This will be my last post in this thread since the trade deadline has passed and we need to get back to talking about the team we actually have.
Rizzo deserves credit for not dealing Drew Storen for Denard Span. I was against this from the beginning and while I'm sure the impulse to make this deal was there, I'm glad cooler heads prevailed. The risk, a player who many, including me, view to be a cornerstone of the franchise, did not outweigh the reward, which was an above-average outfielder who is coming off the DL after a head/brain injury.
What Rizzo deserves blame and/or scorn for is the total lack of results at the trading deadline. In focusing in on Span, we saw the Braves acquire Michael Bourn at a price that our organization certainly could have exceeded. We acquired Jonny Gomes, a .211 hitter at the time of the trade, for two minor league players having great seasons. We traded away Jason Marquis in a deal that most feel was surprisingly one-sided given what seemed to be genuine demand for Marquis around baseball. Our only other trade, Jerry Hairston Jr. to the Brewers, was fine, although relatively inconsequential in the big picture.
Our biggest off-season moves, signing Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche, failed to ignite our offense. At some point, after so many missed opportunities, a gutsy journalist or blogger has to cut through the GM's public relations campaign and ask him when we're actually going to bring in a productive player or two.
