With the offseason essentially over...

[Sports Guy]

...what grade would you give AM for what he has done this offseason?

[Sports Guy]

I am giving him a D but it is close to a C-.

He didn't add any potential long term solutions.

He wasn't able to move guys like Scott and Guthrie.

He seemingly hurt the chances of Pie getting significant at bats.

Atkins was a poor signing....I don't think Gonzalez will likely be worth his contract and we lost a pick for him.

I think the Millwood trade was good but I think there were better options out there.

I did like the Miggy signing but that also may have cost Pie at bats, so I only like it so much.

Outside of Atkins, I don't think anything AM did was really awful but I think he could have gone other ways, gotten better talent and not spent anymore money.

[TyCobb]

I voted A. He improved the team significantly without giving any long contracts.

I am hoping this trading deadline will move some of our older pieces (Millwood and Guts). And if Pie actually hits well we should look to trade him for a long term SS or 1B.

[Flip217]

I gave a B-, but depending on how things turn out I might change it to as high as a B+ or as low as a C-.

I like signing Millwood very much, and depending on how he does and his influence on our young staff, he could end up being an enormous help in getting us to the next level.

Or not.

I also like the Atkins signing because I think he can rebound significantly from last year, and that would be great.

Or he doesn't.

Seems to me AM has kept to the path he believes will best improve the team, and he didn't waste resources this offseason trying to do the impossible. Slow and steady wins the race...I hope.

[ForeverAnO]

I gave a B-. We didn't add much, but looking at the FA market there wasn't much to add and we stayed away from bad contracts such as a multi-year Beltre deal. I didn't see moves for the sake of making moves.

[maudibjr]

I gave a B, but upon reflection I'm downgrading to a C+.

Like the Tejada signing and the Millwood trade. I was fine with resigning Hendrickson. Gonzalez has the potential to be a good move, but just don't know yet.

It is the Atkins signing that really lowers his grade. We have internal options which I think are just as good and his signing will take away AB. IMO he will not be worth his roster spot.

On the plus side all 1 year deals with the exception of Gonzalez, so no long term hamstringing. I think a multiyear deal to a Beltre type would of been bad.

[Dipper9]

I gave a B+

I think he made decent moves to help the young guys grow and to put a team on the field in 2010 that can potentially break the 12 year losing streak. With the available players out there, I think he did as much as he could do without trading away key players.

The only reason I did not go with an A is because of SG's point...none of these moves will help us in 2011, and unless Bell and Snyder prove ready this year, we will still have the same openings next offseason...ie 1b, ss, and 3b.

[Dr. Andrews]

I am giving him a D but it is close to a C-.

He didn't add any potential long term solutions.

He wasn't able to move guys like Scott and Guthrie.

He seemingly hurt the chances of Pie getting significant at bats.

Atkins was a poor signing....I don't think Gonzalez will likely be worth his contract and we lost a pick for him.

I think the Millwood trade was good but I think there were better options out there.

I did like the Miggy signing but that also may have cost Pie at bats, so I only like it so much.

Outside of Atkins, I don't think anything AM did was really awful but I think he could have gone other ways, gotten better talent and not spent anymore money.

Long term solutions would most likely mean parting with veteran talent...which is what we need amongst a bunch of youngsters, and thus what we acquired...

Again, parting with Guthrie and Scott would mean losing veteran talent...many still think those two can help our team, anyways.

No arguments there...Pie deserves AB's and probably won't get them unless AM can foresee injuries.

Let's talk about Atkins after the season shall we? Two years ago, he went for a top 5 auction value in my fantasy league...blame it on where he played, whatever you want...but the fact is, he put up monster numbers, and is still only 30 years old. I don't know what to expect from Gonzalez to be quite honest...could be really good, or a slightly above average bullpen arm...again, that's a player whose value we should assess after 2010.

What other options? The free agent class next year consists of: Lee, Beckett, Webb, among others...so taking out the 1 year contracts on contending teams that are likely to be kept past the deadline, who do you go after? Who is better? Pineiro? Want to pay the 82.5 Million for Lackey, who has won more than 14 games ONCE on a perennial contender? I don't understand your thinking here...

Miggy was the best available option as of January 23rd, 2010, at 3rd base...he's a great player, a good trade chip if need be...good signing IMO, hard to argue.

[ShaneDawg85]

I gave him a B-. The Millwood trade was a solid move. He's only signed for one year, he's that valued innings eater we've been searching for, and it only cost Chris Ray to get him. As much as I like and root for Ray, his time in Baltimore was up and both sides need to move on.

Atkins doesn't really have any effect on me one way or another. I don't expect another 2009 season, but I don't expect a 2006 season either. I see somewhere in between, which from an offensive standpoint, isn't good enough.

I have to give Andy credit for being willing to take the chance on Tejada, having traded him and be willing to say we're going to try this again. I also have to give some credit for being willing to take on a project like Tejada at 3rd, because lets face it, Tejada is going to need a lot of work to make the transition. I worry about his declining offense of the last few seasons, but I like the creativity of the move. Plus, it meant not having to put up with crap like Joe Crede at 3rd.

Gonzalez is a good reliever, but I was never pleased with giving up the draft pick. The last front office team made that mistake, and I was hoping we wouldn't do it again, unless it was one of the real elite relievers, which Gonzalez is not. I don't think it will be a bad contract, but I'm still not thrilled about repeating history.

