Wade a Good GM?

[donzblock]

One of your posters thinks Wade is a good GM. What has he done so far with the Astros to merit such praise? Phillies' fans can document his shortcomings ad nauseam; Mitch Williams can cite chapter and verse of little Eddie's nastiness, stubbornness, and unappreciativeness. Shawn Chacon in Philly comes across as a hero even though he should have kept his hands off the little guy, but are you Astros' fans in agreement that Wade is a good GM?

[KillerBee7]

Look Ed does have a history but you wouldn't even be making this post had the Chacon incident not happened. I think he did a great job of completely remaking a team with his limitations he had. I don't know him personally so I can't judge his character but I can judge is GM skills and so far he has done a good job.

[donzblock]

It was not the Chacon incident but the pro-Wade opinion expressed by a poster that started this thread. Don't waste your time speculating about my reasons for starting it. Rating Wade is a legitimate topic. Do you feel he made a good deal in getting rid of Lidge?

[KillerBee7]

Of course it was a good deal. Lidge needed to get out of Houston for his own sake and for the Astros. Wade got a potential elite leadoff hitter in Bourn and a reliable bullpen arm in Geoff Geary. I feel so much more confident when Jose Valverde comes in the game than with Lidge. I'm glad Brad is doing well, he needed to get out of Houston.

[AstrosFan]

Where in Bourn's history does it suggest he has the potential to be an elite leadoff hitter? He's going to need to improve his OBP dramatically for that to happen. I don't care if he steals 80 bases this year. His performance thus far, with Philadelphia and Houston, in the minors and the majors, gives no indication of him being an elite leadoff hitter. He'll be better than he's hitting right now. But elite seems wishful thinking. I'd love to see it happen, and I've got my fingers crossed. But I'm not betting on it.

Brad Lidge's overall stats were actually better than Jose Valverde's this year. But there's a catch. Lidge performed markedly better in non-save situations than save situations. He really was freezing up with the game on the line. Ditching Lidge and going after Valverde was something the Astros needed to do. I have no problem with the move, in spite of Lidge's success this year. There was something of a mental block with Lidge, and a change was needed. But I do feel I should point out that while Lidge's ERA was 4.09 in save situations for the Astros last year, Valverde's is 4.88 so far this year. There really hasn't been much of an improvement.

[KillerBee7]

Where in Bourn's history does it suggest he has the potential to be an elite leadoff hitter? He's going to need to improve his OBP dramatically for that to happen. I don't care if he steals 80 bases this year. His performance thus far, with Philadelphia and Houston, in the minors and the majors, gives no indication of him being an elite leadoff hitter. He'll be better than he's hitting right now. But elite seems wishful thinking. I'd love to see it happen, and I've got my fingers crossed. But I'm not betting on it.

Brad Lidge's overall stats were actually better than Jose Valverde's this year. But there's a catch. Lidge performed markedly better in non-save situations than save situations. He really was freezing up with the game on the line. Ditching Lidge and going after Valverde was something the Astros needed to do. I have no problem with the move, in spite of Lidge's success this year. There was something of a mental block with Lidge, and a change was needed. But I do feel I should point out that while Lidge's ERA was 4.09 in save situations for the Astros last year, Valverde's is 4.88 so far this year. There really hasn't been much of an improvement.

Bourn hardly got to play last year in Philly yet managed to bat .277 & steal 18bases. He was one of the Phillies top prospects for years. He has HUGE upside. He's only 25 and you can see his improvement this year. He's starting to master the drag bunt which can make him unstoppable. Teams have to make gameplans on him just because of his ability to steal. He doesn't even take good leads and can steal a base on pure speed. I don't see how you not see Valverde as a major improvement. His ERA looks bad because of his rough start at the beginning of the year. You can't just him not even halfway through the year. A lot of Jose's blown save have come in tough situations as well (4 out saves, coming in with a runner on 3rd & less than 2 outs). He is tied for the lead in the NL for saves, what more can you ask for? Jose proved last year how he can dominate in the 9th and has shown that now after his rough start.

[AstrosFan]

The idea that Bourn becomes an unstoppable force by mastering his bunting skills is the same weak argument that got Astros fans believing that Willy Taveras was a master at getting on base. We have a way of measuring a player's ability to get on base. It's called on-base percentage (OBP). Willy's with the Astros was .329, well below the league average of .341. It didn't matter how many bases he stole, he was a below average leadoff hitter. If Michael Bourn doesn't improve his OBP dramatically, he won't be an elite leadoff hitter. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm just saying there is nothing in his history to suggest that it will.

As for Valverde, I fully supported the changing of the guard in the closer spot. My point was that Valverde has not been a dramatic improvement thus far, though I agree we need to see how the season plays out.

[AstrosFan]

Addendum: I am certainly hoping for the best from Bourn, and will be rooting for him all the way.

[SwissRedSoxFan]

the wolftrade...i mean..

[donzblock]

Randy Wolf is an injury waiting to happen. He cannot give anybody a full season, and his good days are rare. Why did Mr. Wade acquire him, and how will Wolf improve the Astros?

[holyroman]

Because the astros needed another arm to keep the garbage pitchers off the team because of injuries. because they gave up really nothing for wolf.

[Westlake]

Reineke isn't 'nothing', but he's no top prospect either. The Wolf trade was bizarre and stupid.

Didn't like the Bourn trade.
Didn't like the Matsui signing.
Didn't like the Tejada trade.
LOVED the Valverde trade.

So I guess so far I'm not a fan of Wade's. It's still in question whether he is better than Purpura though, so I guess that means he is awful. Houston should have gone after DePodesta IMO.

[houfan]

Just saw this post. It's still a little early to judge his performance as a GM. He has made moves, and remade the team. Some of his moves have been good, some bad, some awful. The Anderson trade to Atlanta for a guy who is no longer in the organization comes to mind. Like the move to get Hawkins, though. No one wanted him except Houston. Just the other day he gave up his first earned run as an Astro. He's been money in the bullpen.