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The Ms had Branyan for all of 2009 -- they finished last in runs scored anyway.
The 2009 club had 5 of the top 11 hitters under 90 OPS+ and 3 under 70.
The 2010 club had 9 of the top 11 hitters under 90 OPS+ and 3 under 70.
I said this before the 2009 season ... and before the 2010 season ... and I'll say it again before the 2011 season ... A BIG THUMPER will solve nothing in regards to the Ms offensive woes.
The last time the Ms weren't last or next to last in runs was 2007.  The OPS+ for the top 11 guys that season (finished 7th in runs in the AL) were:
101, 84, 71, 93, 112, 121, 122, 116, 109, 96, 75
The high point was 122.  But, you've got only 2 of the 11 under 90 and only 1 under 80.
A team with a couple of sluggers and a bunch of drek will STILL finish at the bottom in run scoring.  The Pirates in 2001 had Brian Giles (.994 OPS - 150 OPS+) and Aramis Ramirez (.885 - 122) hitting up a storm.  Those two guys combined for 81 HRs and 207 RBI and 199 runs scored.  The Pirates finished 15th in runs.  How?  78, 80, 39, 40, 89, 112, 70, 85 was the rest of the story. 
In 2008, the club scored 671 with Ibanez at 122 and nobody else above 110.
In 2009, the upgraded to Branyan (130), and got a (129) season from Ichiro.  They scored 31 fewer runs.
For "Stars & Scrubs" to work - the "scrubs" cannot actually be scrubs.  A 140 + 60 combo of players is LESS valuable than a 110 + 90.  If you've got only 2 decent bats, then you can avoid being damaged by THOSE guys in 90% of the cases where it matters.  You can't "pitch around" a roster full of 95 OPS+ hitters. 
Bavasi brings in Sexson+Beltre (and Ibanez) to go with Ichiro.  That gave Bavasi *FOUR* legitimate hitters to build around - but also derailed any OPTION to seek after a big name bat for the next 4 years.  He spent 4 years trying to shuffle in a quintet of palatable bats to go with a guartet of solid bats.  He failed long enough that Sexson aged out while never managing more than an occasional brush with production from the farm or FA.
What I want to know is how does Z loving gloves over bats explain the Branyan acquisition for the 2009 team?  Or the RE-acquisition in 2010?
The simple truth is -- Z has *NOT* been fixated on gloves.  He's been fixated on trying to avoid locking himself into longterm contracts - the Figgins deal is the only one to date (other than Felix).  Branyan was not turned down for money - he was turned down for YEARS.
Bradley was a slosh of a horrible pitching contract for a horrible hitting contract. 
My view?  Z fixed a disaster of a defense in year one.  In year two, he TRIED to remedy the putrid OBP - (club was last in OBP and 13th in slugging in 2009).  He got Figgins (OBP engine), Bradley (another OBP engine), and Kotchman (the fall-back guy after not accepting a multi-year Branyan ultimatum -- who - when playing FULL TIME for Atlanta, posted a .354 OBP during 2009).  Just FYI, Kotchman's OBP is a near dead-heat with Branyan's.
Blaming it on defensive-fixation simply doesn't fit the facts.
Beltre to Figgins - defensive downgrade (the one "big" move)
He brought in Branyan (before AND after Kotchman)
Year 1: Defense (worked)
Year 2: OBP (failed miserably)
Year 3: ?????