Webster's on ... Reasonability
- Main Entry: rea·son·able
- Pronunciation: \?r?z-n?-b?l, ?r?-z?n-?-b?l\
- Function: adjective
- Date: 14th century
1 a : being in accordance with reason reasonable theory>
b : not extreme or excessive reasonable requests>
c : moderate, fair reasonable chance> reasonable price>
2 a : having the faculty of reason
b : possessing sound judgment reasonable man>
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A high-visibility article, this morning, blames Bill Bavasi for Erik Bedard's injury.
If anything, the treatment of Bavasi is becoming less moderate, less fair, more extreme and more excessive as his tenure fades farther back in the rear-view mirror.
We'd have thought that, once we got our Dream Team at GM and MGR, we might club down one stick on Bavasi. We're actually getting more shrill as things look better.
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=== Runs Per Dollar Dept: How About Clement for Wilson? ===
When the Mariners traded for Erik Bedard, one notable blogger panned the trade on the basis that you would be giving up cost-effective performance by Adam Jones (and others) for less cost-effective performance by Erik Bedard.
This lead blogger argued that if it was ever a good idea to trade $-efficient young players for costlier pitching stars, it would be a good idea only for a team with a better chance of winning than the Mariners had.
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I disagreed with this argument, and pointed out that by this net-value-per-salary logic, that EVERY decent young player is a more valuable resource than Johann Santana -- and that no ML-ready young talent would ever be traded for a star making a "correct" salary.
Certainly by this logic, a trade of Jeff Clement for an $8M Jack Wilson is as illogical as trading Adam Jones for Erik Bedard. Clement, even if he is only mediocre, is going to outperform his salary by $5M or more per season, for six seasons. Is Jack Zduriencik going to be ridiculed for years after he leaves Seattle, because he traded a cheap young blue-chipper for a correctly-paid veteran?
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We also pointed out that 80-90% of your young talent is redundant -- that when Adam Jones steps out, then Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Saunders and Dustin Ackley step in.
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But we also conceded that as far as it goes, the anti-star argument is reasonable.
Nobody called the trade brainless because Erik Bedard was going to get hurt! It's very poor form to go back, after the fact, and say that Bavasi missed the painfully obvious -- that Erik Bedard was going to get injured.
To say that Bedard's injury confirm's Bill Bavasi's low IQ is NOT reasonable.
You weren't going to call the Adrian Beltre contract brainless if and when Beltre got injured. You're not going to stop idolizing Jack Zduriencik if and when Jack Wilson's Achilles turns out to be blown.
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=== Burden of Proof Dept. ===
It is reasonable to assert that in your judgment, the Mariners paid too much.
It is not reasonable to assert that the price was irrational, idiotic, crazy, etc.
Grade A starters -- especially with two years left on their contracts -- are not acquired for castoffs and leftovers. Arizona gave six good prospects for Danny Haren. Billy Beane has made a living cashing in ML pitching stars for rich hauls.
Erik Bedard brought the O's huge offers from the Dodgers, Mets, and other teams. IMHO what was remarkable was that the M's only gave up one prospect out of their top five.
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It is one thing to sign a debate proposition that says, "55 miles per hour is the wrong speed limit."
It is another thing to sign a debate proposition that says, "ONLY A STUPID INDIVIDUAL WOULD BELIEVE that 55 mph is the right speed limit."
You don't want any part of that second proposition, amigos. I might be able to prove you wrong; I'm not going to be able to prove that you're stupid. Because you aren't stupid, and it's hard to prove a lie.
You're not going to be able to prove that half the blog-o-sphere, or half the country, is crazy or stupid.
Only because it isn't.
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