugastan was the release of MacDougal—a fitting ending, I think. The new ownership wanted to make a splash. As such their first order of business was to sign Ethier a deal that met with mixed reviews thus proving that someone is right and someone is wrong. However, it was a deal that made the fans take notice. Next, a young Cuban named Puig was signed to a substancial contract. Rosenthal is still looking like a bitch for his comments on that one. In other news, Puig is also running for Senator of California. Ned was not finished in 2012. In a buy low move, he managed to acquire Hanley for a decent starting pitcher and a guy that you have never heard of. Then , in order to make sure that fans were not sending him too many Christmas cards, he traded for Brandon League and acquired Joe Blanton. And then, to ensure that fans actually hated him and that the new owners lost money, he grabbed Victorino for two prospects. However, in the locker room it was considered a good trade—Victorino was able to serve as fluffer whenever those actually playing were in need.

    And then THE TRADE. That’s right. Say them with me. Crawford. Gonzalez, Beckett, and Punto for two premier pitching prospects, a guy who was dubbed the greatest hitter ever, and a sure-fire batting champ (who is now looking like one). But alas, they still managed to avoid the playoffs. However, at the end of 2012, Ned and the ownership wanted to remind the rest of the world that they wipe their asses with hundred dollar bills by signing Zach Greinke to the highest contract ever for a Right-handed pitcher. They alos signed this Korean guy who was called a “bullpen arm” by the talking heads on tv. He currently has an era of 2.82 and is 11th best in the league. Two more blockbuster moves were made when the Dodgers traded much heralded Jake Lemmerman for Skip Schumaker (now known as a relief pitcher) and John Ely for much coveted Rob Rasmussen.

    In 2013, Ned has done very little. His best moves were the signing of JP Howell to shore up the bullpen, the trading of Matt Gerrier for Marmol and Int. Pool money, and finding a way of ensuring that Harang never wears blue again. The Nolasco thing looks good now but we will have to wait until Tuesday.

    While writing this, I was constantly looking at the good and bad. There was some of each. It is amazing that I often say that Ned is lucky when he pulls off a good move and stupid when a bad one is made. However, after much thought, I think I have decided that Ned is a decent manager who surrounds himself with good people. Let me explain. Ethier was acquired when Ned chose to listen to an old scout. Ned has been very good with pitching reclamation projects because he knows that we have one of the best pitching coaches in the league (yes, I am eating crow here). Ned is not afraid to gamble. Sometimes we look stupid. But, as has been the case with Ryu, Puig, Lee, and a few others, it turns out well on more than one occasion. Ned was hamstrung with a shitty ownership for much of his time here. He was unable to make that big move and acquire the Sabathia’s. However, he was able to scrap together a team with veterans that could work together. Since the ownership change, we have seen a new Ned. He is currently filling our holes with good players and not sacrificing the farm. There have been mistakes made. Schmidt, Santana, Jones, Ross, Dotel, Vargas, and most guys who are given an extension after turning it around with the Dodgers.. But, there have also been some great acquisitions such as Ryu, Puig, Fed Ex, Fife, Schumaker, Ramirez, AGon, Punto, Crawford, Maddux (x2), Manny, Belliard, Anderson, Loaiza, Wolf, Kuroda, Carroll, and Padilla. Overall, I would have to say that Ned has done a good job with the limitations he has been placed under. It is worth noting that since the ownership change (and when he seemed to go out on a limb), Ned has been very good at what he does. If I were to grade him, I think I could honestly give him a B -. What do you think?

    Please disregard all typos and bad grammar. I am not editing. This took long enough as it was.
     
