Is This The Dumbest GM In Baseball?

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr is, quite possibly, the stupidest executive in any front office across Major League Baseball. I know this is a bold statement to make, and one that's not entirely founded. I'm not just saying this as a Braves fan and Atlanta resident; Lord knows Frank Wren's recent signings (read: BJ Upton and Dan Uggla) have been, shall we say, incredibly terrible. And arguments, very strong ones, could be made for Jerry DiPoto (Angels; the Pujols and Hamilton mega-busts), Jack Zduriencik (Mariners; Robinson Cano and recent reports of incompetence), Brian Cashman (Yankees; seriously? Vernon Wells AND Alfonso Soriano last year?) and several others. But none of these men have done or said things that have made me think less of them than I already did. And yet, every time I hear something about the Phils, my immediate thought is, "Boy, Ruben Amaro must have lost his damn mind."

I suppose I should start with the current thing that's setting me off. In recent days, we've heard that Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels, i.e. the only two starters of worth in Philadelphia, could be had by any interested team in a trade. Of course, news of this kind would be enough to make most organizations foam at their collective mouths, as both Lee and Hamels are workhorses who are rarely injured, keep their ERAs well under league average, throw strikeouts with apparent ease, and are controllable for at least the next 2 years. However, both are signed to somewhat eye-popping deals: Cliff has 2 years (and $50 million) remaining on the 5-year, $120 million deal he signed after the 2010 season, while Cole is about to enter the second year of the lucrative extension he signed in the summer of 2012, which was 6 years and $144 million. So, just to be sure we're clear, the 33 year old Lee is still owed the aforementioned $50 million, while soon-to-be-30-year-old Hamels is scheduled to make $22.5 million annually from now until 2019. Did I mention that both have a vesting option? Cliff's is worth $27.5 million (because most teams are already clamoring to pay a 35 year old $25 million, why not give a 36 year old a $2.5 million raise?) in 2016, and Hamels's is worth $19 million in 2020. Admittedly, these are considered premium prices, especially with the way the free agent market is trending. Still, as good (and great at times) as these two are, any team trading FOR them would most likely not even come to the negotiating table unless Amaro and his buddies are planning to eat most of the salary for either one. I mean, that should be a given, right?

Not so, says Ruben. If a team wants either one, they will have to cover a portion of their salary. All right, that seems fair; you can't expect the Phils to not get anything back if they send one or both of their best pitchers out of town. But how big of a portion are we talking here? ALL OF THE MONEY. That's right, Amaro has made it clear that anybody who wants 'em can have 'em, but they better be willing to foot the entire bill. It's salary relief at its finest. But wait! There's more! Amaro would expect back 2 to 3 major league-ready prospects or other controllable players. Now that's insanity at its finest.

These guys are worth a lot. They're not worth nearly as much as Amaro thinks they are.

This isn't the first time Amaro's said something like this, and it's not the first time he's said this in regards to Lee. We heard a similar rumor during the trade deadline last year, and during the last offseason. The mind reels. With the way prospects are regarded in today's game, as future superstars instead of trading chips, the possibility of dealing several top young players for an effective starter who's only going to get older is outrageous. But to expect the team sending away their talent to also take on all the financial responsibility of the incoming, well-traveled player? Ruben's no Branch Rickey, but I'm starting to wonder if he's even as sharp as a tree branch.

If this was the dumbest thing he's done all offseason, as we Jews say during Passover, it would have been enough. But oh, no, Amaro's stupidity goes even further. You know how pretty much every regular that Philadelphia has is well over 30 (and, in most cases, well over 33), and their barren farm system has so far produced Darin Ruf and the streaky Dominic Brown (who, just for good measure, Amaro's also dangling for a ridiculous price) and little else? That sounds like a team that needs to get a serious youth injection. So how did Ruben kick off this Hot Stove season? By signing 36 year old Marlon Byrd to a 2 year deal, and resigning 35 year old Carlos Ruiz to a 3 year deal. In case you were wondering, both players were slapped with a drug-related suspension (Byrd for PEDs, Ruiz for amphetamines) in the last 2 seasons. Sure, Ruiz has spent his entire career with the Phillies, and it would look bad to let their longtime catcher go (although Atlanta didn't seem to have a problem with their similar situation). Of course, Byrd was originally drafted by the Phils, so this is a nice homecoming after a great bounceback year. But these should be complimentary pieces added to a team, not your grand offseason "additions". These signings should be buried underneath reports that the team has come out of nowhere to sign Masahiro Tanaka (when and if he's posted) and magically traded Ryan Howard for Giancarlo Stanton or something (Jeffrey Loria's even crazier than Amaro, but that's an entirely different article). But Byrd and Ruiz? THAT'S the offseason?! No wonder Roy Halladay recently retired, I wouldn't want to keep pitching for this team either.

Look, it's easy to criticize any team, any GM and any move made while we're waiting for the glorious moment that is Opening Day. With the right bias or biases, you can criticize anyone and anything in baseball. But when someone in control is making this many bad moves, coupled with this many ludicrous trade demands, it takes a special kind to defend someone like that. While Ruben Amaro may not be the worst GM in baseball, he sure as hell isn't the brightest or anywhere close. If the Phillies are ever going to rebound and get back to perennial contender status, they'll need a new man at the helm.