Perhaps because our GM isn't so desperate to make a move that he's going to offer more than necessary? Negotiations can take time. One strategy is to wait the other party out and see if he can get a player for less. Why people are b****ing about the offseason in mid-December is beyond me.
Not to mention, last offseason, the move everyone wanted was a CF or a 3B (remember Glaus?). Remember, Lane was finally being given a shot in RF. Berkman was our LF (since Bagwell was still healthy at 1B). That extra bat would have put Ensberg on the bench or Willy T in the minors. Sometimes, you have to let young players play - midseason, everyone was b****ing about Burke, and then he was a key component of the WS run. Maybe, just maybe, the GM understands the long-term development of the team better than the fans.
i'd say the white sox were lucky that: 1. clemens was worn down; 2. oswalt had his worst game of the season; and 3. scott freaking podsednik hit a lucky homer. otherwise, there might have been a parade down Texas Avenue. that's how slim the margins are in baseball. this isn't basketball. it ain't football. the margins between being great and being sent back down to the minor leagues is one more hit per every ten at bats. the margin for being a great team and a team that misses the playoffs is tiny over a 162 game season. and the margin for winning one series against a team is tiny. each game comes down to tiny nuances...that was particularly so in this world series, despite the sweep.
nah...couldn't be. he's a clown. everyone here could do the job better. that's why they're all telling you they could from behind their computers.
So why then do you keep asking us to provide exact details of what should have been done differently by the GM and owner? Knowing full well that none of us have an inside line to the GM, we can't possibly provide this. That completely invalidates your whole line of reasoning. No cred. Instead of talking about how the team is addressing its needs (or isn't, in the case of Purpura), you retreat to your old, tired question, which you know no one can answer because we don't have inside information. Weak. Why? What has the combo of McLane and Purpura done to instill this confidence in you. They've done nothing but watch the team get worse since last offseason. They went to the WS because Pettitte came back from injury, and Ensberg and Clemens had career years. It wasn't because of Purpura's strokes of genius. For the past two seasons, we've had a team on the brink of a championship. Last offseason, we did nothing to address our needs. This offseason we've done nothing -- despite huge revenue increases. Players have been available, but we've either low-balled them or haven't pursued them. The bottom line is that we have nothing to show from this offseason (or last) that is the result of Purpura's work. How can you possibly think that Purpura has made moves that have improved our team? He hasn't.
of course..had we listened to the "local" GM's: 1. Ensberg would have been on the bench for someone like Glaus or Huff 2. Clemens would have been traded when we hit 10 games under .500.
Yes, the margins are so slim that we were arguably one player away from a title. One bat. The one bat that the entire world thought we should have acquired last offseason or at the deadline. Did we? No. What have we done this offseason? Watch our team get worse as others improve themselves and we missed out on our chances.
my point was that the team was good enough to win. if you're good enough to beat the cardinals, you're good enough to beat the white sox. they didn't. they got beat. the white sox played very well. you suppose someone like matt lawton could have magically come in and changed all that. i don't believe it.
But you're forgetting, Major. When Roger is on the team, he pays for himself. While his presence graces our pitching mound, Drayton McClane's pockets magically fill up with $100 bills and the faucets in his private bathroom run with gold coins. I wonder how much money some fans think he actually brings in by being on the team and pitching every 5 days...
The team wasn't good enough to win a single game in the WS. In case you missed it, we were swept. Shutout in the last game to boot. They played the games and lost, which directly contradicts your statement above. The team had a chance, going into last offseason to add a bat. They then had another chance at the trade deadline. They then had another chance early this offseason. What did they do? 1. Didn't add a bat. 2. Declined arbitration to their best pitcher. And you are happy with these moves? Obviously I know that you and RM95 will defend Drayton blindly, but come on, this is ridiculous. Just man up and admit that Purpura hasn't lived up to expectations.