  5. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    Date Traded / Signed Received / Contract Length
    12/13/2005 Milton Bradley and Antonio Perez Andre Ethier
    12/14/2005 Bill Mueller 2 years
    12/19/2005 Nomar Garciappara 1 year
    12/19/2005 Rafeal Furcal 3 / 39 million
    12/20/2005 Kenny Lofton 1 year / 3.5 million
    12/22/2005 Brett Tomko 2 years
    1/4/2006 Duaner Sanchez and Steve Schmoll Jae Wong Seo and Tim Hamuleck
    1/4/2006 Joel Hanrahan Released
    1/14/2006 Edwin Jackson and Chuck Tiffany Danys Baez and Lance Carter
    2/7/2006 Takashi Saito Amateur Free Agent
    3/31/2006 Jarod Plummer Wilson Valdez
    4/24/2006 Cody Ross PTBL: Ben Kozlowski
    6/27/2006 Dioner Novarro, Jae Wong Seo and a PTBNL: Justin Ruggiano Toby Hall, Mark Hendrickson and cash
    7/23/2006 Sandy Alomar B.J. LaMura
    7/25/2006 Odalis Perez, Blake Johnson, Julio Pimentel and cash Elmer Dessens
    7/28/2006 Danys Baez, Willy Aybar and cash Wilson Betemit
    7/31/2006 Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza Julio Lugo
    7/31/2006 Cesar Izturis Greg Maddux
    8/12/2006 Cash Einar Diaz
    8/31/2006 Jhonny Nunez Marlon Anderson
    11/9/2006 JD Drew Opt Out
    11/12/2006 Nomar Garciappara 2 years / 18.5 million
    11/22/2006 Juan Pierre 5 years / 45 million
    11/28/2006 Randy Wolf 1 year / 7.5 million
    12/5/2006 Takashi Saito 1 year
    12/6/2006 Mike Lieberthal 1 year
    12/8/2006 Luis Gonzalez 1 year / 7.5 million
    12/8/2006 Jason Schmidt 3 years / 47 million
    12/12/2006 Jayson Werth Option Declined
    3/26/2007 Elmer Dessens Brady Clark and cash
    3/29/2007 Future Considerations Tomas Perez
    5/26/2007 Tomas Perez Dwayne Pollok
    6/2/2007 Kelly Stinnett Cash
    7/31/2007 Wilson Betemit Scott Proctor
    8/9/2007 PTBNL: Travis Denker Mark Sweeney
    8/11/2007 Cash Chad Moeller
    8/24/2007 David Wells 1 year
    8/29/2007 Estaban Loaiza Claimed off waivers
    11/1/2007 Randy Wolf Option Declined
    12/12/2007 Andruw Jones 2 years / 36 million
    12/16/2007 Hiroki Kuroda 3 years / 35.3 million
    4/8/2008 Eric Hull Christian Lara and cash
    6/6/2008 Juan Rivera and cash Angel Berroa
    6/28/2008 Estaban Loaiza Released
    7/26/2008 Jon Meloan and Carlos Santana Casey Blake and cash
    7/31/2008 Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris (Pirates) Manny Ramirez (Red Sox)
    8/19/2008 Future Considerations Greg Maddux
    12/9/2008 Casey Blake 3 years / 17.5 million
    12/19/2008 Rafeal Furcal 3 / 30 million
     
  6. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    1/5/2009 Claudio Vargas 1 year
    1/14/2009 Guillermo Mota 1 year
    1/15/2009 Andruw Jones Released
    1/26/2009 Brad Ausmus 1 year / 1 million
    2/6/2009 Randy Wolf 1 year
    2/6/2009 Doug Mientkiewicz 1 year
    2/6/2009 Orlando Hudson 1 year
    3/4/2009 Manny Ramirez 2 years / 50 million
    3/30/2009 Will Ohman 1 year w/option
    7/30/2009 Josh Bell, Steve Johnson George Sherrill
    7/31/2009 Claudio Vargas Vinny Rotino
    8/20/2009 Vicente Padilla Remainder of Season, Prorated
    8/31/2009 Luis Garcia Ronnie Belliard
    8/31/2009 Tony Abreu Jon Garland, Jim Thome
    12/10/2009 Cash Considerations Carlos Monasterios
    12/15/2009 Juan Pierre John Ely, Jon Link
    12/18/2009 Jamey Carroll 2 years, $3.85MM
    1/21/2010 Vicente Padilla 1 year, $5.025MM
    1/26/2010 Ronnie Belliard Resigned 1 year, $0.825MM
    1/27/2010 Brad Ausmus 1 year, $1MM
    2/1/2010 Reed Johnson 1 year, $0.8MM
    2/2/2010 Ramon Ortiz 1 year, $1MM
    2/8/2010 Jeff Weaver 1 year, $0.8MM
    3/31/2010 Jason Repko Released
    3/31/2010 Eric Stults Released
    4/3/2010 Doug Mientkiewicz Released
    7/5/2010 Trent Oeltjen 1 year Minor League Deal
    7/29/2010 Lucas May, Elisaul Pimental Scott Podsednik
    7/31/2010 Brett Wallach, Kyle Smit, Blake Dewitt Ryan Theriot, Ted Lilly
    7/31/2010 Andrew Lambo, James McDonald Octavio Dotel
    8/3/2010 Juan Castro 1 year, $0.75MM
    8/9/2010 Garrett Anderson Released
    8/10/2013 Ted Lilly 3 years / 33 million
    8/22/2010 Rod Barajas Claimed Off Waivers
    8/30/2010 Manny Ramirez Claimed off Waivers by White Sox
    9/9/2010 Ronnie Belliard Released
    9/18/2010 Octavio Dotel Anthony Jackson
    11/26/2010 Jon Garland 1 Year, $5MM
    11/30/2010 Juan Uribe 3 Years, $21MM
    12/3/2010 Rod Barajas 1 Year, $3.25MM
    12/9/2010 Vicente Padilla 1 year, $2MM
    12/11/2010 Tony Gwynn Jr. 1 year, $0.675MM
    12/13/2010 Juan Castro Minor League Deal
    12/14/2010 Eugenio Velez Minor League Deal
    12/14/2010 Dioner Navarro 1 year, $1MM
    12/16/2010 Matt Guerrier 3 Years, $12MM
    12/21/2010 Brent Leach Released
     
