Mark Shapiro is a stats geek from way back. He was the primary force behind the Cleveland DiamondView analytics database in the early 2000s (arguably the first hard-core baseball sabermetrics database ever invented). He has spoken many times on the value of good information, properly interpreted. So when he and his team make a decision that appears counter-intuitive, it can be useful to ask “what is it that he is seeing, that (perhaps) others are not?”
The Justin Smoak extension in 2016 is a prime example. Many fans and writers were surprised at this contract, as Justin’s performance (by conventional metrics) did not seem to warrant it.