sportsjabber.net

A few caveats before I get into the substance of this post.  First, I don’t listen to talk radio or follow discussions on grit and hustle blogs, so if this is already out there in some other form on the airwaves or the interwebs, I apologize.  Second, this post is not at all normative (not about what I think should happen) and is entirely predictive (about what I think will happen).  These are two very different things.  Third, I have absolutely zero inside information about the Phillies (other than about their view of how many wins Gene Mauch had as a manager, and I already shared that with you).

So, with those preliminaries out of the way, let me be very clear about what I think will happen with the Phillies this off-season – they will not re-sign Jimmy Rollins and will instead sign Jose Reyes to a six-figure five- or-more-year deal.  The simple reason I believe this has nothing to do with need or what is best for the Phillies.  Rather, I think it’s quite clear that one of the signature characteristics of Ruben Amaro Jr.’s reign as Phillies GM is that he goes for the splashiest acquisition he can at every opportunity.

Let’s review his history with the Phillies during the two most important points during the year for acquiring major league talent – the off-season and the trade deadline.  Amaro was named the Phillies GM November 1, 2008.  He has presided over three off-seasons and three trade deadlines.  Below is a list of the biggest moves made at each of these six points in time:

http://www.thegoodphight.com/2011/10/25/2514253/why-jose-reyes-will-be-a-philadelphia-phillie-next-year-and-jimmy