Wade vs. Gillick
"Win at all costs.” That was the motto of the once revered and highly valued Phillies GM Pat Gillick. It was said that Gillick would bring Philadelphia a championship like he did for Toronto in ’92 and ’93. It was said he would be a major upgrade over the much-maligned Ed Wade, who the fans basically ran out of town. Those same fans’ hopes ran high with the hiring of the veteran GM with the great track record. The abysmal image of Wade faded in the review mirror as Gillick began to take the franchise in a new direction.
Well now it is July 2007, and the Phils are currently a mere 2 games over .500. Gillick’s Phillies have the same number of playoff appearances as Wade’s Phillies (zero). In fact, the Phils in Wade’s last two years have a better winning percentage than the team under Gillick. No longer are people expecting the 68 year old to lead them to the promised land.
But exactly how bad has Gillick been? Even the most disgruntled Phils fans would have trouble saying Gillick has been worse than Wade. With that said, let’s look over some of Gillick’s moves.
The most sensational trade involved the unloading of the 9-year Phillie Bobby Abreu and middle of the rotation veteran Cory Lidle. In return, Gillick got a lefty reliever (Matt Smith) and three minor league prospects, including 2005 first-round pick C.J. Henry.
A year later, and the prospects’ projections don’t look so hot. Smith posted a Gavin Floyd-esque 11.25 ERA as the lefty out of the ‘pen, before being sent back down to Triple-A. Carlos Monasterios, the young righty with the live arm, has an ERA near 5 at Lakewood. First rounder Carl Henry’s name change hasn’t helped his average, still wallowing below the Mendoza line in Low-A ball. And 20-year old catcher Jesus Sanchez, the final piece of the deal, hit just .192 in the Gulf Coast League in ’06.
Still, the most important part of this move was the cut of salary, as Abreu and Lidle were paid a combined 32 million in ’05 and ’06. Along with the departure of Randy Wolf (9mil in ’06), Gillick’s trades opened up millions in payroll to be used elsewhere; hopefully towards an improvement in starting pitching and a middle of the lineup bat to be added in the ’06-’07 offseason.
Around came the aforementioned offseason. Gillick made a splash at the winter meetings as he traded headcase Floyd and top-rated prospect Gio Gonzalez to the White Sox for front of the rotation starter Freddy Garcia. The month before, Gillick had signed free agent Adam Eaton to a 3-year, 24 million dollar contract.
Thus far, it seems as if Chicago knew something Gillick didn’t. The 32-year old Garcia went on the DL with a shoulder that has been sore since spring training. The tandem of Garcia and Eaton currently sport a 10-12 record with a 5.88 ERA. In comparison, the Wolf-Lidle combo had a 31-22 record in the ’05 and ’06 seasons, along with a sub-5 ERA. They also made 5 million less.
To top it all off, Gonzalez is tearing up Double-A. Gio has over a K per inning, and an ERA on the verge of dropping below 3. Also, with the probable departure of Jose Contreras, there will be at least one open rotation spot, leading to the possible call-up of the 22 year old.
In a similar situation, Gillick decided to part ways with long-time Phil Mike Lieberthal. With the opening of almost 11 million dollars from the departure of Lieby and David Bell, Gillick made it public that he intended to sign a right-handed power bat to protect Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the middle of the order. Also, he needed to find a second catcher, preferably a veteran to help mentor the young Carlos Ruiz. These two players came in the form of Wes Helms and Rod Barajas. Helms was heralded as the guy to fit the hole that has been 3rd base for the Phils since Scott Rolen was traded to the Cardinals in 2002. Well, if one home run in the first 70 or so games counts as the pop needed, then Wes has filled that role. Otherwise, he hasn’t, as his .251 average often seems to match his fielding percentage, making Abe Nunez look like Brooks Robinson at the hot corner.
Barajas isn’t doing much better. When Pat Burrell is the only player you’re hitting better than, something must be wrong. Barajas’ weakness at the plate has forced Ruiz to mature much faster than the Phils’ coaches would have like. Thus far, Ruiz has started 5 out of every 8 games.
