"What Would the Outsider Do" - New Series

Posting has been sporadic, at best. As of today, that will come to an end.

The Outsiders Look will begin a series that takes a look at the current situation of a team and asserts what I would do if I were in the front office hot seat. This series will 'fix' any glaring problems within an organization and provide a hypothetical opening day lineup.

Salaries and salary constraints will not be entirely ignored, however this facet will also not be analyzed from an in depth perspective and will only play a marginal factor in creating an 'ideal' lineup. That is, while every team would certainly love to have CC Sabathia for the 2009 season (although I would be weary of signing him), only one team is able to have the big man and few teams can logically afford him. Thus, while adding Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jason Giambi would make the Nationals a significantly superior team, it isn't going to happen.

Additionally, long term potential and organizational depth will be looked at. The Royals, for example, are not one piece from being a championship team, nor would the front office in Kansas City consider moving Alex Gordon and Billy Butler for upgrades today, that would hurt them tomorrow. Furthermore, an organization with a top teir catcher in the system (read: Baltimore Orioles-Matt Wieters) isn't going to break the bank to bring in a Pudge Rodriguez.

Long term potential will also be looked at from a, 'can this team win' perspective. There are certain teams that have a plan and I would hate to assert that I know exactly what that plan is, and/or ignore that plan altogether. With that in mind, a player like Wily Mo Pena will have more value to a team like the Giants then he would to a team like the Mets. Presumably, the Giants front office will not be reading WWOD and Pena will go on to be bench fodder with a team like the Cardinals while the Giants fail to score runs in the air.


What a perfect segway into the first installment of WWOD. On Wednesday I will take a look at the San Francisco Giants and what I would do with their team. The series will begin with teams that are 'out of it' and work towards a conclusion around the World Series.