Manny Acta Fired

[wwharton]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

Except they're not.

The Nats were one of, if not the most profitable team in all of the MLB last year.

The owners are making money hand over fist... they're just not interested in investing it back on the team.

Lets be fair. They've gone after big names who just haven't wanted to come to DC. Plus you aren't supposed to just "buy" a team so there's only so much the owners could've done in the short amount of time. They brought in Dunn and Soriano before him. The team just wasn't going to be very good at this point. As a fan, I'd wish they put more thought into getting people out to see the games, but if they are making money hand over fist, I can't even say I can really argue with their business plan.

[snepp]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

Except they're not.

The Nats were one of, if not the most profitable team in all of the MLB last year.

The owners are making money hand over fist... they're just not interested in investing it back on the team.

So they made a lot of money with a low payroll in a brand new stadium, who wouldn't? They have little-to-no media market, attendance driven by a new stadium, and a god awful team. That's not exactly the recipe for doing well.

[Lintyfresh85]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

Lets be fair. They've gone after big names who just haven't wanted to come to DC. Plus you aren't supposed to just "buy" a team so there's only so much the owners could've done in the short amount of time. They brought in Dunn and Soriano before him. The team just wasn't going to be very good at this point. As a fan, I'd wish they put more thought into getting people out to see the games, but if they are making money hand over fist, I can't even say I can really argue with their business plan.

Oh, their business plan is excellent... and if I was the owner I'd do the same.

As for spending money... they certainly are, but they're spending it unwisely.

They didn't get rid of stooge Bowden until the FBI was breathing down their back... now they need to get rid of Kasten and put true baseball guys in power.

Then, and only then, will this team turn the corner imo.

[Ewing]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

Oh, their business plan is excellent... and if I was the owner I'd do the same.

As for spending money... they certainly are, but they're spending it unwisely.

They didn't get rid of stooge Bowden until the FBI was breathing down their back... now they need to get rid of Kasten and put true baseball guys in power.

Then, and only then, will this team turn the corner imo.

Signing Adam Dunn was great but that's pretty much the only signing that paid off for them.

As for the front office, I agree. They need to get some smart baseball guys in there and fast. I actually know a guy who can hook me up with an extreme low level job in the organization. I'm pondering if I should take him up on it.

[pfunk880]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

So they made a lot of money with a low payroll in a brand new stadium, who wouldn't? They have little-to-no media market, attendance driven by a new stadium, and a god awful team. That's not exactly the recipe for doing well.

Exactly.

What they have now is not viable long-term.

[Coug00]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

Signing Adam Dunn was great but that's pretty much the only signing that paid off for them.

As for the front office, I agree. They need to get some smart baseball guys in there and fast. I actually know a guy who can hook me up with an extreme low level job in the organization. I'm pondering if I should take him up on it.

IMO, the Dunn signing is one of the problems with the Nats. He takes up 1/6 of their payroll and he's become a 1.5-ish Win Above Replacement player in the National League.

Take the job. You're young...many FO guys made their starts pushing papers.

[N51_rob]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

Here is what the Nats do. They Co-Hire McPhail. Have him work there Tues, Thurs, Sat. Baltimore Mon, Wed, Fri. Have him send Adam Dunn to Seattle for what is left of their minors. He can then rebuild the team through pitching and boom problem solved. I'm sure that Angelos would be so glad that he didn't have to pay Andy for full weeks or work that he might lessen the media restrictions on the Nats.


Now DC and Baltimore can join forces!

[mvb34]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

IMO, the Dunn signing is one of the problems with the Nats. He takes up 1/6 of their payroll and he's become a 1.5-ish Win Above Replacement player in the National League.

Take the job. You're young...many FO guys made their starts pushing papers.

The problem is not the signing of Dunn. The problem is this team was rapped by MLB. They were left with no farm system so that had to start from scratch. Add Bowden misses to the mix. You have the recipe for back 100 lost sasons. It will take some time. They have good young pitching in the minors but no great position players. All that said the bullpen has blown 20 games so far this year they'd be over 500 if wasn't the bullpen.

[Coug00]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

The problem is not the signing of Dunn. The problem is this team was rapped by MLB. They were left with no farm system so that had to start from scratch. Add Bowden misses to the mix. You have the recipe for back 100 lost sasons. It will take some time. They have good young pitching in the minors but no great position players. All that said the bullpen has blown 20 games so far this year they'd be over 500 if wasn't the bullpen.

I wholeheartedly agree that is the major problem, but its also a problem signing a guy whose defense is so bad it nearly negates his offensive production to 1/6th of your small payroll.

Defense is still cheap in baseball (although its getting more expensive as GM's re-learn the value of it post steroid era) and its the quickest way to turn around a team in the standings. The Nats are dead last in defense (by a mile) and could have used that $8 million to address their defensive short comings instead of signing the worst defensive player in baseball.

[BunnyHardaway]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

Here is what the Nats do. They Co-Hire McPhail. Have him work there Tues, Thurs, Sat. Baltimore Mon, Wed, Fri. Have him send Adam Dunn to Seattle for what is left of their minors. He can then rebuild the team through pitching and boom problem solved. I'm sure that Angelos would be so glad that he didn't have to pay Andy for full weeks or work that he might lessen the media restrictions on the Nats.


Now DC and Baltimore can join forces!

Or he can just trade us Strasburg for nothing.

