Like many of you, I'm mixed on Hart's first offseason as the man in charge of managing the MLB roster. Most of the smaller deals have been good, but the Markakis contract and the handling of Justin's trade market are questionable. Also, the overall vision of building from pitching and emphasizing contact skills also makes me a bit nervous. Time will tell, but it seems a bit rigid and maybe outdated.
Let's not forget though that arguably the most important thing that Hart has done this offseason is to rebuild the scouting and player development department. His work in this regard has been viewed very positively in the industry from everything I've seen. I believe his experience and relationships were key in making this happen, and it's unlikely that a "new blood" GM would have been able to pull this off with the same degree of success.
I'm hopeful that Coppy will continue to get more authority in the areas where Hart's leadership concerns me. If so, the relatively short Hart regime may prove to be successful. We'll obviously have a much better read on this a year from now.