Something that just about everyone has forgotten is that the M's are a deeply dysfunctional organization. Lincoln and Armstrong absolutely love to meddle in baseball affairs, and when Bavasi was GM they were in the thick of every decision. Since Jack was hired, they have restrained themselves greatly and given him much greater freedom. This is partly because they realize they need to step back and partly because they respect Jack greatly. But it's also because Jack clearly knows how to work them and keep them out of his hair without causing friction with them.
One of the ways he has likely done this is by given in to their meddling on little things so that he can get his way on the big things. So the reason he signed Bloomquist, and why he signed Ibanez last season, was to appease Lincoln and Armstrong. They absolutely love Bloomy and Raul and certainly were pushing to bring them back. By doing so, Jack builds good will which lets him pursue the big money players like Prince Fielder, Joey Hamilton, Jacob Ellsbury, etc. This is a very smart trade off and a necessary strategy for any Mariner's GM who wants to keep their job for long.
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Blue Quadrant
Right on cue!, babe. If you wanted an example of Blue-Only analysis, here y'go amig-O.
This paradigm, taken to its extremes, assumes that other viewpoints are not only mistaken about, but actually oblivious to the Blue-Only material. This blog proceeds from the assumption that Jack Zduriencik literally does not know that 0.0 WAR is replacement level, and then proceeds with its excoriation of Zduriencik for refusing to learn the basics about baseball analysis.
At this point (ten years on) there is only one thing I would add: nobody in the real world gets to act like that.
Mojician does not win trials by assuming that the D.A. does not know what a voir dire is. Grumpy does not give a second opinion on a diagnosis after assuming that the first surgeon never went to med school. Bat571's fleet didn't sail in to "clear waters" based on the assumption that the enemy simply wasn't paying attention. A chess master, seeing a weird move, does not simply shrug, "Oh, well, guess it's a good thing Kasparov is an idiot" and then win games that way.
Nobody in the real world gets to assume that --- > everybody different from them is stupid.
Only in the media, do pundits get to assume that others are brain-damaged and then continue along their merry ways. Those actually in the fray have to --- > show some respect for others' ideas. Otherwise, the Law of the Fittest will soon have them seeking alternative employment.
Such as, in the media...
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Green Quadrant
Green-quadrant thinkers tend to be safety-first, and then tend to be sequential and process-oriented. Think dominoes. "The Book" tends to make us feel safe. We all like to feel like we're following steps 1, 2, and 3; after all, those steps have been proven to work in the past.
But none of these are absolutes. All people mix thinking from all four quadrants, as does LL.
For an example of useful Green-oriented thinking, see Lookout Landing's excellent post on the subject.
We're not implying that LL is limited to green-quadrant thinking. Not at all. But here's a good example of how a Green Quadrant Manager might assess the Bloomquist move -- in terms of its effect on other dominoes.
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Red Quadrant
In this specific case, the Red Quadrant is where the money is. Along with some yellow.
The Houston Texans are 2-and-10; they have lost, literally, ten games in a row. That isn't because they have 2-and-10 talent. It is because their locker room is in a state of civil war. (Just for example, DB Ed Reed complained about their last defeat by grousing that the Texans were outcoached.)
The Miami Dolphins were 3-and-0 before running into an ugly, ugly locker room scandal, and then went 2-and-5 from there. They did scrounge a victory yesterday against a team in even more disarray than they are in.
If you've been around the Mariners for long, you've been watching them -- year after year -- throw in the towel around May 15. Once a baseball team quits on a season, there are no do-overs. That's when they just start bringing up developmental players...
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Eric Wedge didn't leave on a sweet note. Lloyd McClendon does not come in on a sweet note, nor does he come in with much buy-in.
Under these circumstances you need Org Guys in the clubhouse. You've got to have them. The 2014 Mariners will need a minimum of two Sweeney/Griffey type player-coaches in uniform, where the young players will actually listen to them.
A 36-year-old Willie Bloomquist -- a 100.00% fiercely Club-Loyal veteran -- will be out there taking ground balls with Nick Franklin and Brad Miller. If Franklin and Miller keep their heads in the right place, and have big seasons, and support Lloyd McClendon, it will be in large part due to Willie Bloomquist.