[mvb34]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

I wholeheartedly agree that is the major problem, but its also a problem signing a guy whose defense is so bad it nearly negates his offensive production to 1/6th of your small payroll.

Defense is still cheap in baseball (although its getting more expensive as GM's re-learn the value of it post steroid era) and its the quickest way to turn around a team in the standings. The Nats are dead last in defense (by a mile) and could have used that $8 million to address their defensive short comings instead of signing the worst defensive player in baseball.

Every here in DC knew Dunn was brought for his home run power. I don't have a problem with the move. You say the should used the eight million on defense I like to knew who? They should have added to bullpen along with Dunn.

[Coug00]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

Every here in DC knew Dunn was brought for his home run power. I don't have a problem with the move. You say the should used the eight million on defense I like to knew who? They should have added to bullpen along with Dunn.

And everyone outside of DC laughed at the signing. What's the point of adding the power if it just hurts you elsewhere? Dunn can only get to 77% of balls hit into his defensive zone...that's an embarrassment.

There were, and still are, plenty of cheap, defensive first players that are more valuable in the national league and cheaper than Adam Dunn, Milton Bradley, etc. They may have not been available through FA, but they're available for low level prospects as stop gaps until a more permanent player can be signed.

The Mariners and Nats were a game apart last year. This year the M's completely overhauled their organization through trades for cheap, defensive oriented players (Chavez, Gutierrez, Cedeno, Hannahan, Woodward, etc) and they're 4 games over .500 with one of the worst offenses in baseball. And those cheap, defensive players have helped make Seattle's bullpen look better than they truly are. And Washington's terrible defense has made their bullpen look worse than they truly are.

[wwharton]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

And everyone outside of DC laughed at the signing. What's the point of adding the power if it just hurts you elsewhere? Dunn can only get to 77% of balls hit into his defensive zone...that's an embarrassment.

There were, and still are, plenty of cheap, defensive first players that are more valuable in the national league and cheaper than Adam Dunn, Milton Bradley, etc. They may have not been available through FA, but they're available for low level prospects as stop gaps until a more permanent player can be signed.

The Mariners and Nats were a game apart last year. This year the M's completely overhauled their organization through trades for cheap, defensive oriented players (Chavez, Gutierrez, Cedeno, Hannahan, Woodward, etc) and they're 4 games over .500 with one of the worst offenses in baseball. And those cheap, defensive players have helped make Seattle's bullpen look better than they truly are. And Washington's terrible defense has made their bullpen look worse than they truly are.

The Mariners have a fan base, a farm system and also made a big trade that has so far gone a lot worse than the Dunn trade (Bedard). The Nats needed a big name after Soriano left. No one thought signing Dunn would get them to the WS or was the key to the future. Right now, it'd be insane for them to be thinking about anything close to the playoffs. And while trying to build for the future you have to fill at least some of the seats in that shiny new stadium, in the middle of a town that has to be convinced a baseball game of any kind is worth going to (anyone around DC that is a true baseball fan sold their soul to the O's years ago).

EDIT: no disrespect to Ewing and other Nats fans who are true baseball fans, but you get my point.

[Coug00]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

The Mariners have a fan base, a farm system and also made a big trade that has so far gone a lot worse than the Dunn trade (Bedard). The Nats needed a big name after Soriano left. No one thought signing Dunn would get them to the WS or was the key to the future. Right now, it'd be insane for them to be thinking about anything close to the playoffs. And while trying to build for the future you have to fill at least some of the seats in that shiny new stadium, in the middle of a town that has to be convinced a baseball game of any kind is worth going to (anyone around DC that is a true baseball fan sold their soul to the O's years ago).

EDIT: no disrespect to Ewing and other Nats fans who are true baseball fans, but you get my point.

I understand the Nats are in a difficult predicament of win now versus build for the future, but winning brings fans to the stadium better than Adam Dunn ever will. I can't disagree more with "such and such team needs a big name to fill the seats". The attendance spikes from such players is short term wearing off within a couple of months if the team is losing. Winning brings the fans.

$8 million sunk into a player that will get you approximately 1.5 wins above a replacement level player is not a good strategy. They just traded away a useful player in Langerhans for nothing and at the end of a full season, he would have a higher Win Value than Dunn. Instead, the M's have Langerhans on the cheap and have him under team control for two more years.

I don't have much faith in the FO, even after Bowden was canned. And that is a problem...its just not their biggest problem, right now.

[mvb34]

Re: Manny Acta Fired

And everyone outside of DC laughed at the signing. What's the point of adding the power if it just hurts you elsewhere? Dunn can only get to 77% of balls hit into his defensive zone...that's an embarrassment.

There were, and still are, plenty of cheap, defensive first players that are more valuable in the national league and cheaper than Adam Dunn, Milton Bradley, etc. They may have not been available through FA, but they're available for low level prospects as stop gaps until a more permanent player can be signed.

The Mariners and Nats were a game apart last year. This year the M's completely overhauled their organization through trades for cheap, defensive oriented players (Chavez, Gutierrez, Cedeno, Hannahan, Woodward, etc) and they're 4 games over .500 with one of the worst offenses in baseball. And those cheap, defensive players have helped make Seattle's bullpen look better than they truly are. And Washington's terrible defense has made their bullpen look worse than they truly are.

You keep saying there were plenty cheap defense players but hadn't say any names. You can't blame the defense when the bullpen has blown 20 games. I've set and watching the pen can't or wont throw strikes.