Is MacPhail Coming Back After the Season, and Do You Want Him To?

[El Gordo]

This. Would anyone be surprised if PA names Dempsey the GM?

My suspicion has been that Buck will be the next GM whenever AM leaves.

[Singleton]

Keeping MacPhail will doom this franchise to years of mediocrity. If that's the better option than hiring a younger aggressive GM with less power, we are in for a world of hurt, either way. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. Angelos, in my view, and the view of many others, seems to be at the heart of the problem. What do I expect? More Rinse and Repeat.

I don't think we're doomed. If i did, I probably would stop watching and posting. AM is a conservative dude. He's going to do things a certain way and while there is a logic to what he does, IMO, it's a tough way to go.

We're not going to get much risk taking and creativity. In another division -- slow and steady -- could win the race a time or two. In the AL East, it's a lot tougher.

[ShaneDawg85]

Fifth Option: Yes he's coming back, and I don't know how I feel about it.

[El Gordo]

I don't think we're doomed. If i did, I probably would stop watching and posting. AM is a conservative dude. He's going to do things a certain way and while there is a logic to what he does, IMO, it's a tough way to go.

We're not going to get much risk taking and creativity. In another division -- slow and steady -- could win the race a time or two. In the AL East, it's a lot tougher.

If you don't mind a hearty helping of stupidity along with it, I bet we could get Bowden to be" risk taking and creative".

[Skeletor]

Whatever happened to MacPhail grooming Cal to take over? I haven't heard a word about that in a while.

[Sports Guy]

If you don't mind a hearty helping of stupidity along with it, I bet we could get Bowden to be" risk taking and creative".

And Bowden is the exact type of GM that I would expect PA to hire.

[ShaneDawg85]

And Bowden is the exact type of GM that I would expect PA to hire.

Sadly, I can see it to. In fact, if MacPhail is not retained, resigns, etc., I fully expect it to happen, and if it does I fully expect disastrous results because that's pretty much the norm for Jim Bowden teams.

[Singleton]

If you don't mind a hearty helping of stupidity along with it, I bet we could get Bowden to be" risk taking and creative".

I mind.

[clapdiddy]

And Bowden is the exact type of GM that I would expect PA to hire.

Yup. That is scary. I'd rather just keep MacPhail if Bowden is the alternative.

[DrungoHazewood]

As of right now, I would say no because I think this season is going to be a little more disappointing than we thought and I think the losing will make AM want to leave.

I do not want him back but I am also worried about what happens if he is gone because I am not sure PA will hire someone he trusts to do things.

While I don't think AM is the right man for the job, he was a still a better GM for this organization than anyone since Gillick(maybe you could say since Wren but he didn't have a lot of time to prove himself). AM still brought in talent that no other GM had done....and I am not sure that another GM will be allowed to do that.

Ditto. I'm sure I could identify some potential GM's I would like better than MacPhail, but getting Angelos to actually hire one of them and give them the necessary lattitude to operate is highly, highly unlikely.

Right. Be careful what you wish for, because MacPhail has had far more freedom and success than anyone else in the last 12 years. It seems highly unlikely that Peter Angelos, now in his mid-80s, would pick a really bright, young, up-and-comer with a truckload of new ideas.

This. Would anyone be surprised if PA names Dempsey the GM?

I'd be beyond stunned. I'd have to assume Angelos was in the late stages of Alzheimers. Dempsey himself tells a story that Angelos and his people thought Dempsey was too stupid to be field manager. You think he'd hire him for a job that requires more brains, and in which he has no experience at all?

My suspicion has been that Buck will be the next GM whenever AM leaves.

That actually makes some sense, and seems kind of plausible. And might not be a bad idea.

[vab]

I like a lot of the moves MacPhail has made but they haven't really worked out overall and it's a bottom-line business so I could see him being dismissed after the season. If he is, I would expect Angelos to turn to Buck as the de-facto GM with someone carrying out his wishes in the position.

[LookitsPuck]

He's not the best guy for the job, but he's better than average, IMHO.

I think he ultimately inherited a team with a control freak of an owner that was in dire straights. Since he's been here:

We have signed everyone we've drafted.

We have a new spring training stadium that has been completely overhauled (minor league clubs no longer have to drive excess amount of time to play with the big club and vice versa...) and it is beautiful

We have signed our first Japanese pitcher in Koji Uehara

Our pitching rotation is pretty much completely set (really hoping one of Tilly/Bergy can be stretched out more...)

Have a team in which the only non-bullpen "old fogies" are: Guthrie (32), Scott (32), Derek Lee (35), Vladimir Guerrero (36), Brian Roberts (33)

I loved the Bedard trade

I loved the Tejada trade (and still do..)

I loved the Hardy trade

I loved the Reynolds trade (and still do..)

That said, we should be in a better position.

