I haven't seen this posted, but I've been thinking about it.

All in all (and it is VERY early), Z's 2010 Mid-Term Report Card isn't sterling.

OK...grades for players signed.

A+ = Getting Felix on the dotted line for the long term.

A   = Making the Lee move.  This will be an A+ if Lee re-ups.

A++  = Guti.  'Nuff said.

Beyond that (and, again, in the VERY short term) the rest of the card is dismal.

D-  = Signing Bradley.  This is't an F because it was basically a trade of sunk costs...but silva looks pretty darn good right now and Bradley's immediate future is very unknown. 

D+  = Kotchman.  Hitting a smidge above .200, OPS of 85.  Plays a position that almost demands offensive production.  Remember how much we hated the Sexon/Cairo platoon's production two years ago.  That's what we're getting from Kotchman.  I won't make this an F because Branyan wasn't  a better choice this year. Z gets points for realizing that.  But he loses some for thinking that Kotchman would be a middle of the order run producer.

C+   = Figgins.  he's a scrappy AB each and every time.  He certainly will produce, and that will happen this year.  Z doesn't get a lower grade than this because Figgins is an offensive proven commodity and a more than adequate middle IF with the glove.  Even blue chip stocks have a bear-ish week or two.

B  = Jack Wilson.  He's fragile, sure.  But he's a first rate glove and his bat has been producing a bit.  You got what you thought you would get.

No Grade = Bedard.  But I suspect this to be a B, at least.

P  (for Passing) Not signing Washburn

Griffey/Sweeney  =  F  I'm lumping these two guys together because signing (or keeping after ST) one of them would have been understandable....doing so with both of them both is a disaster.  OPS's are currently 43 and 27 respectively.  I think the Jr. signing was probably the bigger mistake.  Sweeney roped everything in ST, showing he still had some licks in the bat.  but he hasn't been used and Jr. ain't Jr. anymore.  Jr. OPS'ed 95 last year...a number artificiallyhigh becasue he hit 19 homers at age 39.  To assume he had that kind of production in his gimpy body for another year was a BIG leap.

Right now...that's not a great report card...or a very mixed report card. Down the line because of the Felix and Gut deals it may be great.  But getting Felix and Guti on the line for long term wasn't really brilliant evaluation.....it was just good work for getting two stars to stay.  (Getting Guti last year was pretty brilliant, though!)

Even good guys make errors.  Z made some this spring in evaluating production.

But that gos with the job, I suppose.