You Got It, Boss: How Ruben Amaro Jr. Faired in First Offseason As Phillies' GM

Pat Gillick joined on with the Phillies prior to the 2006 season on Nov. 2, 2005.

The Phillies finished with an 85-77 record that year, coming in second place in the NL East, 12 games behind the first-place Mets.

The year after in 2007, the Phillies made the playoffs for the first time since their 1993 trip to the World Series in which they lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, whose general manager was Pat Gillick.

The Phillies ended up losing in the NLDS in 2007.

The following season, the third of Gillick's career as Phillies general manager, was magical. For the 11th time in his illustrious career, his team made the playoffs. For the third time in his career, he won a league pennant. Along with that, he won his third World Series title.

Pretty nice career, eh? I would say so.

But after 33 seasons of working in the front office of MLB teams, Gillick had enough. He has retired, and is now an "adviser" to the Phillies. He currently resides in Seattle, yet says he is always available to deal with question from those in charge in Philadelphia.

Gillick is going to be doing some minor-league scouting, but other than that, he will only do as I said above: advise.

Gillick was the general manager the Toronto Blue Jays for seventeen seasons, making the playoffs five times, winning consecutive World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.

He then moved on to the Baltimore Orioles, where he was also the GM. He stayed in Baltimore for three seasons, making two playoff appearances, losing in the ALCS in both.

The Orioles have not had a winning season since, just as the Blue Jays have not made the playoffs since Gillick's departure. This was followed by four seasons as Seattle Mariners GM. He put together two more playoff appearances, both of which ended in ALCS losses once again.

Coincidentally, the Mariners have not made the playoffs since he left either. Weird, I must say.

Of course, he then moved on to the Phillies, where he made the playoffs twice, losing in the NLDS in 2007 and winning the World Series in 2008.

It is yet to be determined whether the Phillies will break the Gillick Curse (it will catch on). We Philadelphians can only hope. Then again, hope has not done much for us over the course of our history.

But now that Pat Gillick, the man who brought in the key role players the Phillies needed for a World Series championship, is sitting in his recliner in his Seattle home, the Phillies were left with the assignment to name the new man in charge.

That man was named on Nov. 1, 2008, the day after the Phillies' parade celebration. His name is Ruben Amaro Jr.

Amaro was a major league player for eight seasons, playing for the Angels for a season, the Phillies for two, the Indians for two, and the Phillies again, this time for three seasons.

He had a career batting average of .235 with 16 home runs and 100 RBI.

As soon as his baseball career was over, his next baseball career began. He was hired into the Phillies organization by then Phillies GM Ed Wade. He was hired as an assistant general manager and remained in that same role for ten seasons before being named general manager.

Amaro wasted no time in his first offseason, as the Phillies extended contracts, avoided arbitration's, locked down key players, brought in free agents, and let go of the right players.

World Series MVP Cole Hamels was signed to a three-year, $20.5 million contract on Jan. 18, 2009. This was followed up by the signing of Ryan Howard on Feb. 8, to a contract worth $54 million over three years.

Nearly every other arbitration-eligible Phillie were signed to a contract, including players such as Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Ryan Madson, and Clay Condrey.

It was estimated that all of the arbitration-eligibles on the Phillies would amount to an extra $19 million, at the least. Now that it is all said and done, the AE's (arbitration eligible players, it will catch on, just like the Gillick Curse) have added just $18.8 million to the salary.

I would say that is a job well done.

The only key departure the Phillies will have to deal with was long-time Phillie, Pat Burrell. Yet even with Burrell's signing with Tampa Bay, the Phillies brought in someone many find to be an upgrade over Burrell. His name is Raul Ibanez.

Ibanez is older than Burrell, but plays with more consistency, liveliness, and speed. Much more speed. Ibanez can also play a full nine innings in every game he plays, yet Pat Burrell needs to be pulled in the seventh or eighth inning in most games. Burrell is also better served as designated hitter.

Then on Feb. 28, the Phillies released Adam Eaton. Thank God.

So looking at everything Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies have done this offseason, I am excited to say that Amaro seems to be the right man to lead this organization.

There was not one move I disagreed with, a rarity in today's world of sports.

If I was Ruben's fifth grade teacher, I would pass him with flying colors.

He has taken a World Series champion, and has looked to have made them better. His signings of players like Chan Ho Park remind me of Pat Gillick. That is good. Very good.

Only time will tell if the Phillies will repeat as World Champions. Repeating is toughest in baseball, as so little many teams have done so, yet Ruben Amaro Jr. is doing his best to make the Phillies one of those few.

He has done a superb job thus far.