For the most part, Hendry survives as a GM simply because of his payroll. Obvious mistakes such as Pierre, Izturis, Neifi, Macias, etc... are made over and over again, simply because Hendry doesn't understand what makes for a good baseball team. Hendry has one real strong point, and that is his ability to trade for what he perceives as key pieces of the puzzle by only giving up spare parts. This is a double edged sword though. Without a great degree of baseball acumen, Hendry finds himself in a position where he can trade what amounts to nothing for Nomar and Murton... or trade Greg Maddux for Izturis, who is worth neither the money nor the roster spot. Go ahead and give Hendry credit for Aramis and Lee. Keep in mind though that every GM, no matter how crappy, makes a few great moves. Hell, even Jim Bowden... everybody's favourite punching bag... managed to trade for Kearns and Lopez while giving up nothing of any real value. Hendry isn't as bad as guys like Bowden, Bill Bavasi, or Wayne Krivsky... but he's a lot closer to that level than guys like Beane, Shapiro, or Jocketty.