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Rockies, now without a GM, ‘contacted’ Rubén Amaro Jr.

Ruben Amaro Jr. was the Phillies general manager for parts of seven seasons. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire)

Former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Rubén Amaro Jr. could end up being a candidate for the same position with another organization.

Amaro revealed to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia that the Colorado Rockies have reached out to him in recent days.

“As far as my own personal situation is concerned, under the right circumstances would I like to be a GM, or manager or coach? Sure. I’d love to get that opportunity again. I still have a passion for the game. I get to talk about baseball now, and it’s been fun for me. I’d love to get an opportunity to run a team again. I don’t know that it will happen. I have been contacted by the Colorado Rockies since they lost their GM over there, he resigned. I’m not sure what’s gonna happen there. But under the right circumstances, I think I’d have to certainly think about it.”

The Rockies took two of three games from the Phillies last weekend at Coors Field, with Amaro serving as Tom McCarthy’s color commentator on NBC Sports Philadelphia‘s coverage, which was done remotely from Philadelphia because of COVID-19. A day after defeating the Phillies 12-2, Jeff Bridich resigned as Rockies general manager.

So what did Amaro’s conversation with the Rockies, within days of this position becoming available, entail?

“I’ve talked to one official about whether I’d have interest, and I told him what I just told you,” Amaro continued. “I would have some interest, if in fact they do, under the right circumstances. But, who knows, we’ll see what happens.”

Amaro would say that he got the sense that the Rockies search for a general manager – and perhaps the role could ultimately become a president of baseball operations, like the Phillies have – is just beginning. He does not currently have an interview scheduled with the team.

If he was ultimately offered a position to lead the team’s front office, Amaro would have his work cut out. After trading Nolan Arenado to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Rockies have arguably the worst roster in baseball. Things could get even worse for the 9-17 Rockies, who may very well trade superstar shortstop Trevor Story before the July 30 trade deadline, rather than likely seeing him walk in free agency this upcoming offseason.

When you consider that the Rockies have struggled to consistently develop or attract starting pitching since they moved into Coors Field in 1995, this may just not be that attractive of a job. But even when factoring in that the team hasn’t exactly been eager to spend in recent years, there are only 30 MLB organizations. Most people that get an opportunity to run one take it.

Amaro, now 56, entered the Phillies front office in 1998. After a decade as an assistant general manager, he succeeded retiring Hall of Famer Pat Gillick as general manager following the team’s 2008 World Series title. Amaro served as the Phillies general manager from 2009 until his dismissal in September 2015.

Since being fired as general manager of the Phillies, Amaro has worked in a variety of roles in and around baseball. In 2016 and 2017, Amaro was the first base coach for the Boston Red Sox, before serving in that same role with the New York Mets in 2018. During the 2019 season, Amaro was a special assistant to then-Mets general manager Brodie Van Waganen. He joined NBC Sports Philadelphia last season, and is also a contributor to SportsRadio 94 WIP.

The full interview – in which Amaro talks about blending analytics and more traditional scouting – is worth a listen.