Can't wait for opening day!

Amaro has been good at the big trades in getting a key, identified player like Lee or Oswalt or Doc or Pence. I truly believe that when it comes to the less-obvious, more day-to-day, mundane trades which require surveying the marketplace, identifying targets, competing with other bidders, etc., he's just out of his league.

It's easy to make the big trade when your system is full of prospects that others covet and you are in the position to add massive payroll. It also helped that the team was good and players were willing to waive trade clauses to come here. He had every advantage.

TBF, he basically traded complete dogshit for really good players. (Oswalt withstanding)

I also disagree that it's "easy" to do so. We rip Amaro for everything else, might as well give him credit for the things he has done right. If we had a GM for the mundane, and him for the high-end trades, we'd be alright.

Jon Heyman ‏@JonHeymanCBS
With Eaton in fold, #chisox will be fielding trade inquiries on de aza.

I think I found our new centerfielder. Amaro has a boner for de Aza.

The team getting the best player is usually the team that wins the trade. Prospects almost never equal the value of the big name being traded. I have given him credit for being willing to pull the trigger and for convincing the other GM to trade the big name, but I think that doesn't change the fact that he had every advantage at his disposal. If Toronto wanted to trade Halladay, how many other teams could have taken on the contract, supplied a good haul of prospects (remember, the Phils farm was very highly regarded at the time because of the development of the core), were attractive to Doc, and had the long term finances to sign him to a multi year deal? That's a very, very short list, maybe even a list of one. I give him credit for being willing to take advantage of their strengths, but I'm not sure how much else he should get credit for.

Anyway, his big trades aren't the problem. It's the little stuff that's killing us. It's like Chinese water torture (that's racist).

JFLNYC wrote:Lee, I could believe. Hamels makes no sense at all.

It's so hard to find quality starters who are healthy and keep a WHIP of 1.15 or less. Have high strikeout to walk ratios.

Yes, they paid them a lot of money. But has either been shiit? Both seem to be capable of excellent seasons and legit 1a 1b aces of a staff. Why would they even tinker with that?? AND - especially if there are so many questions about the aging, oft-hurt, and in-decline so-called core. This is a bad rumor and Ruben should have denied it vocally immediately. Of course, everyone is for-sale at some price, but that's not worthy of a rumor being allowed to foment.

Is there are club-house issue now with Hamels?

It makes a lot of sense to deal Lee. Hamels, not so much.

not really, unless it's a perfect trade, but that's true of hamels too

i guess not if you think this team will contend this year. after halladay fell off so drastically at 35/36 i'd rather flip him for useful pieces than pay him $25M.

I don't think they're ready to compete and I think it only makes sense to trade him if the haul is great. If they suck they don't need the money anyway, they're not likely to spend it, so I think it's a waste to just try and save it.

Doc's fall extremely rare for a pitcher of his kind, and it came at the expense of two injuries and a dietary condition. I'll roll the dice

Doll Is Mine wrote:Jon Heyman ‏@JonHeymanCBS
With Eaton in fold, #chisox will be fielding trade inquiries on de aza.

I think I found our new centerfielder. Amaro has a boner for de Aza.

would love that

ReadingPhilly wrote:It makes a lot of sense to deal Lee. Hamels, not so much.

No. It does not make ANY sense.

Amaro has constructed a roster with old veterans. He's banking on them being healthy enough and productive enough to compete. If they were not seriously thinking they could compete, he wouldn't be shopping Dom or acquiring Byrd. So IFFF RAJ believes he is setting up a roster to compete, you don't dump perhaps your two best players. How many pitchers in all of baseball are better than those two? Who would be an upgrade? Who is cheaper for same production? Lee and Hamels at their best are about as good as it gets.

Lee for a big bucket of return prospects, means you are rebuilding. But then you play Asche and Ruf and Dom and Hernandez and look to bring up other kids, Biddle etc... that's NOT what they are doing. There's no point in putting JRol, Ryho, and Utley w Byrd now on the field and not keep your top 10-15 in all of Baseball starters. There are teams that would kill for 2 pitchers of that caliber. Anyone remember a couple guys named Maddux and Glavine? What's to say the Phils can't make a run with great starting pitching and a lights out bullpen? Maybe the old-as-dirt wheez-kids could do just enough.

My point, isn't that I'm not open to a total rebuild, it's that you don't front like you think you can take the division and make the playoffs and then dump perhaps your two best players. One you just signed last year who is not over the hill, and one who has been consistenly good and healthy and isn't overweight and has great mechanics.

C'mon.

I said it made sense for lee, not hamels. My reasoning is up a few posts.

From Salisbury-

The Phils have the fourth pick in the Rule 5 draft on Thursday morning. They love to do business in the draft that once landed them Shane Victorino, Dave Hollins and fan favorite Michael Martinez

Who the fuck likes fuck-ing Michael Fucking Martinez?

Honestly, I'm pretty sure Steaks is being purposefully sarcastic there.

Squire wrote:Honestly, I'm pretty sure Steaks is being purposefully sarcastic there.

^^
this

Saw that yesterday and took it as sarcasm. If not, he needs to be fired.