Disappointed at all?

[Dipper9]

I don't think he cares about winning, I think he's clearly gambling on himself. If he has a big year, and Boston is probably just about the best place for him to have a big year considering home park and the lineup that will be around him, he'll get a ton more than a 3/$24M offer or whatever we think the 3- and 4-year deals were for.

Agree that this cannot be spun as MacPhail having done a poor job. Anyone attempting to is pretty out of touch with reality.

This desription applies to a few people I can think of...

[billwine76]

I wouldnt have minded Beltre for the 1 year deal that he got from Boston. I'll pass on Holliday though, I just dont see him doing enough to warrant a 130 million or more contract.

As for MacPhail this off-season, I cant say that I'm dissappointed. I knew coming into this off-season that there was not really anyone that stood out, so that lowered my expectations a bit. I just don't think dumping big money on someone right now for a long, bad contract is the right thing to do.

[Mackus]

I'm disappointed that we couldn't get Beltre and/or Holliday to come here for a reasonable price.

I'm not disappointed that MacPhail didn't offer something unreasonable to get them to come here.

I would be disappointed if MacPhail didn't offer them something reasonable and force them to turn it down, although I'm not sure the offers that I consider reasonable (2/$24M for Beltre, 6/$108M for Holliday) would have landed either. And of course, we'll never know for sure if MacPhail made them offers and for how much.

[Three Run Homer]

I voted "yes", not because my heart was set on either Beltre or Holliday in particular (especially not Holliday), but because it seems like the best options for upgrading the offense/corner infield slots are evaporating, and it's looking more likely that we're going to settle for cheap stopgaps and another lost season while we wait for Bell and Snyder to develop. Garrett Atkins is a $4.5 million version of Adam Eaton, in my opinion, and we may do even less to upgrade the other corner infield position.

[Sports Guy]

But what evidence do we have that PA is ready to sell the team? By all accounts it looks like he wants to hand things over to his kids.

Its all speculation...Its more likely that he sells IMO.

And why would buying a losing club be attractive to anyone?

Oh, so now we are a losing club in your eyes? I thought we were on the right path and need to be patient?

[maudibjr]

not disappointed at all in losing Beltre, frankly it could help us, as he is terrible at Fenway.

[Mackus]

not disappointed at all in losing Beltre, frankly it could help us, as he is terrible at Fenway.

Come on, this can't be a serious comment.

He's had 67 career plate appearances at Fenway. His numbers there are meaningless.

[JTrea81]

not disappointed at all in losing Beltre, frankly it could help us, as he is terrible at Fenway.

If you mean help us by making Boston more difficult to beat, you'd be right.

Those balls that Lowell couldn't get to last year because of his hip will now be caught by Beltre.

And it seems every RH slugger prospers in that place as a member of the Sox because of the Monster.

Now considering he wanted to play in Boston and took less to play there, we had no shot. But Beltre to Boston does not help us at all.

[Lucky Jim]

Its expected...AM is doing a poor job thus far this offseason.

Who knows what it would take to get either of these guys here.

However, that doesn;t mean AM is doing a good job this offseason.

I just don't see how we would have been an option for Beltre, though I imagine we tried:

Beltre, who finished a five-year deal with Seattle last season, had reportedly been seeking a long-term (four years or more) deal worth $12 million-$13 million annually. But with the market collapsing for all but a handful of elite free agents, agent Scott Boras chose to have Beltre sign a short-term deal, which could allow him to reestablish his value on a high-profile team and reenter the free-agent market next season when, presumably, the economy will have improved.

http://www.csnne.com/pages/landing_redsox?Reports-Sox-closing-in-on-agreement-with=1&blockID=111629&feedID=3947

If you're going to take a discount, sign a one-year contract, and then re-enter the market, who do you do it for: the Sox or the O's?

We do this all the time, too. AM is doing a bad job not because any particular move was wrong-headed, but rather because we'd prefer something get done and nothing is.

I know I'm repeating others' sentiments on here, but I just read this thread and it's somewhat frustrating to read stuff like this. Essentially, I agree with this:

I don't think he cares about winning, I think he's clearly gambling on himself. If he has a big year, and Boston is probably just about the best place for him to have a big year considering home park and the lineup that will be around him, he'll get a ton more than a 3/$24M offer or whatever we think the 3- and 4-year deals were for.

Agree that this cannot be spun as MacPhail having done a poor job. Anyone attempting to is pretty out of touch with reality.

With the added bonus that playing for a winning team, in a packed Fenway Park, clearly adds quality of life points to any contract. Can Baltimore say the same (yet)?

[Satyr3206]

Beltre doesn't bother me a bit. He's good with the glove but I've always seen him as a 1 year wonder. And he took less to go to Boston.

[Sports Guy]

I just don't see how we would have been an option for Beltre, though I imagine we tried:

http://www.csnne.com/pages/landing_redsox?Reports-Sox-closing-in-on-agreement-with=1&blockID=111629&feedID=3947

If you're going to take a discount, sign a one-year contract, and then re-enter the market, who do you do it for: the Sox or the O's?

We do this all the time, too. AM is doing a bad job not because any particular move was wrong-headed, but rather because we'd prefer something get done and nothing is.

I know I'm repeating others' sentiments on here, but I just read this thread and it's somewhat frustrating to read stuff like this. Essentially, I agree with this:

With the added bonus that playing for a winning team, in a packed Fenway Park, clearly adds quality of life points to any contract. Can Baltimore say the same (yet)?

As I said, I am not neccassarily disappointed about not getting Beltre or likely Holliday, as this thread is asking.

I just think AM has done a poor job this offseason and I am disappointed by that. These are just potential examples of why he did a poor job but not the end all be all.

[Lucky Jim]

As I said, I am not neccassarily disappointed about not getting Beltre or likely Holliday, as this thread is asking.

I just think AM has done a poor job this offseason and I am disappointed by that. These are just potential examples of why he did a poor job but not the end all be all.

But what are the real examples? Because these aren't examples of him doing a poor job - unless signing players is a unilateral venture.

I have a feeling that you feel like AM is doing a poor job anytime you feel bored.

BTW, don't get me wrong. I understand that we'd all like something more to be done. But if you recognize that Holliday is a bit of a wash to be a good signing (at a huge investment) and that we were pretty clearly eliminated once Beltre decided to go on a one-year contract, what does that leave us? Lackey?

This free agent pool is not one I'm going to blame AM for staying out of. Poolside is the place to be.

[Sports Guy]

But what are the real examples? Because these aren't examples of him doing a poor job - unless signing players is a unilateral venture.

I have a feeling that you feel like AM is doing a poor job anytime you feel bored.

Yea, that's it.

[Satyr3206]

I wonder how differently MacPhail would have acted if there was a stud 1b or 3b on the market this year? His choice was to sign retreads to short deals or wait on the kids. He did a little of both. I don't see that as a poor job.

[Lucky Jim]

Yea, that's it.

I edited my post because I didn't want you to get the wrong impression. Alas, I was too slow. Still, your criticism seems based on a feeling that something major should have happened. But what? That to me smacks of boredom.