Entering his first season as a G.M. tchagnon could not have picked a better franchise to rebuild then that of the Pawtucket Whalers. In the last four seasons the Pawtucket franchise is 268-380. They have never had a winning season and there best finish was third place four years ago. This year doesn’t look to be much better as Pawtucket sits at 36-60. However this is tchagnon’s first year as G.M. and only time will tell to see if he can turn it around. Clearly some of the moves that Pawtucket made at the beginning of the season have not paid off so far. He signed Allie Stynes, Glen Newman and Myron Farley to long term deals for some big money. All three of them have not panned out so far and they haven’t lived up to their contracts. Their ERA’s are 7.59, 10.52 and 6.79. Their team ERA is 29th in the Majors and their batting average is 272. which puts them at 16th in the Majors. Hitting hasn’t been the problem. Everything can be blamed on the pitching. Pawtucket has made some good moves at the same time especially the move to add DH Ira Munoz. He has been fantastic for them hitting 324 with 27 Homeruns and 75 RBI’s with an excellent OBP of 425. The rebuilding process in Pawtucket will likely take some time but there is some young talent that will make the rebuild smoother. Munoz is just one of the young talented stars on the rise in Pawtucket. Time will tell whether or not tchagnon has what it takes to rebuild the struggling franchise but on the bright side whether or not his moves pan out the franchise can not get any worse. Pawtucket’s future lies in Munoz, Al Alfonseca and Melvin Price. Pawtucket has a lot of work to do, but signs point to them turning it around sooner rather than later.
Q. Hey, how are you enjoying your first season?
A. I am having a great time. It is a lot harder than I thought.
Q. You made some moves early in your career, like the signings of Stynes, Newman and Farley. Do you regret any of them?
A. To be frank, while looking at the FA pitchers I really liked all these guys. I was hoping to get one of them on my staff, I had offers out to them all. To my surprise they all accepted at the same time.
Q. Do you think you’re going to try to move any of them?
A. Absolutely, I’d listen to offers. Newman is down in the minors working on his control.
Q. How happy are you with the addition of Munoz?
A. Extremely happy. He will be with us for a long time. The nice thing is he can go behind the plate during inter league games.
Q. Your team’s pitching has been very poor this year, how do you plan on improving it?
A. Yes. Very poor. We did draft some great young arms. Garry Fischer looks like he could be another good closer or set-up guy. We already have those spots firmed up in the bigs with Alfonseca and Masato but we all know, you never know what can happen. I plan on being active in the off season looking for guys that can get us to them in the eighth and ninth.
Q. Is there anything that you’re trying to sell at the upcoming deadline?
A. Many things. I mentioned earlier I’d move the pitchers above. I would also love to see veterans like Howard Olson, Rob Bennet, Trevor Howry and Antonio Spivey go to contenders. I don’t want to see them leave but I am not sure any of them have to time to wait for us to improve. To be frank really the only guys “untouchable” in the majors are Munoz and Alfonseca.
Q. What are your plans for trying to improve this team?
A. The simple answer is to have the right guys in the pipeline for every spot. We are getting there in the infield and with closers and set-up guys. We have a long way to go in the outfield and starting pitchers. Hopefully we can draft well, get good proper pieces back in trades and add the free agents in where we need them.
Q. Best guess now, down the road when do you think you’ll have a shot at the playoffs?
A. Based on my previous answer, at the very least 2 more years. Realistically, 4.
Q. Who do you think will win it all this year?
A. I see an Ice Doggs vs Rocket Launchers WS. With the Ice Doggs taking it. Good pitching beats good hitting. (which is why I feel I am 2-4 years away)
Q. Whats your name Tim Chagnon
Q. How old are you 37 this month
Q. Fav team The World Champion Boston Red Sox
Q. Fav player he is in LA now.
Q. do you have a franchise model I want to say the Red Sox but really it’s some where between the Devil Rays and Red Sox.
