YankeesRedSox.com

Personally, I thought the Lackey signing was a great move and I wished (at the time) that the Yankees had done it. I don't know what happened to that guy, but I am shocked at how bad he is.

Now the Crawford deal struck me as insane. He's a nice player, but not worth anywhere near that kind of money.

I also think Theo should probably never sign another free agent shortstop again, it's just not his strong suit.

I would go so far as to say, "what?" The team was floundering through the 90's and had all kinds of worse moves/worse players come through. Division/wildcard run every year with a chance to win it all if the stars align. Deep pockets allow Lackey et al.

Injuries to key players is doing them more damage than Lackey, Dice K etc. are.

btw Peter- don't know if you read the blog Dugout Central or not but a Montero bashing big time over there.

http://www.dugoutcentral.com/?p=1995

Thoughts?

Andy - I think Theo would make a great GM for the Yankees after Cashman bolts (if he does, that is). Theo is smart and takes calculated risks - and he's a proven winner.

BL

I don't normally read it, but I read your link.

I don't know if Montero can catch in the bigs. I am not sure anyone does and I don't worry about it. I guess I look at it as how much "catching" did Mike Piazza really do?

As for his bat, I think he can hit and he has proven that at AAA. I suspect his numbers this year are more about a lack of interest in AAA than anything else. I don't condone that and I think it speaks to a maturity issue with him.

I suspect the reason the Yankees have kept him in the minors so far is not because they have soured on him but because they don't want to expose him to the bigs and risk devaluing him as a trade chip. (If he can't handle catching at the big league level that would obviously lower his value) I would expect him to be promoted shortly after the trade deadline if he is still a Yankee.

Andy,

GMs can't always get it right -- it's asking them to have clairvoyance that no one can reasonably be expected to possess. Theo has played an indispensable role in bringing two WS championships to Boston in the space of three years. His trade of Garciaparra was especially gutsy -- and, I believe (in retrospect, of course) absolutely the right move. He plays a critical role in keeping the Red Sox a competitive team year in and year out, and generally compelling. I don't think you can really ask for anything more. Count your blessings, I say. You could have done much worse than hire Theo -- just think, you could have gotten stuck with Omar Minaya or the previous GM of the Blue Jays (remember the Vernon Wells deal?)

All kidding aside, as a Yankee fan, I respect Theo's baseball smarts and competitive edge.

thanks Peter- I was mostly interested in your take on whether his stock is sinking quickly and whether the Yankees would need to move him this year to get the most from him?

or

do you believe he will be in pinstripes for a long time?

also - did you read the lengthy comments from the regulars over there that are at the bottom of the blog post? I've posted comments over there a few times, very cliche group.

BL

It's a great question, let me take a crack at it.

I think Montero might be one of the hardest guys in the game to put a value on right now. From what I have read, everyone thinks he will hit in the bigs, but some scouts see him doing it at catcher and some don't. Obviously, his value is much, much higher if he can catch.

That's why I think he will either be traded at the deadline in a package for a big name or promoted to the Yankees shortly thereafter. His value will only go down if he stays in AAA for the full year.

As for the comments, not really my cup of tea, your description is a good one.

I agree, but believe that if anybody in the Yankee organization doubts he can catch long term they will do whatever they can to move him this month. If they promote him and over time it becomes apparent he cannot catch long term then they would get significantly less down the road for him, or have a DH clogging the path of A-Rod/Jeter etc.

Maybe he can catch? Salty is finally showing signs of hitting halfway decently and I don't believe anybody thinks he is a good catcher.

Mitchell and Greg, thanks for your input. I completely agree on Theo, glad he is here, no doubt.

Just felt the need to point out that he isn't perfect. Hey, need to keep him honest, right?

Over the past 17 years, the Red Sox have known only 2 GMs, Dan Duquette and Theo. Duquette took his share of heat, but he turned around this franchise and got them pointed in the right direction. Theo not only grabbed the baton, but he ran at full speed and with the help of a deep-pocket ownership group with creativity and ability to maximize revenue (ads, tickets, NESN, bricks at Fenway, etc), the Red Sox are in a good place to be sure.

yes, good deep pockets and a desire to win along with baseball minds and a historic park due to turn 100 next year.

sorry I took your post off on a tangent btw

I wonder if Cashman and Theo would be "good" GM's if they ran the Pirates?

that is an interesting question

OK, so Peter floats a question, BL acknowledges the goodness of the question - and no one thinks to continue? What? Someone needs to start a new thread? Until that happens ... here's my take:

They'd both still be smart guys and shrewd negotiators with winning records but their won/loss records probably wouldn't be as *consistently* strong and/or positive due to the need to rely on somewhat younger players to fill the roster but hey, that's baseball in a capitalist society. :-)