  7. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    4/26/2011 Xavier Paul Claimed Off Waivers
    6/6/2011 Juan Castro Released
    6/6/2011 Jay Gibbons Released
    7/12/2011 Cash Considerations Juan Rivera
    7/31/2011 Rafeal Furcal Alex Castellanos
    7/31/2011 Travon Robinson Stephen Fife, Tim Federowicz, Juan Rodriguez
    8/23/2011 Dioner Navarro Released
    11/3/2011 Juan Rivera 1 Year, $4.5MM, 2013 Option
    11/15/2011 Mark Ellis 2 Years, $8.75MM, 2014 Option
    11/15/2011 Matt Treanor 1 Year, $1MM, 2013 Option
    11/18/2011 Matt Kemp 8 Years, $160MM
    11/30/2011 Adam Kennedy 1 Year, $800K
    12/2/2011 Chris Capuano 2 Years, $10MM, 2014 Option
    12/5/2011 Jamie Hoffmann Claimed By Rockies Off Waivers
    12/5/2011 Jerry Hairston Jr. 2 Years, $6MM
    12/8/2011 Aaron Harang 2 Years, $12MM, 2013 Option
    12/12/2011 Hong-Chih Kuo Non-Tendered
    12/12/2011 Tony Gwynn Jr. 2 Years, $2MM
    1/5/2012 Mike MacDougal 1 Year, $650K, 2013 Option
    2/3/2012 Todd Coffey 1 Year, $1MM, 2013 Option
    2/15/2012 Jamey Wright 1 Year, $900K
    5/4/2012 Bobby Abreu Pro-rated One Year Deal
    5/11/2012 Aaron Miles Minor League Deal
    5/11/2012 Mike MacDougal Released
    6/14/2012 Andre Ethier 5 years/ $85MM extension
    6/29/2012 Yasiel Puig 7 Years, $42MM
    7/2/2012 Luis Cruz League Minimum
    7/25/2012 Nathan Eovaldi, Scott McGough Hanley Ramirez, Randy Choate
    7/31/2012 Leon Landry, Logan Bawcom Brandon League
    7/31/2012 Josh Lindblom, Ethan Martin Shane Victorino
    8/3/2012 Cash Considerations Joe Blanton
    8/25/2012 I. DeJesus, A. Webster, R. De La Rosa, J. Loney, J. Sands Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto, Josh Beckett and Cash
    10/25/2012 Brandon League 3 years / 22.5mil
    12/9/2012 Hyun Jin Ryu 6 years / 36 mil (25.73 mil posting fee)
    12/10/2012 Zach Greinke 6 years / 147 mil
    12/12/2012 Jake Lemmerman Skip Schumaker
    12/19/2012 Johny Ely Rob Rasmussen
    1/5/2013 Peter Moylen Minor League Deal
    1/7/2013 JP Howell 1 year / 2.85 mil
    4/6/2013 Aaron Harrang Ramon Hernandez
    7/2/2013 Matt Gerrier Carlos Marmol
    7/6/2013 Steve Ames, Josh Wall, Angel Sanchez Ricky Nolasco and Int. pool monies
     
  8. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    I have the file I created in PDF and in Word. If anyone knows how to add/attach, please let me know. This format makes it look terrible.
     
