Posted by Brian Joseph on Sunday, August 30, 2009 at 7:07 am

As the Scott Kazmir waiver deal reached the public, a topic that frequently came up in my discussions with other people was how the deal would be received publicly.

The answer was simple for me. Since it was the Rays letting go of a player loaded with raw talent but is partnered with great injury risk, Andrew Friedman’s deal that sent a 25-year-old potential ace to the Angels for two prospects and a player to be named later would be received with a parade of praise for Friedman and the Rays.

Once the deal became official, my gut feeling was confirmed.

Keith Law dug the deal for the Rays.

Rob Neyer called it a “square deal, good for both sides.”

Matthew Pouliot said the Rays will “probably be better off for it.”

Except for the local media in Los Angeles, it was hard to find anyone critical of the move for the Rays. Even the ones that did toss the Rays a bit of criticism made excuses for the Rays cutting ties with the well paid Kazmir.

It’s nothing new though. One only has to look back to the off-season to see that Friedman’s moves were blessed without evaluation. There are still people who say the Rays did the right thing by trading Edwin Jackson to Detroit for Matt Joyce. Results be damned. Friedman made the right move.

The Kazmir deal further cements Friedman’s “A-list” GM status. With the move and the subsequent stamps of approval, Friedman joins Billy Beane and Theo Epstein amongst those whose moves are rarely questioned without serious backlash. With the heavy influence of the Mariners Internet contingent new Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik should be right behind Friedman in joining Beane and Epstein.

When it comes down to trading, it’s rarely the actual deal that gets evaluated but the GM that does the dealing. So, next time a move is made, wipe out the names of the players and compare the GMs. If the deal is between Ed Wade and Billy Beane, the names just don’t matter… Beane was the winner, hands down!

Now, Andrew Friedman… you get to enjoy the same free pass that Beane and Epstein have enjoyed.