Pearce and Norris

[caulfield12]

We have to be careful because this is the type of deal people throw stones at if it doesn't pan out. Getting those 2 would likely cost us several pieces of our farm system. So now, Hahn needs to save his job by making a trade that everyone will accuse him of screwing up because Reddick and Vogt are vets?? Our fan base needs to pull on the same end of the rope in what they rake our management over the coals for. DO we want youth or do we want vets? The proven vet trades haven't worked out, but it seems like all the people who throw stones at management for making such deals, are the same ones calling for them to be made to save the guy's job! Hahn was a genius to land Samardzija--exactly the RHP starter that we needed--then Holy CRAP...Hahn is an idiot for trading pieces of our farm system to get a scrub like Samardzija. Hahn needs to find a way to land a proven starter like James Shields if he wants to save his job--then--we need to FIRE Hahn because he brings in losers like James Shields!

 

You can see it...Finally...Hahn makes a great deal to land Reddick and Vogt!!! Just what we needed!!! Then Vogt hits the DL the same week Reddick goes into a 3-25 slump and the masses prepare for a stoning and life without Carson Fulmer.

 

It would help if he was right more than 50% of the time.

 

He is between the proverbial "rock and a hard place," though. This team, as currently constituted, isn't going to get one of those two wild card spots.

 

It's going to require Beltran (depending on what the Yankees decide to do) or Bruce (more likely, because of the 2017 option), possibly another starter for the back end (let's just say, Jeremy Hellickson) with an expiring contract and a RH reliever.

 

We're talking an additional $12-15 million being spent on this year's payroll. Will JR make the approval, as long as it's not costing us Carson Fulmer? Nobody really knows, and it's probably too early to speculate because we're not even to July yet.

 

Does JR even want to bring back Hahn and Ventura next year, or does he want another GM to make the important decisions for yet another "all in" year, with Cabrera/Frazier/Lawrie all needing to be replaced after 2017?

 

If you don't trust Hahn (and that's certainly possible after the Shields move), then you're probably ordering him to stand pat. If, on the other hand, you really believe in him over the long-term, then you need to let him at the very least add Jay Bruce as DH because you're going to need him in 2017 as well if you legitimately want to compete.

 

 

Finally, I think a pattern of five starts (Shields), even if he was quite a bit better the last time out there...it's more than a 3/25 stretch, that's the equivalent of 14% of the season for James...or about 70 at-bats.