  9. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    11/22/06 is when it all went downhill for Ned
     
  10. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    Good reminiscing read of the players of Dodger past. Sadly not much to add but if someone gets the ball rolling I'll get in on the act.
     
  11. 4everblue

    4everblue DSP Regular

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    DAMN YOU SDF... you know I wont read something that long...

    ok, I'll give it a try, just cuz you spent all that time writing it...
     
  12. THINKBLUE

    THINKBLUE DSP Gigolo

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    A lot of funny quips in there. Just finished reading it on my laptop.
    A lot of stuff was in strange order at times but as someone who knows the history of what happened, it didn't confuse me
    JD Drew is a fag
    I loved seeing old names like Leiberthal and Hall.

    I was just watched the Steve Finely HR last night and saw the likes of Green, Beltre, Werth, Lima (RIP) running on the field. Can't believe that was almost a decade ago.
     
  13. BigDaddyKaine

    BigDaddyKaine DSP Legend

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    I will read it SDF but it will probably be later on tonight.
     
  14. LAFord

    LAFord DSP Legend

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    I give Ned a C+. His Schmidt signing is VERY hard for me to get over or he may have earned an B+ from me.

    Pierre was overpaid but that was the way that years free agency went. A lot of guys were overpaid.

    The Santana trade would have been a disaster if not for having Martin, and then AJ Ellis. We overcame it and got some nice production from Blake in short spurts. This trade probably wouldn't have went down like it did if not for the team being broke(McCunt).

    He's made mostly great trades IMO.
    Almost all the bad signings(other than Schmidt) and failed trades were more the fault of the players involved than Ned. Examples include:Andruw Jones, Lugo, Coffey, Gurrier, Choate, Dotel, Victorino, League etc. ...as all seemed to be good enough to like the deal initially until they suddenly sucked for us. Many of those players moved on to be decent to damn good again. I don't know why that happens to us so often. nevertheless, I can't blame a GM for making a trade and then the player inexplicably turning to shit. It's just not fair to do so IMO. Guys like BZ will make the point of the results are all that matter, I get that and it's true...but that still doesn't reflect the reality of the very nature of how baseball works IMO...because we are dealing with humans whom are obviously unpredictable. No GM knows what a player will do, stats and scouting are the only real tools available to make decisions.

    Like I've said about managers also applies to GMs, they make the moves and it's up to the players to perform at least close to their capabilities, and we hope to get more.
     
  15. Doughty8

    Doughty8 DSP Legend

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    Awesome job SDF! The Carlos Santana deal was the 1 trade that people always emphasize as being the worst in Dodger history but I still remember trading Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields. Not sure if Carlos will be a HOF'er but Pedro is going to be. It was bad but 1 trade shouldn't define a career, we got value in The Beard just like you note SDF. Jason Schmidt signing I believe was worse than the Santana trade. The Bradley for Dre deal was his defining moment inho. That trade just points out the difficulty of a GM's job but unlike Ned, Billy Beane doesn't have that as his defining moment of course the job he does in Oakland is stuff of legends so he gets a pass.
     
  16. dodgers

    dodgers DSP Legend

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    My only complaint about the writing itself would be that it was too purely chronological. It read a bit like just listing off the moves in order without providing enough (in my opinion) productive insight into the context for the moves, the real turning points in Ned's tenure, etc. But overall I thought it was fine. Just a tiny bit bland. Take that as my 100% respectful opinion. Overall it was interesting, intermittently funny, and pretty emotionally stimulating as I nearly was brought to tears when I was reminded of Mark Hendrickson and Danys Baez.

    I think your conclusion is on point. I like the B- rating. He kind of reminds me of Donald Trump. Something about him just screams "horse's ass", and that's led to a huge spotlight being put on all his blunders (which are inevitable for any GM). To provide an example at the other end of the spectrum, Theo Epstein is absolutely adored by everyone because he's an attractive, intelligent, forward-thinking GM. He was responsible for his share of disastrous transactions in Boston.

