Doug Melvin - Senior Level Executive

[torts]

yeah, because its a lot harder to negotiate from a position of power on the phone than it is by emotion-less email and text.

[MrTPlush]

Well since Doug Melvin has done pretty well in trades so far in his tenure I don't really think it is a big deal.

 

I think I would prefer phone calls myself. Easier to use negotiation tactics and really feel out the interest from the other GM.

[pacopete4]

Was listening to inside pitch today on XM. Jim Bowden (ex GM) is the host and was talking about how deals go down when he was a GM and now. He mentioned that 2 gm's were dinosaurs and don't respond to texts and want to do every deal on the phone, while all the younger guys want to email and text. The 2 dinosaurs Doug Melvin and Walt Jocketty

 

I'm glad he doesn't. Texting for communication is nice. But to do business that way? No way.

[MrTPlush]

Just wait till a GM gets his email hacked. I bet they won't be making fun of talking on the phone then.

[ewitkows]

you mean like what happen in Houston?

[MrTPlush]

you mean like what happen in Houston?

 

Well yah kind of like that. Can you imagine if they started emailing other GMs trade ideas and then telling the press through email? PR nightmare.

[ewitkows]

But he may miss deals also. The new gm's text and ask if so and so is available. They maybe looking at different players. If it takes a doug a day or more to call the guy back, this is a problem.

[1992casey]

Whether it is his son or brother the point still remains giving family members a job usually doesn't work very well. I could see helping them get a job in baseball.

 

I believe that Major League rules would prevent Mark's son from working for another team. If I remember correctly, Laurel Prieb had to leave the Twins when he married Wendy. If Mark's son is employed by the team, someone needs to be between him and his father in the chain of command.

[The stache]

I think it is easy to confuse the use of traditional scouting in combination with more modern analytics as not being a sabre oriented team. There is nothing wrong with incorporating both. In fact I would argue it is the best system.

 

I think this is dead on. You still need both, working in concert, to really succeed. On the amateur side, let your analytics staff find potential diamonds in the rough (based on your incoming HS/College data), and then pass those potential diamonds down to your scouts. This is a great method to clean up later in the draft on players other teams may not have even scouted (assuming your analytics are solid).

 

This. So this.

[Thurston Fluff]

But he may miss deals also. The new gm's text and ask if so and so is available. They maybe looking at different players. If it takes a doug a day or more to call the guy back, this is a problem.

If Doug is limited by not texting then so is the GM who refuses to make a call. As far as taking a day to call the guy back I seriously doubt Doug would not have his phone on him at all times at this time of year. There wouldn't need to be a call back, he'd actually answer it. If not I think it would be a matter of minutes not days. I also doubt Melvin doesn't respond to texts at all. He probably gets a text and then calls the GM to talk as opposed to texting back and forth. It just seems silly to think someone in his position would miss out completely on such a basic communication tool. It would be as silly for other GM's not to use the phone as well. All in all they may have their favorite way of communicating but if one team thinks the other team is offering the best deal it seems far fetched to think something as silly as that would prevent either one from doing the deal.

 

I believe that Major League rules would prevent Mark's son from working for another team. If I remember correctly, Laurel Prieb had to leave the Twins when he married Wendy. If Mark's son is employed by the team, someone needs to be between him and his father in the chain of command.

Did not know that. It certainly changes my mind about it.

[1992casey]

I should clarify the part where I said "someone needs to be between him and his father in the chain of command." I would doubt that's part of the rule, but given that Mark's son is in his 20s and doesn't have extensive experience, it would be prudent as far as smoothly operating the business.

[MrTPlush]

But he may miss deals also. The new gm's text and ask if so and so is available. They maybe looking at different players. If it takes a doug a day or more to call the guy back, this is a problem.

 

This is Doug Melvin's job...he doesn't miss calls and even if he does I bet it takes moments to call back. This is what these guys do. If you can write an email or send a text you could have called.

[Baldkin]

But he may miss deals also. The new gm's text and ask if so and so is available. They maybe looking at different players. If it takes a doug a day or more to call the guy back, this is a problem.

 

This is Doug Melvin's job...he doesn't miss calls and even if he does I bet it takes moments to call back. This is what these guys do. If you can write an email or send a text you could have called.

 

Yep. It's what they do.

Good thing Doug has his trusty hammer to pound those nails. Hopefully there aren't any screws to turn on the job.

[ewitkows]

All I'm saying is the radio guys who had talked to younger GMs said Doug and Walt take at least a day to return a text and that 90% of trades start with a text now a days

[torts]

All I'm saying is the radio guys who had talked to younger GMs said Doug and Walt take at least a day to return a text and that 90% of trades start with a text now a days

 

and its not them being technology adverse, its their negotiation strategy, and its a powerful one. If another GM has a problem with the way they do business, they arent very good negotiators.

[JohnBriggs12]

Look the Brewers basically announced to the world that they were sellers back in May, and many in the press and some GM's took that as "it's time to fleece the Brewers", so undoubtedly Melvin's got a lot of inquiries from teams that he knew probably weren't matches or weren't willing to make serious offers. I'm sure he gets back to the teams the Brewers have determined have the pieces they would consider and takes his time getting back to the rest.

[1992casey]

Trying to "fleece" the potential trade partners isn't a good strategy; other GMs will quickly become aware of that and will end up being wary of doing business. Doug has said in the past that the first objective in a trade is to improve your team. The second objective is to improve the other team.

 

I don't think that shying away from texting is a show-stopping thing. But there are other ways that not keeping up with the times can become problems. Jim Baumer had to go because he couldn't deal with player agents, which became an absolute necessity once free agency came into the picture. Before Baumer was replaced, Bud Selig was negotiating free agent contracts himself.

[Hammer]

Screw putting him in the front office – put this man out to pasture. Talk about an embarrassment over the last several days! First the debacle with the Mets and now missing the boat with the Cardinals. What a disgrace!!

[splitterpfj]

Now that the trade deadline has passed, and the rebuild has clearly begun, I'm just curious - is Doug still evil and rotten and responsible for the oppression of the Hondurans?

 

I think he did pretty well.

[TheCrew07]

Now that the trade deadline has passed, and the rebuild has clearly begun, I'm just curious - is Doug still evil and rotten and responsible for the oppression of the Hondurans?

 

I think he did pretty well.

I think he did pretty mediocre, like always... and yes the entire FO still needs to go.

[splitterpfj]

Now that the trade deadline has passed, and the rebuild has clearly begun, I'm just curious - is Doug still evil and rotten and responsible for the oppression of the Hondurans?

 

I think he did pretty well.

I think he did pretty mediocre, like always... and yes the entire FO still needs to go.

 

Who do you mean, in addition to Doug?

[trwi7]

Now that the trade deadline has passed, and the rebuild has clearly begun, I'm just curious - is Doug still evil and rotten and responsible for the oppression of the Hondurans?

 

I think he did pretty well.

I think he did pretty mediocre, like always... and yes the entire FO still needs to go.

 

Who do you mean, in addition to Doug?

 

I'm guessing Ash, Nichols etc. I know he doesn't like Nichols.

[markedman5]

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/08/04/dave-dombrowski-out-as-tigers-general-manager-team-president-al-avila-takes-over/

[markedman5]

@castrovince: In lead-up to Deadline, rival execs had been speculating that Dombrowski might not want any part of a rebuilding period in Detroit.

 

 

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Discussion can be continued here:

 

Doug Melvin steps down as GM; moves into advisory role