From Matt Gelb’s piece in the Inquirer today comes some uncharacteristically earnest quotes from Ruben Amaro Jr. and an unusually candid series of quotations from the GM.
Here are some of the highlights from the piece:
- “Amaro does not need to trade anyone. He said there is no mandate from ownership to shed payroll, even as the team has experienced an average decrease of 5,871 fans per game this season at Citizens Bank Park.”
- Amaro believes he will get a significant return for either Cliff Lee or Jonathan Papelbon without having to take on salary while cautioning “I don’t anticipate (trading Lee or Papelbon)”
- Amaro is open, however, to taking on salary for the right deal, citing the decision making process in the 2005 Jim Thome trade when the Phillies assumed $24 million of the traded slugger’s contract.
- Most importantly to Phillies fans, Amaro says he has not been ordered to shed payroll: “It’s about making baseball deals, not monetary deals. I haven’t been mandated to go and shed payroll. I’ve never had that mandate.”
The piece from Gelb is a good read and considers the possible effects of trading marquee names like Chase Utley, Lee, and Papelbon on the estimated $4-5 billion TV deal that will arrive after the 2015 season.
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