I'd say what I'm most disappointed in is I was hoping we would look for this offseason's Felix Pie, a guy who wasn't getting an opportunity elsewhere that we could bring in to see what he's got, or someone who needed a change of scenary. I don't know what was realistically available, so I can't say we should have gotten one guy or another. Some people threw out, again, Brandon Wood. I wasn't keen on JJ Hardy, but that name was there. I was hoping for that this offseason, but I didn't really get it. Maybe in a best case scenario Atkins is that guy, but I still would have liked something else.

What I did like is that the deals MacPhail made served a specific purpose, and with the exception of the Gonzalez deal, didn't handicap us long term. If there is one thing MacPhail has done with the signings he has made during his tenure, this is it. He didn't get involved with the asinine Holliday sweepstakes, and contrary to what you might want to believe, he was never coming here, so drop the pipe dream.

Much of this offseason has been consistent with what he's done before. But looking at what we did do, the best I can say is that the offseason moves were solid. Nothing really jumps out at me and says, "wow." So for that I'm giving him a B-.

[Sports Guy]

Long term solutions would most likely mean parting with veteran talent...which is what we need amongst a bunch of youngsters, and thus what we acquired...

Who cares? You can trade vet talent and then go out and sign it if you need to.

Again, parting with Guthrie and Scott would mean losing veteran talent...many still think those two can help our team, anyways.

Sure they can help...But would they be a bigger help in a trade?

Let's talk about Atkins after the season shall we? Two years ago, he went for a top 5 auction value in my fantasy league...blame it on where he played, whatever you want...but the fact is, he put up monster numbers, and is still only 30 years old.

He put up monster numbers at Coors and is on a 3 year decline...Even if he puts up a 790ish OPS, a huge improvement over last year, he will still be a below average first baseman.

I don't know what to expect from Gonzalez to be quite honest...could be really good, or a slightly above average bullpen arm...again, that's a player whose value we should assess after 2010.

If he stays healthy, Gonzo will be good...But I don't know he would have been better than Capps, who would have cost a lot less money and not a draft pick.

What other options? The free agent class next year consists of: Lee,

Beckett, Webb, among others...so taking out the 1 year contracts on contending teams that are likely to be kept past the deadline, who do you go after? Who is better? Pineiro? Want to pay the 82.5 Million for Lackey, who has won more than 14 games ONCE on a perennial contender? I don't understand your thinking here...

Harden and Nick Johnson...Its not hard to understand the thinking...There are better 1-2 year options out there than what we signed. Its actually very simple thinking.

Miggy was the best available option as of January 23rd, 2010, at 3rd base...he's a great player, a good trade chip if need be...good signing IMO, hard to argue

Calling Miggy a great player right now is a joke. He is a decent player that should be worth his contract but he is hardly great, especially when moving him to a new position, where his offense looks much worse.

[SilentJames]

B, but just barely over a B-.

Let me break down my grading system:

A: significantly improved the team

B: improved the team

C: static

D: hurt the team

F: significantly hurt the team

In my mind AM added what amount to ancillary peices that support the growing developing team nicely. But these peices, in of themselves, are not likely to significantly improve the competitiveness of the team on their own.

On the subject of Guthrie and Scott - one must ask whether AM real don't think he made any real effort TO move them. He may have been "listening to offers" but I don't think he was actively shopping them and "couldn't" move them - I don't think he wanted to. Now, some may find fault in that, but it is different than being unable to move them.

[Sports Guy]

B, but just barely over a B-.

Let me break down my grading system:

A: significantly improved the team

B: improved the team

C: static

D: hurt the team

F: significantly hurt the team

In my mind AM added what amount to ancillary peices that support the growing developing team nicely. But these peices, in of themselves, are not likely to significantly improve the competitiveness of the team on their own.

On the subject of Guthrie and Scott - one must ask whether AM real don't think he made any real effort TO move them. He may have been "listening to offers" but I don't think he was actively shopping them and "couldn't" move them - I don't think he wanted to. Now, some may find fault in that, but it is different than being unable to move them.

That's exactly my issue....I don't think he looked to move them and I think that is a problem.

[SilentJames]

That's exactly my issue....I don't think he looked to move them and I think that is a problem.

And that is fine. Your opinion is more than valid and I see the point. I was just pointing out there is a difference between "unable to" and "not caring to".

I think Scott should have been moved, actively shopping him could have netted us something valuable and I think Scott should have been shopped more and if nothing struck AM's fancy that is one thing. But the fact that Guthrie and Scott are still here means that AM did not want them gone.

But I think that is a debate for another thread.

[Moose Milligan]

Gave it a B.

SG, you talk about adding long term talent...while we don't have all the long term talent we need, we've identified a core of guys to build around and it's a pretty big core. Our longterm success will come from them, not from big spending on the FA market.

I'm not a huge Millwood fan but I like that we only gave up Chris Ray to get him. I understand why Gonzalez will be good but not too thrilled about giving up the pick. Happy to have Miggy back. Atkins sucks.

The way I see it, we got better stopgaps than what we normally get...these are guys that should contribute in a positive (not just with numbers) way to this team.

Except for Atkins.

[Dipper9]

Gave it a B.

SG, you talk about adding long term talent...while we don't have all the long term talent we need, we've identified a core of guys to build around and it's a pretty big core. Our longterm success will come from them, not from big spending on the FA market.

I'm not a huge Millwood fan but I like that we only gave up Chris Ray to get him. I understand why Gonzalez will be good but not too thrilled about giving up the pick. Happy to have Miggy back. Atkins sucks.

The way I see it, we got better stopgaps than what we normally get...these are guys that should contribute in a positive (not just with numbers) way to this team.

Except for Atkins.

I have a feeling we are all going to be pleasantly surprised with Atkins!