True, you wanted to trade Pollock and Corbin and I was against it as I thought we had a chance to make the playoffs. Now we will probably lose them both and still have a payroll issue next year. Turns out you were right on.
Trust me... I would've easily gotten off my stance had this team made the post season and showed the value in holding onto AJ and Patrick. I honestly don't fault Hazen and the front office all that much. They believe they had a legit shot. And hey, being in first place virtually the entire season proved they were onto something. But, there was a large does of hope associated with their plans... Hoping that their 3 headed monster at Catcher panned out. That Souza actually would've even come close to the year he had in 2017. That Lamb would finally break through and put together a full season. And while they knew what they could expect from Grienke & Corbin, they were hoping Ray would put together a complete and dominant season, and that Godley and Walker would produce "just enough" to keep the team competitive. That Boxberger, Archie and the rest of a rag-tag pen could somehow hold it down enough times to keep the team in contention.
But those were large bets... that didn't pay off. Hey, they took a shot and rolled the dice. I always have a hard time criticizing guys who have the guts and the passion to give it 100%. Hazen, Hall, Torey get huge kudos from me. As we know, their wallet is nothing like that of the larger, more established markets. But for the second year in a row, they ensured this team was relevant and a force that had to be dealt with for 95% of the season... Given the challenges they face, including injuries to key players like Lamb and Walker with no viable depth, they have accomplished a great deal and get big props from me...