If fans are surprised by the lackluster play of Gillick’s free agent signings, they shouldn’t be. In his first year (’06), Gillick’s three acquisitions, Nunez, Ryan Franklin, and Alex Gonzalez, didn’t produce much better than those of this year. Nunez played the best of the trio, hitting .211 in 123 games. Gonzalez was possibly the biggest disappointment of Gillick’s offseason. Expected to be the primary utility infielder reminiscent of fan-favorite Tomas Perez, Gonzalez hit just .111 before retiring midway through the year. Finally, Franklin, who was brought in as a starter but eventually moved to bolster the ‘pen, ended with a 1-5 record before being traded to the Reds.
It’s not only been Gillick’s signings, but also his lack of action that has been questionable.
After trading Rheal Cormier in the 2006 season and releasing Aaron Fultz after it, Gillick hoped that his fill-ins, Fabio Castro and Matt Smith, could plug the lefty whole created by Cormier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the emergence of Mike “Honestly, I’m 24 years old” Zagurski (signed before Gillick’s hiring) that the fans stopped sweating as Charlie Manuel signaled for the lefty.
When you look at the heart of this Phils team, you have got to notice something. Utley, Howard, Rollins, Hamels, Myers, Victorino, and Ruiz we’re all drafted or signed under the Wade regime. Thus far, almost 70% of the Phils runs have been scored by guys brought in under Wade.
Granted, Pat Gillick has not even been here two years, and the Moyer and Rowand trades have been successful, but the numbers don’t lie. The outcomes of his moves haven’t matched the expectations of the fans; in fact, they haven’t matched those of Ed Wade. And in no way am I portraying Wade as Red Auerbach; when the highlight of your tenure includes Burrell’s $50 million, 6-year contract, it’s tough to make that comparison. But Gillick’s “stand pat” attitude at the trade deadline has been his downfall in the past, including the ’06 season. With the likely departure of Rowand, Lieber, and Garcia after the year (also, Jamie Moyer will be 45 in ’08) this season could make or break the legacy of Gillick.
Realistically, though, while Gillick has continued the Phils history of mediocrity, nobody can claim he’s been worse than Ed Wade. Wade never led the Philly to a postseason, screwed up the payroll by signing Burrell and Lieber to outrageous contracts, and finished with a sub-500 record. Not much of a legacy there, either. Hopefully five years down the road, towards the end of Gillick’s tenure, the several Phils playoff appearances will have helped us forget the Wade regime.
For as they say, there’s always next year.
Well now it is July 2007, and the Phils are currently a mere 2 games over .500. Gillick’s Phillies have the same number of playoff appearances as Wade’s Phillies (zero). In fact, the Phils in Wade’s last two years have a better winning percentage than the team under Gillick. No longer are people expecting the 68 year old to lead them to the promised land.
But exactly how bad has Gillick been? Even the most disgruntled Phils fans would have trouble saying Gillick has been worse than Wade. With that said, let’s look over some of Gillick’s moves.
The most sensational trade involved the unloading of the 9-year Phillie Bobby Abreu and middle of the rotation veteran Cory Lidle. In return, Gillick got a lefty reliever (Matt Smith) and three minor league prospects, including 2005 first-round pick C.J. Henry.
A year later, and the prospects’ projections don’t look so hot. Smith posted a Gavin Floyd-esque 11.25 ERA as the lefty out of the ‘pen, before being sent back down to Triple-A. Carlos Monasterios, the young righty with the live arm, has an ERA near 5 at Lakewood. First rounder Carl Henry’s name change hasn’t helped his average, still wallowing below the Mendoza line in Low-A ball. And 20-year old catcher Jesus Sanchez, the final piece of the deal, hit just .192 in the Gulf Coast League in ’06.
Still, the most important part of this move was the cut of salary, as Abreu and Lidle were paid a combined 32 million in ’05 and ’06. Along with the departure of Randy Wolf (9mil in ’06), Gillick’s trades opened up millions in payroll to be used elsewhere; hopefully towards an improvement in starting pitching and a middle of the lineup bat to be added in the ’06-’07 offseason.
Around came the aforementioned offseason. Gillick made a splash at the winter meetings as he traded headcase Floyd and top-rated prospect Gio Gonzalez to the White Sox for front of the rotation starter Freddy Garcia. The month before, Gillick had signed free agent Adam Eaton to a 3-year, 24 million dollar contract.
