This is true, but he can't use it as a copout. No one has background in every aspect a GM must be responsible for, and yet the job must be done - the GM must synthesize the information that comes in. This result was bad enough that someone needed to be disciplined at the very least (and I'm no advocate of second-guessing every decision some scout makes), and there's no sign Smith was willing to do that. What's more, even without a scouting background, the big-money teams sniffing around and then choosing not to enter the bidding had to be a red flag for someone in Smith's position. I don't think it's second-guessing on my part to say that a successful signing like Sano was done quite differently than the signing of Nishioka.