As an armchair GM or manager it's always too easy to bitch and moan about how this deal didn't get done or why it was this move and not another. The world needs critics, but the critics need to retain their perspective: It's good to keep a sign above your desk akin to Bill Clinton's famous "It's the economy, stupid" that says "Hey pal, you weren't there."
A great example of this is the Adrian Beltre signing. Beltre will be a Boston Red Sock for the next year, perhaps two, and he reportedly turned down a pair of 3-year, $24 M deals for the shorter Boston contract. Not just because he wanted to play on the East Coast, or play with a winner -- one of the spurned contracts was offered by Philadelphia (the other suitor might have been Oakland, says Ken Rosenthal). That's very odd, and probably very rare, but it just goes to show you that a GM can do all he can (Billy Beane offering that kind of scratch? Wow) and still get the cold shoulder.
Sportswriters love to repeat the cynical bromide, "When an athlete (or team) says it's not all about the money, it's all about the money."
You could argue that Beltre's decision with agent Scott Boras pulling the strings was all about the money -- money he might make after he-establishes his worth with a high-profile year in Boston -- but if the reports are right, he turned down $24 million for only $10 million guaranteed that might lead to a lot more only if a lot of things go right. That doesn't sound cynical to me. So however you judge a certain deal, always reserve a little space in your brain to acknowledge the factors that might never see the light of day. Maybe one day Ken Rosenthal will report that Adrian Beltre made the choice because he loves nothing more than hitting at Fenway. Or he's a huge Patriots fan. Or he loves the punk-folk vibe of Harvard Square. Or he plans to take night classes at M.I.T.
