Grade the Offseason (Round II)

[Frobby]

So, I had posted a poll asking posters to grade the offseason, right after the Fowler "signing" had been announced. More than 90% gave the offseason an A or B grade. I pulled the poll down after the Fowler reneg. Since then, we acquired Alvarez and made a few other moves, we've released Gonzalez, and we've seen how the Kim and Rickard moves appear to be working out (or not).

So, all things reconsidered, what do you say now?

[25 Nuggets]

Still a "B-", the grade I would have given after the Fowler mess. Alvarez and Kim kind of cancel each other out and nothing else will likely make much of a difference. I did come close to downgrading to "C+" because of the poor PR handling of the Kim situation.

[MrOrange82]

Considering reputation-relevant factors, or no?

[Crazysilver03]

The additions look good on paper, but it seems the plan changed month to month this offseason and there was no real plan. Trumbo and Kim were decent pickups at the time but now are in positions they shouldn't be in. The two key areas weren't improved. And Davis/O'Day might be regrettable contracts sooner than later. Gave it a C since the team should probably be better this season.

[Barnaby Graves]

Pretty horrific in terms of strategy, planning, and execution. It was a complete circus act with a little bit of everything: olde tyme Angelos meddling, bidding against ourselves, another misadventure in Asia, wasting a draft pick on a bad contract, and what the hell do you even call the Fowler thing? We signed a guy for $7 million and we're ready to release him already?

There is a core of good/great offensive players and an absolutely awful-looking staff. It was shaky before Gonzalez completely lost the plot. Tyler Wilson and Vance Worley are the only starting pitchers that are even interesting and everybody else, I'm afraid to give the baseball to. I'm not looking forward to seeing Tillman this year. Ubaldo is a known quantity at this point and hey there's another $40 million well spent. Hope they didn't similarly waste the blank check Davis was given.

The 2011-2012 offseason had a lot of bad and chaotic mojo to it too, though. I think Buck has one of his most challenging years ahead of him. He's going into the season with a potential clubhouse cancer situation in Kim and the loss of a very popular guy in Miguel Gonzalez. A good leader rises to the challenge here but ultimately he's not the one hitting and throwing the baseball.

[DrungoHazewood]

Can't there be a "weird" option?

[Tx Oriole]

So, I had posted a poll asking posters to grade the offseason, right after the Fowler "signing" had been announced. More than 90% gave the offseason an A or B grade. I pulled the poll down after the Fowler reneg. Since then, we acquired Alvarez and made a few other moves, we've released Gonzalez, and we've seen how the Kim and Rickard moves appear to be working out (or not).

So, all things reconsidered, what do you say now?

Frobby I didn't vote because what if some of the moves work out for the O's?

Then the grade will change. IMO

[Moose Milligan]

Frobby I didn't vote because what if some of the moves work out for the O's?

Then the grade will change. IMO

Sack up.

I gave it a D.

-Davis probably was necessary to bring back, it'd suck without him. But it looks like we bid against ourselves on that one.

-Chen, replaced by Gallardo is a push at best. Got worse, IMO just because we lost a lefty.

-The Fowler Fiasco

-Kim just looks to be a bust. Wasted money that could have been spent on younger, cheaper international free agents or making sure we sign draft picks this year. I applaud the effort to try to sign a player from overseas but it just looks like we misread this guy the entire way.

-Trumbo, Alvarez. MOAR POWWWWARRRR is fun but it doesn't make our defense any better. Trumbo is by all accounts average. Alvarez reduces any defensive flexibility since he's a butcher.

-Lack of OBP improvement

-Lack of bolstering the rotation

On the good side, we brought back O'Day. And Davis, but added a ton to the payroll. At least some posters will be happy that we have a big sexy payroll now. And they'll whine when we can't sign Machado in a few years and wonder why.

Rickard seems to be a good pickup so far.

But we didn't get BETTER. We moved sideways, at best, IMO. Our defense got worse, our rotation got arguably worse. The roster flexibility isn't that great. We didn't improve any weaknesses and only bolstered strengths. We botched what could have been a lineup changing signing for us. And we spent a ton to do it.

I'm giving it a D because....well, I don't know why. I guess it'll be fun to see if we can have 9 batters with 20+ homers this year, but that's the type of thing I'd try to do in my baseball video games growing up.

The more I think about it, I'm inclined to give it an F but that just seems too cruel. I'm giving it a D because we didn't get better but we didn't get terribly worse.

This seasons chances largely depend on bounceback years from members of the rotation, Hardy and Wieters. It depends on Davis maintaining what he did last year or at least coming close to it. It depends on what we can get from our barren system.

[Aristotelian]

I gave it a B+ on the assumption that we had Fowler and Kim would be decent. Now I would give it a C. Looks like a whole lot of money for not much improvement. Lost the #14 pick with only Gallardo to show for it, Kim is a complete bust as well as a PR embarrassment. Pitching was looking shaky going into spring training and looks even worse now. The emergence of Rickard helps DD avoid a D or F.

[El Gordo]

I liked Trumbo

Gallardo(the best SP option PA would allow us to have, anyone still excited by Fister or Latos?)

Pedro

DoD

and Rickard could turn out to be the find of the year.

Didn't like signing Davis, wanted Upton or Cespedes instead

How they dealt with Kim

all the leaks and dysfunction with Fowler

Unhappy about releasing Gonzo, should have used his option first

I'd have voted C+ or B- if I could have.

[LookitsPuck]

D.

All homers, little OBP. No impact SP. meh.

[24fps]

C-

I won't go lower because PA finally opened the checkbook and I'm not an ingrate even though I'm tempted at the moment. This was an offseason of stupid decisions (Wieter's QO, Davis re-sign, Kim contract) and missed opportunities (Britton non-trade, Manny non-extension, O'Day going-away party). For starters

Imagine the team with the minor league additions from an early Britton trade and the resources spent to maintain an 81-81 team devoted to areas of actual need.

Feeling better? I'm hitting submit now before I change my mind...

[ChuckS]

Poor use of resources. For the moves we made I give us a D. We added two DH's types, signed Davis to a possible crippling deal when there was no competition for him, and signed a 33 year old reliever to a 4/30 deal when we already have plenty of bullpen depth. We didn't address the rotation, instead signing a guy who is possibly damaged goods to bolster our rotation forfeiting our 14th overall pick in the process. Kim appears to be a waste of 7 million.

These moves do not look good on paper. I gave us a C just for the fact that we opened the wallet up for the first in a long time and that is good to see I just don't like where the money went. The moves themselves grade out to a D rather than an F because we would be worse off if we did nothing.....for the short term anyway.

[Nevermore]

I gave it a C. I was tempted to give it a D, but it looks like we're just as good (or bad) as last year and I have my orange-color glasses on because Opening Day is coming up. Why did they release Gonzo rather than optioning him?

[ChuckS]

I gave it a C. I was tempted to give it a D, but it looks like we're just as good (or bad) as last year and I have my orange-color glasses on because Opening Day is coming up. Why did they release Gonzo rather than optioning him?

Dinero.