What has been your WORST MSB decision to date?

Topic: What has been your WORST MSB decision to date? (Read 343 times) previous topic - next topic

What has been your WORST MSB decision to date?

February 20, 2023, 02:35:46 PM

Every now and then I get reminded about how certain trades from years past worked out in the long run. Or when I had so-and-so ahead of so-and-so on my minor league draft board, only to switch them at the last minute and select the latter instead. Or when I waited too long to finally bench the guy with all-star real-life numbers who DMB absolutely hated. Or... well, I'm guessing you're picking up what I'm putting down.

So on the heels of trading #1 catching prospect and top ten overall hitter Gabriel Moreno to the Kraken a few weeks ago, I thought I'd start a thread asking the question, "What has been your worst MSB decision to date?"

I'll go first, cuz there are many. I mean, since I perpetually impose a "win now" philosophy on my team, I've done some pretty ballsy trades. Some have won me championships, so I call that a win. But others haven't, and I call those HUGE losses. One such loss: Trading then-minor leaguer (and rather unsung at that - at the time) Aaron Judge to former owner Chris Longo and the Data City Cache Hogs. Someone's gonna have to remind me which team that is currently, because I can't seem to access the archives.

Now, I drafted Judge in the 3rd round in 2015. He was seen as a big strike out guy and probably just too tall for baseball. Chris actually approached me about him. And for the life of me, I don't remember who I got for Judge, but I know it was power hitter at the end of his MSB contract with a good price tag. And yes, I won the championship later that year, due in part to that pick-up. But Judge wasn't hyped up, and I knew it'd come back to bite me. Sure enough, I go into the 2018 World Series against the Cache Hogs and we were seen by the league as very evenly matched. But I got swept, and Judge tore it up.

Honorable Mentions to my list:
- I traded Pete Alonso to the Bums in 2019. Won the Championship, tho.
- While they were minors, I traded away Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Rafael Devers, and Alex Verdugo
- And a few guys yet to be judged: Royce Lewis, Carter Keiboom, (Gabriel Moreno), and Jeter Downs.

But the Aaron Judge give-away will haunt me forever.

How about you?

Re: What has been your WORST MSB decision to date?

Reply #1 – February 20, 2023, 03:06:48 PM

By far my biggest “what if” was deciding between Anderson Espinosa and Shane Bieber in the expansion draft several years ago. At the time Bieber was an extremely low BB/9 control guy that the scouts were kinda meh on. While Espinosa was constantly injured but all over the prospect rankings.

There were several other guys that looking back I would have loved to have protected Bieber over. But at the time my thought process was I had one spot left for either Espinosa or Bieber. And man did I blow that decision.

Re: What has been your WORST MSB decision to date?

Reply #2 – February 20, 2023, 04:28:31 PM

My 1335-1417 career record in MSB proves that I've never made a bad decision.

Re: What has been your WORST MSB decision to date?

Reply #3 – February 20, 2023, 04:36:40 PM

Quote from: David Johnson – on February 20, 2023, 04:28:31 PM

My 1335-1417 career record in MSB proves that I've never made a bad decision.

If you go 121-38 this season you’ll be lifetime over .500!

Re: What has been your WORST MSB decision to date?

Reply #4 – February 20, 2023, 11:39:53 PM

No way it's my worst decision in MSB, but I have been kicking myself a little bit the last few days for signing Griffin Jax to a one year contract last year instead of 3 years for $250K. I'm not even sure what my actual thinking was at the time beyond saving $250K this year, but I'd love to have him at $250K right now.

Re: What has been your WORST MSB decision to date?

Reply #5 – February 23, 2023, 10:33:25 AM

Many years ago when I was the Isotopes GM, I got impatient and traded a young minor leaguer by the name of Andrew McCutchen to Matt Buland for an "OK" reliever. I don't even remember the reliever's name.

Re: What has been your WORST MSB decision to date?

Reply #6 – February 23, 2023, 07:36:06 PM

I haven't been around this go round long enough to make a horrible mistake, and I don't remember my previous stint in the league well enough to recall a truly bad mistake, but I'd say trading Shane McClanahan before his breakout to the Miners was a pretty glaring mistake. I did receive Zach Greinke in the deal and he led my staff as I won the first of my back to back division titles two years ago so I don't count it as a huge mistake, but man do I wish I had that arm in my rotation now!