DiGiovanna on Stoneman
Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times had this to say about GM Bill Stoneman in response to a fan question:
Q: If you were at the winter meetings, is there a sense among the other GMs that Stoneman simply doesn’t want to make big-name trades? Do they even approach him anymore? Or is it more a, "Well, there’s Bill, I guess I’ll say hello as I walk to get my coffee and see if he has anything to say this year" thing?
A: I was at the winter meetings, and while I didn’t canvas the lobby to determine an answer to your question, I have talked to enough front-office executives from other teams to know that Stoneman is extremely difficult to deal with. Not because people don’t like him. Stoneman is personable, approachable, respected by his peers, often praised by executives and agents for being a straight-shooter. But he tends to overvalue his players and prospects while undervaluing players on other teams, and he seems completely immune to the concept that you have to give up something of value to get something of value. In fact, at least one team official told me this winter that as much as he likes Stoneman, trying to deal with him "is like dealing with Scrooge." I have often wondered whether that first trade Stoneman made as Angels GM, the 2000 deal that sent Jim Edmonds to St. Louis for Kent Bottenfield and Adam Kennedy, scarred him permanently and made him more reluctant to trade.
FutureAngels.com 