that position. His ceiling might be a low or mid- .700’s OPS (not that he has met his potential), which would be typical for a middle infielder. He always had the reputation of great potential as a exceptional glove man in the infield. I think the Pirates felt that he was prone to spectacular plays on difficult balls but sometimes lost his concentration on easy plays. I recall some of the sparkling plays against the Astros. It seems like the question is whether he can become more consistent on defense, and if he can, he would be an excellent fielder.

He probably just saying what he feels will make his players and the media happy. If he says “Yeah, I grabbed him because we’re hoping Loretta will sign with another team, but we think he’s just another below-average infielder,” then nobody is going to be happy.

If he simply says, “I think this is another great acquisition for the Astros,” then people might think he’s stupid, but they’re not going to think he’s trying to cut payroll or something.

The only way to judge GMs is by their actions. Billy Beane has made statements about how important team defense is in the past, and we all know he doesn’t care one bit about defense. It’s just a front for the media.

And Loretta will be 37 next year. It’s not as if he’s facing significant range issues in the field (at least at 2B), and he’s actually had a better offensive season this year. He’s played a lot less, but he’s put up better numbers. So he might stay a Type B FA. And he might sign somewhere else.