Melvin made plenty of those type of signings, though. In 2008, the big signings were an over-the-hill Trevor Hoffman and mediocre Braden Looper. He also made depth signings like Trot Nixon, Mike Lamb, Jorge Julio and, yes, Craig Counsell. In 2011, other than the big money deal on Aramis Ramirez, his signings included Nori Aoki, Brooks Conrad, Alex Gonzalez, Cesar Izturis and Corey Patterson. If anything, Melvin's legacy is making a few splashy moves, but otherwise he operated in much the same way that Stearns is now. I agree with you. Melvin and DS each made a few splashy moves; both do well on dumpster dives. Also, each has struggled with building a sustainable, top minor league system. Each has had competive teams. Most years with Melvin, like DS, we were in the playoff/ wild card hunt. Give Melvin a comparable payroll to keep/add talent to his core, and those early Braun Fielder teams might have a few more playoff appearances too. DS has a better track record than Melvin so far, of course. We are Very fortunate and thankful to have him. Yet, the gap between the two is not as great as some make it seem. Get to another playoffs this year or next and a WS in the next three...then we are talking significant differences in GM.