"This decision goes against every bit of passion in a competitor's soul"
Normally this time of day, I'm writing a recap of the previous night's game. But since the players decided to take the night off in honor of Scott Kazmir's last game, I'm not going to justify that garbage with a post. Not that I blame them. If management seems to think 3.5 games are too much to overcome, why shouldn't the players.
Maybe I'm not the most sophisticated of fans. Maybe I don't care about the "business" of baseball. Maybe I have too much of a "win now" philosophy.
I think John Romano summed up my thoughts in his column from the St. Pete Times this morning:
"This decision goes against every bit of passion in a competitor's soul. When you have a chance to win, you do whatever possible to take advantage. By completing this deal, the Rays have sent the opposite message."
That's where the problem lies for me. The message.
Other sites are looking at the bright side of the deal.
The Rays Party chooses to look more at the "Rise of Wade Davis" as opposed to the loss of Kazmir. I agree, that's one way of looking at it. But if Wade Davis was a better option than Kaz, he would've already been here. No matter how you look at it, Davis is not going to push the Rays over the hump and in to the playoffs.
The guys over at DRaysBay say this deal really didn't affect the Rays playoff chances too much one way or the other. They say that this deal kills any notion that the Rays front office cares about public perception. And finally, they're excited to see what the front office can do with extra cash in the off-season.
Like I said, I understand the Rays playoff chances weren't the greatest. But fan reaction isn't the only thing to consider. The Rays also have to consider the reaction of their own players and players around the league. This kind of move shows a front runner mentality that won't be easily overcome. And maybe this kind of move will be more common than you think. There's no guarantee that the Rays won't try to move Carl Crawford this off-season.
Okay, you made me cry again. Are you happy now? FO wonders why we don't fill all the seats and then do what they did. Maybe we're sick of getting our hearts broken.
You also fail to mention this gem from Romano's column:
"In the end, it seems clear the Rays made a mistake. But it wasn't trading Kazmir on Friday. It was giving him a huge contract extension in 2008. It was the first decision that led to the second decision. And it led to the Rays potentially trading today for tomorrow."
With respect, I couldn't disagree more, Mr. Weber. DRaysBay and Garza are right: "Mr. Friedman and those guys make all those moves, and how can you question them when we went to the Series last year?" A strong 30 days after months of flabbiness is not a trend toward success. All this "loyalty" biz is b.s. The D-Rays had Boggs & McGriff & Carl & Kaz, and NOBODY CAME TO THE GAMES. He's not Ernie Banks or Willie Mays!!! He's an injury-prone, sometimes above-average pitcher whose contract would have hurt a half-dozen aspects of his team. And if you tell me that untested, fresh pitching is a path to failure in a pennant race, then you didn't watch Game 7 of the ALCS.
Kazmir trade is an insignificant factor in the Rays making the playoffs...the Rays horrible play of late and average play during the season is the main reason that Oct.4 will be the END!
Kazmir had to go when he was pitching good/ok..
or if he goes into one of his little funks in Sept. he will be worth nothing in off season!
Kazmir..when he thinks about it..has got to be happy...he is back in playoffs/series with a proven winner..don't feel sorry for Scotty!
That's exactly what I mean, Matty. How can I trust a front office brain trust that offers a guy a contract extension and then dumps him in the middle of a playoff run? Two mistakes = a good move? I don't think so.
Bud light, you're right. The Rays probably weren't going to the playoffs with or without Scotty Kazmir. But, why not give them a chance. It seems to me the Rays FO would've been much more content if the Rays were in 4th place and completely out of it. Then, they could've done the Blue Jays fire sale! My eyes have been opened.
One more thought...Just read The Rays Party comments about Wade Davis....
He has "a tough as nails demeanor on the mound",
Can you imagine a "new attitude" with Davis,Niemann, Price, ..none of whom seem to back down from any hitters...Shields, Garza fall in place if they can.
I'm tired of Rays pitchers falling apart as soon as things get a little tough...and Kazmir was best at doing that!
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