mfree80 (12-05-2014)
Just one more question Sir (said in my best detective Columbo imitation). What kind of AAV do you think the Braves had appetite for. I seem to remember you saying they were willing to go higher for Jason than they did for Freeman. Of course part might have been due to Freeman having more pre-free agency years included in his extension.
I'm as independent a thinker as you're going to come across. In my profession, I have a duty (not just a moral obligation) to question the underpinnings of every decision my client makes. That being said, do you honestly believe you, thewupk, Meta, MFII, (and myself), etc. have access to the same kinds of data and information that the Braves front office does? The answer is no.
FYI it's not just Hart making these decisions.. JC is front and center and is quite good.
With the stadium moving to where most ticket buyers go I don't really see this being a big deal. And honestly the long term success of the team is more important than two years of attendance. I think using the money going to Nick to help payoff BJ and ship him out of town to where going into 2017 you have all of his salary would have been a smarter idea. Then you could make a huge splash in FA and get the fanbase excited again.
Nope not an auditor... sorry bud. But Deloitte is the primary accounting/audit firm for MLB so I'd start there (and then branch out to a boutique after getting a few years of experience underneath your belt and establishing as many relationships in the industry as you can.)
Stockholm, more densely populated than NYC - sturg
Sabermetric data? Honestly, yes, I think we internet minions have access to a similar, if not more comprehensive, caliber of information.
Scouting data? That's really subjective. What makes a good scout? Eyes? Time spent on the job? There are roughly 600 employed by all 30 MLB teams combined, so it's not a particularly unique skillset. Plus, we have access to crowd-sourced perspective on a level that the FO doesn't.
Literally the only aspect of the equation we are not privy to is industry chatter -- and maybe that's a huge thing, considering executive-level MLB operations are almost universally GOB clubs.
Otherwise, there's precious little that differentiates our collective analysis on a transaction. Some of us here have advanced degrees in engineering, mathematics, and economics. Others in communications, politics, etc. We're fully capable of drawing our own conclusions. Perhaps it's even a little unwise to discount the overall groupthink.
Last edited by Hawk; 12-05-2014 at 11:49 AM.
BremanFan88 (12-05-2014)
I aint got know college degree.
I can tell you with absolute certainty that we do NOT have access to the sabermetric data that the Braves (and other) front offices have. Without reservation or hesitation.
If you think your eyes are as good as some of the scouts on staff, I have a bridge to sell you. Crowd-sourcing is helpful but have you noticed the scouting talent and depth Hart has brought in this offseason?
I have post-graduate degrees from ivy league schools as well. But ipse se nihil scire id unum sciat -- I won't pretend to know more than those who have been in the field for 30+ years. It's not just Hart unilaterally making these decisions (or JS, or JC, etc.) It's consensus. You have every right to be critical, of course, and MFII is right that he doesn't have to blindly trust this FO but I know they have access to better information than we do (and it's not close).
First of all, everyone is smarter than me and has more information than me. If I couldn't criticize people who knew more than I did, I'd live a very boring existence.I'm as independent a thinker as you're going to come across. In my profession, I have a duty (not just a moral obligation) to question the underpinnings of every decision my client makes. That being said, do you honestly believe you, thewupk, Meta, MFII, (and myself), etc. have access to the same kinds of data and information that the Braves front office does? The answer is no.
FYI it's not just Hart making these decisions.. JC is front and center and is quite good.
Still, I have a brain. Not much of one, perhaps, but I still take a certain amount of pride in being able to use it. I've been watching this game for a long time. Not as long as Schuerholz, Hart and Cox, of course, but long enough that I believe I have a pretty decent sense of what wins games, so I feel qualified in at least trying to come to informed conclusions about transactions.
That said, I acknowledge that there are times when trust in a front office is healthy and wise. Executives with proven track records of success do merit a certain degree of deference. For example, just off the top of my head, if we had a GM who had lifted the franchise from a dark, talent-bereft period where we were relying on the likes of Chuck James, Jorge Campillo and Buddy Carlyle to a point where we won, I don't know, say, 190 games over two seasons, then sure, that guy would earn some trust and deference. Not unthinking, unblinking trust, but certainly a healthy level of patience and understanding.
But for some reason we don't have that guy. Now, a new front office can quickly earn that level of trust through a series of shrewd moves. Instead, this franchise has:
1. Begged, pleaded, wheedled and cajoled John Hart into the big chair after a four-year run in Texas which saw him average two fewer victories per year than the team won in a season that was so unacceptable it got his predecessor fired
2. Shipped out Kyle Wren in a trade that was utterly unsupportable on baseball grounds as punishment for committing the sin of being Frank Wren's son
3. Traded our best second base option, however flawed and limited, for a sore-armed minor league reliever with an elaborate injury history who hasn't been particularly successful over a full season since 2011
4. Traded arguably our best player and inarguably one of the only three or four hitters on the team worth a damn for an undeniably talented but inconsistent and recently unimpressive young pitcher and a prospect who has spent his career alternating between getting his head kicked in and getting hurt.
5. Gave Jim Johnson a guaranteed major league contract and $1.6 million after a season in which he put up an ERA over 7
6. Gave a 31-year-old middling outfielder a four-year contract for $11 million a year.
Ain't none of that confidence-inspiring. Is it possible Hart and Co. can turn it around and garner a huge return for Upton Magnus? Sure. But I'll believe it when I see it, because this front office has earned nothing more.
Last edited by MadduxFanII; 12-05-2014 at 01:40 PM.
Braves1976 (12-05-2014), BremanFan88 (12-05-2014), Gary82 (12-05-2014), Hawk (12-05-2014), nsacpi (12-05-2014)
lol Heyward wanted 27-28 mil? I don't even believe that, for a second.
Braves1976 (12-05-2014)
Ken Rosenthal
@Ken_Rosenthal
Sources: Markakis leaning toward surgery to repair bulging disc in neck. Recovery time up to 12 weeks. #Braves knew of possibility.
Ken Rosenthal
@Ken_Rosenthal
Before signing Markakis, #Braves viewed report of specialist who did independent evaluation of him. Confident he will be ready Opening Day.
The Atlanta Braves signed Nick Markakis for 4/45 - Never forget 12/3/2014
"Klay Thompson > James Harden" - Heyward
"Chris Bosh is the MVP of the Miami Heat" - Heyward
"Hibbert is better than Dwight Howard"- Heyward
"Steven Adams will be a top 10 center in two years - thethe
Prikichi (12-05-2014)