In the movies, when the star "goes all in" at the poker table, the card he needs falls and defying all odds, he wins the money and in direct correlation, the glory. Unfortunately in real life, (yes, fantasy baseball is real life,) when you need that ace of spades to fall, you usually wretch in horror as the three of clubs is turned and you leave the table with nothing but dejection. However, it is in that moment of dejection and loss, that character and attitude serve a strong man the best, and it was in that moment, or briefly thereafter, that Springfield Flying Squirrels of Republic GM Adam Anson finally let the 2011 season go and began looking toward 2012. "Yeah, I lost it a little at the extension presser, but I expect a lot of myself and my team, and we failed to meet expectations last year...but we're ready to move forward now." Hopefully this season the Squirrels can exude some of the passion their GM has in the offseason.
As the Squirrels move into the 2012 draft, the cupboard is very nearly bare. Along with returning extensions Jimmy Rollins and Dan Uggla, are Mat Latos and throwaway Nate McLouth...thats it. There are of course disadvantages and advantages to this situation. On the plus side, this is a historically deep draft and therefore a lot of good contracts to be given. Another positive is that Anson will finally, in his third season as GM, be able to field a team that is entirely his own. On the down side of course is that the team has almost no foundation and to contend in 2012, every pick will have to be a winner. "It's going to be a real challenge to compete this year, our division is very strong and we have very few returning players, but we expect to be competitive and challenge for a title every year," said Anson.
It appears at this point that the Flying Squirrels will likely utilize the draft to rebuild the team from the ground up, but as Anson has shown in his two years as GM, he is never afraid to pull the trigger on a deal if he feels it will help the team compete. When asked if any trades were in the works, Anson had the following to say, "We've had a few small discussions here and there, but nothing of substance has come up so far. We value our 6th slot in each round, because in this deep draft, there will be strong value there round after round...that said, if anyone wants to move a solid contract, we'll always look into it...especially if Nate McLouth was to find his way to that other team."
Here's to a new season!
No comments:
Post a Comment