Pretend You're an MLB GM and We'll Guess How Much of a Risk-Taker You Are
By: Daniel Yetman
7 min
Image: Keith Allison via WikiCommons
About This Quiz
The GM is one of the toughest roles in baseball. Above you, ownership looms over your shoulder and monitors your every move. One awful trade might be all it takes to get you canned. However, if you do nothing when your team is in a slump, your team's fans will get angry at you for not making any changes. Do you think you could handle the pressure?Â
A general manager's contribution to a winning team often goes overlooked, but that wasn't the case with the revolutionary Billy Beane. Billy Beane's role in transforming the way baseball GMs looked at players was so iconic that his story got turned into the movie 'Moneyball' starring Brad Pitt. Beane is considered to be the pioneer of Sabermetric baseball, which uses statistical analysis to evaluate players as opposed to traditional stats like batting average. The result? Under Beane's management, an Oakland Athletics team with no business anywhere near the playoffs won a record 20 straight games and finished first in their division.
Every general manager has a different risk tolerance. We bet we can guess yours by your answers to these management decisions. Are you a born gambler or the type who likes to play things safe? Click start and let's play ball!
You have the number one draft pick. The scouting report says Bryce Baseballton has the potential to be the next Ted Williams but he's extremely injury-prone and may not develop. Albert Outfielder will likely be a good player for a long time but probably won't be an MVP. Who do you pick?
You're just below the luxury tax threshold, but you have a chance to sign the ace your team desperately needs. However, if you don't win the World Series, you'll likely be fired. What do you do?
Also sign a star third baseman to make sure you don't lose
Go for it!
Sign somebody who keeps you under the tax threshold
There's a pitcher in Japan tearing up the league overseas. He's being posted at $50 million for an MLB contract, but there are doubts that he'll be successful in the majors. Do you go after him?
Yes, just in case
Yes, just because I don't want anybody else to get him
There's a big name free agent on the market, but he spent last season serving a PED suspension, and he's not well-liked by the media. Do you take a chance on him?
You trade off most of your top prospects to go all-in on a World Series. You lose in the AL Division Series in five games. What do you say to yourself in retrospect?
There's an all-star quality starter asking for a 6-year, $220 million contract. You think that's too much, but if you don't sign him, your divisional rival will. What do you do?