    There's a lot of greatness in Colletti's track record - Ethier, Ramirez x2, Saito, Kuroda, and a host of unbelievably successful reclamation projects. Schmidt, Jones, Pierre, Guerrier, and now League are obviously bombs, and none of them are excusable at all, but I think he's done more good than bad.
     
  17. Blue Thunder

    Blue Thunder DSP Regular

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    Terrific work, SDF. It was like reading a horror story with so many forgettable names that were Dodgers. Ned has had his job way too long. To me the negatives far outweigh the positives when it comes to what kind of job Ned has done in his tenure. No GM is going to hit with every move they make. We all know that is impossible. But Ned has more misses than hits. He wasn't going to get fired by previous ownership because McCourt didn't care about the Dodgers much. When Guggs took over they should have shook Ned's hand and handed him his walking papers that very day. I can't get over the Jason Schmidt, Andruw Jones, and Juan Pierre signings. Or losing Carlos Santana. The Dodgers won't get over the hump until Ned is no longer the GM of the Dodgers. He's had long enough to prove himself and all he has to show for his efforts are 2 World Series championships for his beloved Giants. Enough with this Giant as Dodger GM already.
     
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  18. 4everblue

    4everblue DSP Regular

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    wow... long read... here are my comments

    Ned's time has really been the tale of two guys, maybe even 3:

    1. Ned first years prior to the divorce
    2. Ned during the divorce
    3. Ned after the divorce

    I wont specify the three of them, but I will point out some things where I think his team has been really good (cuz to think this is a one man show is dumb):

    1. they understand pretty well their players: as SDF has said, we bitched and moaned over sooooo many of the trade, and only 1 of the prospects is a player we would like to have back, Santana. And lets remember that (or at least how the story has been told) he was an add-on cuz Frank didnt wanted to add money to the payroll. Of ALL the others (Lambo, Robinson, Guzman, LaRoche, McD, DeWitt, Josh Bell, etc, etc, etc) none has reached a level that can be considered above replacement level, maybe with the exception of Edwin Jackson. For that you have to give him credit as he has optimized the hype some players have provided.

    2. they know pitching: as SDF said, reclamation projects have been the trademark here. He has brought some dead arms and turned them into serviceable

    3. he did a good job with the payroll limitations he had: When you need to turn 1 pitcher into 2 (HiKu into Cappy and Harang) and you get a decent production out of those 2 arms, you did a good job. Cappy and Harang were not great last year, but they did what they were supposed to do, take the ball every 5th day and get you some innings. Cappy had 198 innings last year and Harang had 180. No one expected them to be All Star pitchers, but they were serviceable. He did great signings on guys like Jamie Carroll and Mark Ellis, who provide a solid/constant bat with good glove and veteran presence.

    the bad:

    1. He's dangerous with a blank check: I dont judge him for the Andruw Jones signing, as it was a 2 year deal that looked like a low risk move. Well, he sucked badly and no one could have said they saw it coming. But the dangerous signings have been Schmidt, Uribe and Pierre.

    2. they havent been able to figure out hitting: you cant go with 4 hitting coaches in 5 years or something like that and still think the problem is the coach. There has been a message error, and it could have be coming from upstairs (which is the part that didnt changed). Loney is the best example. He was a liners hitter that was tried to be pushed into a HR hitter. They failed several times. Now he goes to TB where they are letting him be a liners hitter and he's back to what we expected 6 years ago. That I think was an approach error pushed by the FO


    I say a flat B- is a fair grade for his time, but I do see him on the raise in the next years. Of course, its not the same having Kasten by his side, who has to be one of the greatest baseball minds of the last 50 years.
     
  19. southerndodgerfan

    southerndodgerfan Dodgers Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the comments, I do think that I need to go back (like next week when I actually have the time) and add context to some of the deals I glossed over. I cannot believe I left out a blurb on Uribe. The horror.
     
  20. bestlakersfan

    bestlakersfan DSP Legend

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    SDF, god bless you brother, you are the fucking man. I didn't read anything you wrote, but know that you are awesome, a true fan and your skills of analysis are fantastic. Love ya man! Just want to say thanks for being you.
     
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