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Why two years for Bloomquist? Hey, Nick. Get used to Willie. He's going to be here a while.
On March 10th, Nick Franklin does not get to snicker at Willie Bloomquist. Do you get why? Because Willie is going north. Nick maybe ain't. You feel me? Do you get how that works in a real sports locker room?
Willie Bloomquist, by virtue of his contract, is now senior to Miller and Franklin, if not also Ackley.
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The above reasoning is likely to do no more than --- > anger the staunch Blue-Only advocates. But! Consider how many baseball franchises make room for Org Guy spear-carriers.
Just about every manager is allowed 1-2 spots, at the end of the roster, for "clubhouse buffers." I guess it is possible that 30 baseball teams -- when they pay attention to "chemistry, makeup and bull****" are ignorant, and Fangraphs is enlightened.
Just don't try to tell the Houston Texans' coach that.
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Yellow Quadrant
The big picture here is, the trade issues swirling around Miller, Franklin, and Ackley. LL covers this for yer. Maybe this move signals us that several trade scenarios are heating up.
Another big-picture issue here is, Jack Zduriencik wants to win in 2014. Not 2015, but 2014. How could "WFB" possibly contribute to this? That's another issue, but the good news for you, as a Mariner fan, is what the M's intention is.
Not only by -- in his mind, the Red Quadrant mind -- assisting the young players' development, but also in another way...
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Dr's R/X
Whether you agree, disagree or abstain, you'll agree with this much:
Willie Bloomquist's contract should be viewed as --- > a statement, by the Mariners, that the construction of Lloyd McClendon's clubhouse is a priority.
Maybe he's right. Maybe he's wrong. Either way, that is the useful debate here. Not the debate about whether Jack Zduriencik should learn what "replacement level" is. We might as well spend our time debating whether Russell Wilson should learn what a "Cover Two" is. Our time would be just as productively spent, either way.
Jack Zduriencik is well aware that Fangraphs has bequeathed him with 0.0 WAR at every roster slot, without his having to pay for it. He has made a public statement that clubhouse building, and the development of the young infielders, is worth $2M per year to him.
It's a more sophisticated debate, and a more useful one.
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NEXT
Comments
"Go get me Bloomquist!"? I don't know, Doc. How does he know who his organizational guys are, or aren't, in Seattle already?
I have always liked Bloomquist for the reasons you stated....but I don't get it this time. Well, unless Franklin is soon gone for Billy Butler. Even then, you would have to add a primary 3B/2B guy to back up Seager and Ackley, if Bloomquist ws #25.
And who else was bidding on Bloomquist?
$1M per, or $3M is no real difference.....And nobody complained louder than me last year about lack of flexibility, but I would rather we gave guys we already have a shot, Tenbrink and Romero, for example.
I understand all the reasons you stated. I think there are better ways to go.
Yes Moe, it is Willie Ballgame. I get the frustration and even bewilderment. My initial reaction was the same... and that reaction is still lingering.
However, on the positives:
WFB bats right handed, and he his average against left handed pitching is pretty close to .300... which is something we need.
WFB plays at least 5 positions just a little worse than average - 2B, 3B, 1B, LF, RF and maybe SS for an inning here and there.... Flexibility is a need as well.
WFB knows Safeco, and should be excited about the walls being moved in... no extra decline due to fear of Safeco... that is a plus.
WFB knows what his role is, and he might even be good at being a coach on the bench... which should mean no Ibanez this year
WFB knows how to prepare for a game. say what you will about Willie and his talent, but Willie has always been ready to play... and that should rub off on the youngsters.
My biggest fear is that McClendon has the same belief system as Wedge or Hargrove... and believes that his veteran MUST be on the field to teach the youngsters, but worst case is that Willie is in 100 games for roughly 500 innings, and he gets over 200 at bats... but even that does not wreck our season.
.181 BA against them last year. Willie will hit .300 plus against them, if the last two years are any indication. It's a need for this team: a righty hitting utility guy. I'm not sure we're ready to give that role to Romero yet. I want to see Romero compete for the left fielder job.