I'm not going to fault him too much on not signing Tex (there is a point of no return, and that contract was ridic) or VMart (we offered 48 million, he signed for 50 million with the Tigers..)

I won't fault him for Derek Lee or Vladimir Guerrero.

I will fault him for guys like Garrett Atkins (or whoever suggested him..).

I will fault him for overpaying for relievers.

I will not fault him for not dealing Luke Scott in the offseason (although it'd be nice to know what could have been had) due to our LF predicament (see: Pie constantly hurt, Reimold was awful [both offensively and defensively] in 2010).

I will fault him for not pushing the international front a lot more

I will fault him for acquiring a guy like Adam Eaton. I don't know if Trembley had a say in it or not, but he was given the starting pitching job on a platter.

I will fault him for not putting more money/resources into scouting

I'd like to see him:

Get Hardy inked for 2-3 years

Be willing to flip a guy like Luke Scott to a contender if he really heats up and proves that his injury isn't affecting his ability to play LF or hit

Be willing to flip Guthrie for the *right* trade. And I have no reason to believe he won't (Alonso + 1 other, not just Alonso, for example)

Be able to better evaluate starting pitching options (I'm not faulting him for Duke here, but guys like Eaton? Come on...) in the event that Guthrie is traded so we can have a solid #2/#3 in the rotation without giving up draft picks...

Not signing guys (like bullpen arms) that sacrifice draft picks. This should *never* happen unless it's an elite level arm and we're in a contending position.

There's a host of other things as well. That said, I think he can accomplish some of these, but he happens to move at a very deliberate pace. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.

[LookinUp]

I don't know. AM's not good enough. I hate the idea of settling for not good enough so I voted that I want him to go, but think he'll stay.

PA will be out of the picture one of these days. We might as well hope for better until then, and AM's strengths simply mask what looks like a fact that he'll never be the GM who does what it takes to acquire the right talent to win. Isn't that the objective?

[Carroll County]

He's not the best guy for the job, but he's better than average, IMHO.

I think he ultimately inherited a team with a control freak of an owner that was in dire straights. Since he's been here:

We have signed everyone we've drafted.

We have a new spring training stadium that has been completely overhauled (minor league clubs no longer have to drive excess amount of time to play with the big club and vice versa...) and it is beautiful

We have signed our first Japanese pitcher in Koji Uehara

Our pitching rotation is pretty much completely set (really hoping one of Tilly/Bergy can be stretched out more...)

Have a team in which the only non-bullpen "old fogies" are: Guthrie (32), Scott (32), Derek Lee (35), Vladimir Guerrero (36), Brian Roberts (33)

I loved the Bedard trade

I loved the Tejada trade (and still do..)

I loved the Hardy trade

I loved the Reynolds trade (and still do..)

That said, we should be in a better position.

I'm not going to fault him too much on not signing Tex (there is a point of no return, and that contract was ridic) or VMart (we offered 48 million, he signed for 50 million with the Tigers..)

I won't fault him for Derek Lee or Vladimir Guerrero.

I will fault him for guys like Garrett Atkins (or whoever suggested him..).

I will fault him for overpaying for relievers.

I will not fault him for not dealing Luke Scott in the offseason (although it'd be nice to know what could have been had) due to our LF predicament (see: Pie constantly hurt, Reimold was awful [both offensively and defensively] in 2010).

I will fault him for not pushing the international front a lot more

I will fault him for acquiring a guy like Adam Eaton. I don't know if Trembley had a say in it or not, but he was given the starting pitching job on a platter.

I will fault him for not putting more money/resources into scouting

I'd like to see him:

Get Hardy inked for 2-3 years

Be willing to flip a guy like Luke Scott to a contender if he really heats up and proves that his injury isn't affecting his ability to play LF or hit

Be willing to flip Guthrie for the *right* trade. And I have no reason to believe he won't (Alonso + 1 other, not just Alonso, for example)

Be able to better evaluate starting pitching options (I'm not faulting him for Duke here, but guys like Eaton? Come on...) in the event that Guthrie is traded so we can have a solid #2/#3 in the rotation without giving up draft picks...

Not signing guys (like bullpen arms) that sacrifice draft picks. This should *never* happen unless it's an elite level arm and we're in a contending position.

There's a host of other things as well. That said, I think he can accomplish some of these, but he happens to move at a very deliberate pace. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad.

Very well stated summary of MacPhail's tenure. Until PA is gone, I'm pretty sure that MacPhail is as good of an option as we'll see. He HAS to increase Latin American spending and cut out the dumbass free agent relief pitcher signings, but I am optimistic enough to believe that he has/will see that and react accordingly. He is a beast when it comes to getting return for our veteran players.

[JTrea81]

John Hart is another guy that could be there and of course Brian Cashman. Hart and Showalter had a good relationship in Texas and he has Orioles ties and seems to like the organization.

I think MacPhail will be invited back but I hope he just walks away. This offseason is too important to let him run it.