The frequency with which the position has to make a play matters too. I’m pretty sure fewer plays go to 3B than the middle infield. In general, the more plays a position player has to make, the more important making plays at the position becomes.

What a 3B does need is an arm; he has to be able to make the long throw to first accurately. Of course, so does a SS (if not quite as much.)

I think its unfair to judge his [Triunfel's]
defensive]performance by his error count.

So do I. Carlos Guillen had an extremely high error count in the minors; but smart scouts discounted this, knowing that the condition of minor league fields may have had an influence on the error totals.

I don’t mean to re-direct visitors away from USSM, but it’s one of the most appealing regular features of LL, in my opinion.

Here’s the most recent:

8/3 Minor League Wrap-Up

we could tolerate losing for the next 2 or 3 years if we see that the Mariners are headed in the right direction

Absolutely. In fact, I’d RATHER see the team struggle for two years if we have definitive proof that the farm system is being built up in depth and quality thanks to a competent front office. If this team goes out in the offseason and overpays for a bunch of bandaids on the downside of their careers, I wouldn’t be able to tolerate an 80 win season.

The Mariners, after one year of Bedard (fast forward to October), have so far given up a very solid closer, a solid MLB level player who will only continue to improve, and then the unknown quantities of Tillman/Mickololio/Butler. Tillman at least looks like he could be a good starter in the bigs.

Bedard has not performed up to expectations. The price paid by the organization was for a Cy Young caliber performance, say top 5 in voting or something. Bedard has pitched decently when he has pitched, but he couldn’t go deep into games and has mostly been injured as well as frosty in the clubhouse/media. Who knows what the M’s could get in return for Bedard, but the shine is likely off his nickel, so to speak. If only the Rays would part with some of their absurd talent, but they wont.

Second, I’m not sure I would necessarily say that the Tex trade is up there on that list. Yeah, the Braves look like they gave up a lot. Yeah, they wound up missing the playoffs. However, the Braves missing the playoffs was hardly Tex’s fault. He filled a huge hole in their lineup that had been made worse by Andruw Jones’ abrupt decline, and proceeded to lead the team in virtually every offensive category after he was acquired. What killed them was the pitching staff falling apart in August.

They certainly didn’t get what they gave for him when they traded him to the Angels, and from that perspective you *could* call the trade a failure, but from a production and results standpoint, I wouldn’t.