No...I dont mean it like that....its just that if you judge by results...which is what you preach when it comes to judging the team's success, then you have to admit that Purp has had no results. He has lost out on 3 big name free agents (Beltran, Nomar and Burnett)...whether they were worth the money or not is irrelevant. The fact that we made offers showed that our GM thought enough of these players that he would have liked to have them on our team. If you have faith in the GM, then you have to say that you would be ok with any of those 3 guys in our lineup being that we made offers....just like as much as I dislike Rondell, if he thinks he belongs in our lineup, and in turn makes an offer, I'll throw out the welcome mat. Trades/non trades are harder to judge....you just dont know who was asked for as a "throw in" etc and there are more variables (i.e. picking up salary, etc). I am just saying that there seems to have been a ton of decent names traded in the past 6 months and if every guy on our roster except Oswalt is available, I find it hard to believe that he can't figure out a way to make us better.
Why is whether they were worth the money irrelevent? If they were free, it would be nice to have Nomar, Burnett, and Beltran on this team. There's no question about that. If they were all $50 million per year, none of them are worth it and it would be stupid to get them. There's a price point where any given player is not worth it. If you don't believe AJ Burnett is worth $x, you shouldn't pay him that just so you can be seen as doing something. Judging a GM as bad because he didn't overpay for someone is just silly. Now, if the team sucks as a result of not getting those players, that's one thing - and he'll be judged for taking a WS-contender to crap. But if he finds ways to make the team successful regardless, why is that a bad thing? Last year, everyone b****ed that we didn't get Beltran, JD Drew, Glaus, Finley, yadda yadda yadda. But ultimately, the results showed that it wasn't a loss *at all*.
Ha! I wish I had pockets that did that! I also find it humerous that the same people tend to say: 1. Drayton is a greedy owner that only cares about the bottom line. 2. Clemens would more than pay for himself 3. Drayton is penny pincher for not signing Clemens I don't think these people really think through their logic...
Tim Purpura isn't in a position to make major moves right now. The timing is not right. Next offseason he will have some money coming off the books(see Bagwell and Pettitte may or may not get an extension at age 34/35) and some holes to fill. Furthermore, this is a good team. You have a great hitter in Lance Berkman. Morgan Ensberg was the best hitting 3B in the NL last season. Jason Lane is solid as a hitter for a corner outfielder in his first full season(plus cheap). Craig is a solid hitting 2B. Willy Taveras is Juan Pierre from the right side, and Mike Lamb or Jeff Bagwell provides a veteran who comes up with quality at bats when you need them. Adam Everett provides awesome defense at SS, and Brad Ausmus is one of the best defensive catchers in the game, at two of the most important defensive positions on the field. Then you look at a bench of Palmeiro, Bagwell or Lamb, Bruntlett, Scott, Burke. That's a really strong bench. If they sign White, they have even more quality depth/options, and a solid 1-6 offense with a nice platoon possibility if Bags can't contribute. Pitching wise Roy and Andy is about as good as a front two in the game, and you have a very strong bullpen of qualls-wheeler-lidge. Backe is competent in the 3rd or 4th starter role and the Astros do not have issues developing young pitching talent. Not to mention what happens if Roger doesn't retire and May 1st rolls around and he is itching to play. Quite frankly this team doesn't need a major trade to compete to win the NL. And as far as free agent signings go, did you see the going rate on middle of the rotation SP's. Morris, Washburn and Byrd all got in excess of 7 mil a year. And as far as bats go, there really haven't been many good ones available in FA at a good price. Last year was not some fluke. Furthermore, if you look at the offense starting last June(when Lance had a few weeks under his belt to get his swing worked out) and factor those numbers in place of the April/May numbers the team finishes top 5 in the NL in runs scored. I understand fans want their GM/team to be as active as possible, but right now the Astros have a very solid team, and the free agent market is ridiculously overpriced, just like the trade deadline last year. Little talent plus high demand again. If they sign Rondell White or another FA outfielder and possibly another bullpen option or cheap starting pitching option for depth purposes they will have accomplished most of their needs very well. Just because it isn't a major move doesn't mean it isn't the best move.
You should read the posts more carefully, I do not believe he was calling anyone a penny pincher. He was simply referring to someone who is calling Drayton a penny pincher (you). Speaking of which, I am guilty of not donating as well. Now that I'm using this board a lot more, maybe I should. What is generally a good amount to tip? I haven't done this before.
You realize you are talking to someone who has a history of being unable to comprehend fairly simple posts, right?
I did read his post, perhaps I should have said, "using the words penny pincher" since he was quoting others. In fact, I edited it to reflect this. Didn't want to detract from the message. To your question, I believe a penny a post is a good benchmark.
