Staff Blog
Column Plug: Ruben Amaro Needs a Plan
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After spending his first days as Phillies’ general manager
alleging the virtues of pitching, youth, and athleticism Ruben Amaro Jr. turned around and signed 36-year-old Raul Ibanez to a three year, $30+ million contract and re-signed the oldest player in the game to a two-year deal. This apparent turn of face worried us, a topic addressed in this week’s Sports Complex column, Take it Easy, Junior.
Money quote:
Jettisoning Burrell and signing Ibanez may not have been a mistake – the outgoing Phillie is declining, and the incoming left fielder should hit well in Citizens Bank Park. Keeping an aging Moyer may not have been a bad move either. Still, Amaro’s high-speed abandonment of his long-term strategy showed a lack of patience and a cavalier attitude toward the future on the part of the new GM.
Junior is ending his first month on the job looking like a child who ran into a toy store, couldn’t find the train set he wanted and so bought the Legos in the next aisle instead. Maybe he’ll like his Legos, but the fact is that he didn’t want them until he started shopping. He never considered whether they were the best toy he could get, or even whether he needed a new toy in the first place.
Check it out.
