Friday, December 14, 2012

Breaking the Bank, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. With all of the big name free agents on the market this time of year, you see some front office brilliance but more often than not, you see a lot of mistakes. Yesterday's signing of Josh Hamilton by the Angels was not a good move in my opinion. They had all kinds of talent on that roster last season, and just barely missed out on the postseason. Why not just stick with your guys, use the 25 million dollars a year to pick up a couple of quality players, and not have a bunch of overpaid big shots in the clubhouse? And if you think they are a sure playoff team in 2013, remember they had Trout, Pujols, and the best rotation in the AL in 2012 and couldn't squeak their way into the playoffs. This move could pay off for them, but for now, I'm not buying into it.
Another team that just doesn't get it are the Los Angeles Dodgers. This Zack Greinke deal really bothers me.  Greinke is a damn good pitcher, and I think he will increase the Dodger's chances of winning the west, but in no way is he worth $147 million. This is the most money ever paid to a right hander, and there are a handful of righties I would rather have than Greinke, who aren't getting nearly as big of a paycheck. And haven't they learned from what happened to them last year? After acquiring Gonzalez, Beckett, Ramirez and Victorino, they just went down hill from there. It's not like they aren't getting good players, they are just overpaying everybody who has decent numbers but a big name.