Quote Originally Posted by 50PoundHead View Post
My problem with the Melvin deal is that there were other options out there that would have fit as well without the money/years commitment. Seeing the Nats got Span for Alex Meyer, I find it difficult to believe that the Braves couldn't have gotten Span for J.R. Graham. I don't think Wren could think outside the box that well. It was "When in doubt, stay on the narrow path," which usually meant multiple guys leaving us for guys on the higher shelves in the supermarket. That works if you are the Yankees, Red Sox, or some other big budget team. If you're a mid-market team, you simply have to be more judicious with your resources.
Definitely wouldn't disagree - which is why I was never a big Wren guy. However, given that the team was contending to a point, I can't say that I felt that he deserved too much criticism for making win-now types of moves with the nucleus they had at the time.

My main gripe with the Wren era was the same as most - drafting and signing mostly higher-floor, lower-ceiling types. A lot of those wouldn't have been that bad IF the money was going to be there to keep that group together for the long haul, but Wren was apparently the only person that believed Liberty/McGuirk/JS was going to expand payroll to make that happen.