But, I think it naive in the extreme to mistake the reality that "team control" is *A* variable to consider with the perception that is *THE* variable that supercedes all others. I don't believe this is true for ANY club -- even the most miserably run organizations in baseball.
The error is in thinking any personnel decision is made based on only a single variable. NONE of them are.
Smoak wasn't sent down "because he had a 23/1 K/BB ratio in his first month with Seattle. He was sent down because of that AND because he still had options AND because Kotchman was still on the roster AND because Branyan finally got healthy AND because the farm team was making a playoff run AND because of any number of scouting reports/opinions that were passed along to Z.
And, there are crack analysts in Seattle for whom, $$-per-base-on-non-FA's is the North Star of baseball analysis. Decisions like these can look very simple, if reduced to one variable.
You personally, San-Man... if Ackley has a big spring training, you lean to bringing him North, or not?
When you've got a roster where you're paying $200 million to your regulars, you can KNOW who your lineup is before ST begins. When you've got one regular making more than $5 million, you'd have to be a moron to *THINK* you knew who every starter was going to be.
Great way to put it.
M's are going to have to have some dice come up 7's in 2011. That doesn't happen by scripting your Scrubs in November...