Thus far, it seems as if Chicago knew something Gillick didn’t. The 32-year old Garcia went on the DL with a shoulder that has been sore since spring training. The tandem of Garcia and Eaton currently sport a 10-12 record with a 5.88 ERA. In comparison, the Wolf-Lidle combo had a 31-22 record in the ’05 and ’06 seasons, along with a sub-5 ERA. They also made 5 million less.
To top it all off, Gonzalez is tearing up Double-A. Gio has over a K per inning, and an ERA on the verge of dropping below 3. Also, with the probable departure of Jose Contreras, there will be at least one open rotation spot, leading to the possible call-up of the 22 year old.
In a similar situation, Gillick decided to part ways with long-time Phil Mike Lieberthal. With the opening of almost 11 million dollars from the departure of Lieby and David Bell, Gillick made it public that he intended to sign a right-handed power bat to protect Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the middle of the order. Also, he needed to find a second catcher, preferably a veteran to help mentor the young Carlos Ruiz. These two players came in the form of Wes Helms and Rod Barajas. Helms was heralded as the guy to fit the hole that has been 3rd base for the Phils since Scott Rolen was traded to the Cardinals in 2002. Well, if one home run in the first 70 or so games counts as the pop needed, then Wes has filled that role. Otherwise, he hasn’t, as his .251 average often seems to match his fielding percentage, making Abe Nunez look like Brooks Robinson at the hot corner.
Barajas isn’t doing much better. When Pat Burrell is the only player you’re hitting better than, something must be wrong. Barajas’ weakness at the plate has forced Ruiz to mature much faster than the Phils’ coaches would have like. Thus far, Ruiz has started 5 out of every 8 games.
If fans are surprised by the lackluster play of Gillick’s free agent signings, they shouldn’t be. In his first year (’06), Gillick’s three acquisitions, Nunez, Ryan Franklin, and Alex Gonzalez, didn’t produce much better than those of this year. Nunez played the best of the trio, hitting .211 in 123 games. Gonzalez was possibly the biggest disappointment of Gillick’s offseason. Expected to be the primary utility infielder reminiscent of fan-favorite Tomas Perez, Gonzalez hit just .111 before retiring midway through the year. Finally, Franklin, who was brought in as a starter but eventually moved to bolster the ‘pen, ended with a 1-5 record before being traded to the Reds.
It’s not only been Gillick’s signings, but also his lack of action that has been questionable.
After trading Rheal Cormier in the 2006 season and releasing Aaron Fultz after it, Gillick hoped that his fill-ins, Fabio Castro and Matt Smith, could plug the lefty whole created by Cormier. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until the emergence of Mike “Honestly, I’m 24 years old” Zagurski (signed before Gillick’s hiring) that the fans stopped sweating as Charlie Manuel signaled for the lefty.
When you look at the heart of this Phils team, you have got to notice something. Utley, Howard, Rollins, Hamels, Myers, Victorino, and Ruiz we’re all drafted or signed under the Wade regime. Thus far, almost 70% of the Phils runs have been scored by guys brought in under Wade.
Granted, Pat Gillick has not even been here two years, and the Moyer and Rowand trades have been successful, but the numbers don’t lie. The outcomes of his moves haven’t matched the expectations of the fans; in fact, they haven’t matched those of Ed Wade. And in no way am I portraying Wade as Red Auerbach; when the highlight of your tenure includes Burrell’s $50 million, 6-year contract, it’s tough to make that comparison. But Gillick’s “stand pat” attitude at the trade deadline has been his downfall in the past, including the ’06 season. With the likely departure of Rowand, Lieber, and Garcia after the year (also, Jamie Moyer will be 45 in ’08) this season could make or break the legacy of Gillick.
Realistically, though, while Gillick has continued the Phils history of mediocrity, nobody can claim he’s been worse than Ed Wade. Wade never led the Philly to a postseason, screwed up the payroll by signing Burrell and Lieber to outrageous contracts, and finished with a sub-500 record. Not much of a legacy there, either. Hopefully five years down the road, towards the end of Gillick’s tenure, the several Phils playoff appearances will have helped us forget the Wade regime.
For as they say, there’s always next year.
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