Pretend You're an MLB GM and We'll Guess How Much of a Risk-Taker You Are

By: Daniel Yetman

6 Min Quiz

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?

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?

Definitely Bryce Baseballton

I think Bryce Baseballton
I think Albert Outfielder

Definitely Albert Outfielder

Would you rather be the GM for the Yankees (presumably high expectations, high stress) or the Miami Marlins (presumably low stress, low expectations)?

Send me to New York, New York!

I think I'd go to New York.
I think I'd go to Miami.

I definitely want to go to Miami.

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

Pass

What did you think about the Phillies signing Bryce Harper with a 13-year $330 million deal?

I definitely would have made the same deal.

I didn't love it, but would have made the deal.
I wouldn't have gone over $300 million.

I thought it was an awful deal.

Ownership wants to hear your long-term plan to win a championship. How long is your long-term plan?

Next season

Three years in the future
Five years in the future

Ten years in the future

You're the GM of the Cleveland Indians, and this is your last season with your core player group. What do you do?

Go all in to end the 70+ World Series drought

Sign another couple big names late in the season
Trade for prospects and rebuild

Contend with what you have

You're trying to lock up Nolan Arenado. What's the biggest contract you'll offer after his age 28 season?

12 years / $360 million

8 years / $300 million
5 years / $135 million

3 years / $90 million

You have a $100 million budget to work with (bottom third of the league). What do you do?

Sign one star player and fill the roster with prospects

Sign a handful of veterans and fill out the roster with rookies
Try to balance the team evenly

Trade all your top players for cheap prospects

Your closer goes down with a torn UCL and needs Tommy John surgery. What now?

Make a splash for a big name

Trade from a position of depth to upgrade your bullpen
Call up your star pitching prospect

Move your setup man into the closing role

The Angels are dangling Mike Trout in front of you as trade bait and you need an outfielder. The asking price is steep, though. Do you bite?

It's Mike Trout! Give them whatever they want

Offer your top five prospects
Offer them a package of nine players, holding onto your top prospect

No player is worth the price tag they're going to ask for.

After losing a 19-2 blow out, the fans are turning on you. Your job might be on the line. What do you do?

Make a huge move to show you're serious about winning

Fire the manager and hope that calms them down
Make a few minor deals

Ride it out

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
I might try to negotiate down the posting fee.

Nope, not worth it

Your fan-favorite center fielder is hitting .350/.430/.650 but from what you hear he's bad for the team chemistry. What do you do?

Trade him

Don't do anything until the end of the season.
Improve chemistry by trading other players.

Better not piss off the fans.

You lose in game 7 of the World Series but are getting most of your team back next year. It's not obvious where you can upgrade. What do you do?

Sign the top free agent anyway

Trade one of your best players for another player of equal value to shake things up
The devil is in the details. Don't do anything major.

Hold, clearly the team is good enough.

Your pitching coach has been with the team for 35 years. He's now in his 70s, and you hear that he might be slipping. What do you do?

Replace him

Offer him a different, mostly honorary position
Give him one more season

Wait for him to quit

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?

I only care about what happens on the field.

As long as I get a good deal
I'd give a low-ball offer.

Not worth it

Would you rather win one World Series and then finish last nine years in a row or make the playoffs 10 years in a row with no World Series?

Dumb question. I want a World Series!

The World Series is more important to me.
I slightly prefer to be competitive for 10 years.

Definitely make the playoffs for 10 seasons

What's more important to you, winning now or building a team that will compete for a decade?

Win now!

Emphasis on short-term victory
Emphasis on long-term success

Definitely long-term success

There's a 19-year-old second baseman tearing it up in AA ball. Do you call him up early or let him develop more?

Carpe diem, call him up.

Move him to AAA.
Keep him where he is until the end of the season.

Keep him in the minors on the original schedule.

You have a 41-year-old DH still under contract for $31 million per season, but he's hitting .198. What do you do?

Keep him on the bench or buy him out

Use him as a pinch hitter
Move him into a part-time role

Keep playing 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?

I did the right thing, we just got unlucky.

Maybe that wasn't a great idea.
I should have known we didn't have the depth.

I should have trusted my gut.

It's mid-season and your team is underperforming. What do you do?

Trade for the best player available

Make a trade just for the sake of trading
Make a few minor deals to plug weaknesses

Hold on. Every team has ups and downs.

What's the minimum you require to feel like the season was a success?

Winning the World Series

Winning the division
Winning the Wild Card

Finishing over .500

In the last year of his contract, your 29-year-old third baseman hits a career-high .342 with 52 home runs. What do you do?

Resign him on a 15-year deal

Resign him on a short-term deal with a high annual value
Give him a strong offer, but walk away if the bidding gets ridiculous.

He's unlikely to repeat those numbers. Next!

Would you rather have eight starters who are superstars but extremely injury-prone or eight good players who stay healthy?

Give me the stars!

How about 6 stars and 2 good players?
How about 4 of each?

8 pretty good players

What's your opinion on teams who purposefully tank to be competitive down the road?

I'd rather be competitive every year.

Whatever it takes to win
I think a more consistent strategy would be better.

I think it's a good strategy.

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?

Sign him anyway

Offer him slightly less
Try to negotiate a shorter contract

Pass on him

Your team has been in last place the past five seasons. What do you do?

Trade all your prospects to win NOW

Make a splash for a big free agent
Sign a few veterans with low price tags to plug holes

Ride it out. Your prospects will develop.

You're sitting at .500 at the trade deadline. Are you buying or selling?

Definitely buying

I'd feel out offers for both.
Probably holding

Selling, selling, selling

You need to cut salary. Do you trade your stars or your depth?

Trade off the depth

A mix of both
Trade one of the highest paid players

Trade the stars for top-ranked prospects

5 Minute Quiz 5 Min

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