If it is true that the M's organization really reads the blogs, etc., it seems that at best, the decision to sign Bloomquist is breathtakingly tone-deaf. Rightly or wrongly, Bloomquist became a symbol of all that is wrong with the Mariners... and we just signed him... our FIRST signing of the offseason no less. From a baseball perspective I don't really care. From all others (management/psychology) I roared with laughter.
I don't really see the stoploss. His only "stoploss" ability is that he does not strike out. But since he doesn't walk or hit the ball hard, he needs to run a high BABIP. He's gotten good results in that category in the last two years, but it doesn't strike me as particularly likely to continue.
If his BABIP is under .300, his OPS is under .650 (see 2006). He's not gonna get there with walks or ISO. True, his most likely result (particularly if spotted against LHP) is OPS somewhere in the upper .600s, but I don't see that as iron-clad, compared to other guys who draw walks more than 5% of the time.
I don't see the raise. He's never made more than $1.9M. I don't think it takes much to conclude that his '12 and '13 seasons weren't fundamentally better than his career track record.
I don't see the two years. Age-36 and age-37. Bottom has already dropped out of his SB totals. I don't see any reason why his BABIP wouldn't drop as well.
True, it's a small-ish amount of money, but it does make one question the judgment of the decision-makers, even when all brain quadrants are applied.
I don't have a problem with organizational soldiers - guys who keep the locker room in line, say "yes sir" and "how high sir" whenever they're asked a question, and generally keep the kids focused. Bloomie's work ethic is huge and his preparation has always been good (even when his results were decidedly mediocre). He's played the positions of most of our young contributors, so I get that too.
But I also remember Bloomquist being decidedly irked - affronted even - that he was not given a full-time starting job here (or elsewhere). He's always seemed to believe he deserved a starting role, so do I want a replacement-level player with vet entitlement issues? How does that help anything?
He's not coming back to the front office that drafted him or the managers he played for. He's not a local hero (although I swear, on a team that had Ichiro, Boone, Edgar and Olerud, the loudest cheers in Spring Training were for Bloomquist and the pitching coach Price). So in that sense it's not like Beltran going home to close out his career in KC (which may happen if we don't overpay to get him here like I think we're trying to do).
Willie is just a guy. A stoploss, replacement-level guy who gives you a little flexibility and who can hit lefties. Not the worst thing in the world, not really that much of a help in an up scenario for the rest of your team.
*shrugs* I can't get too worked up about it, unless we're planning on a huge role for him on the field. It's like Adam Kennedy from a couple years ago. Fine for spot work, don't wear him out or over-expose him in full-time work. Of course Kennedy didn't make even a million bucks that season, but as long as the Ms are willing to spend $40 or $50 million more on the 2014 Ms, I don't care about Bloomquist even if there's some overpay involved. He can hit occasional singles against lefties and help Seager not wear down in the 2nd half.
Can we get some more important moves settled soon, please?
~G
Armstrong has ALWAYS been huge on bringing back old favorites.
POSSIBLE that this was a sayonara call on his part. :daps:
... and, ya, there were better ways to go. I ain't arguing that it was the right move. :- )
Their contempt for the external kibitzing is well documented.
Yer absolutely right Htown. This move underlines just how little they care what USSM thinks. It's almost a deliberate thumbing of the nose.
And in Ryan's, and in Andino's, and in Liddi's?
Every year the Mariners have a handful of negative-WAR players. What am I missing here?
That the Blue-Only critics hated the Bloomquist move, that meant little to me.
That the SSI community, with all perspectives in hand, *advisedly* considered the move a very poor one, is enlightening. Thanks guys.
USSM has some different articles, and to a layman (me), it is difficult to know what the site stands for. You read things like: "Its pretty easy to see the team trying to sell an off-season of Ellsbury, Morales, and free agent pitchers as the Winter of Hope and Dreams. That plan kind of sucks though, and it’s the one to root against." and then question what you think you know about the site. Before that article, I thought the USSM crowd stood for the proposition that good pitching and defense were just as valuable as muscle bound sluggers and RBI's. Then, I see a statement that percieved extreme upgrades to pitching and defense suck. Then I see this article that says Nelson Cruz is lame. Now, it seems like USSM's strategies are all geared toward saving the owners money. I didn't know that people besides Howard Lincoln and Chuck Armstrong held that viewpoint.