Ruben Amaro Jr. admits that the Phillies are rebuilding
By Hayden Kane
The Philadelphia Phillies are going nowhere. They have a number of overpaid veteran players and one of the worst records in all of baseball.
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To see the current makeup of their roster and their inactivity at this past week’s deadline, one might still have the perception that the Phillies think they can win soon. Certainly the stubborn nature of general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. continues to contribute to that notion as well.
Amaro Jr. finally admitted on Tuesday that the Phillies are at least years away from contending . As such, they will have moves to make. Those moves did not come at the July 31st deadline, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t coming at all.
In an interview on Tuesday, Amaro said the following (as passed along by CSN Philly):
"“I agree with you, we can’t have status quo and we’re working to make some changes, no question,” Amaro said. “I wasn’t going to make a move just to make a move.“Our job is to try and improve the club and there was no deal out there for us to either be able to improve our club now or in the future…We may have to step backwards to step forwards. That’s also part of the plan here. We may not be contenders in 2015 and 2016,” Amaro said.“It may just be a one year glitch. It may be two years.”"
The list of players whom the Phillies would enthusiastically trade includes Jonathan Papelbon, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Ryan Howard. They could also make Cole Hamels or Chase Utley available in deals. Worth noting once again is the fact that Rollins and Utley can veto any trade.
None of these moves have to be made to shed payroll. They would all be made in the interest of rebuilding for years down the road.
At least Amaro is willing to admit that is what the Phillies need to do. That is an important first step that should not be overlooked.