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Hire Ed Wade

    by Daniel Rubin
    Published 

Y'all know who's responsible for the Phillies late-season surge ...

Ed Wade.

Richard Justice, writing in the Houston Chronicle today, gives this view of the former Phillies GM, just hired to do the same job for the Astros:

He's a detail man in every good sense of the word and has been around enough successful organizations to know what's needed.

Want proof? Check out the 2007 Philadelphia Phillies. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell and Brett Myers were drafted or developed during Wade's tenure as general manager.

Want more proof? He hired Ruben Amaro Jr. and promoted Mike Arbuckle. He sought the counsel of Paul Owens and Dallas Green. He knows the ingredients of a good organization. He also knows what he doesn't know.

Yo! Did we run him out of town, a friend asks, because we always need someone to hate?

A commenter named Greg at Phillies Nation is a little more critical:

I'm not sure you can hand Wade all the credit for products of our farm system. Don't forget Turk Wendell, Mike Williams and all the other rent-a-wreck relievers he wasted talent on. Gillick's centerpiece deal has to be getting Rowand and don't underestimate that. J.C. Romero? Alfonseca? Werth? If the Phils make it to the playoffs, I think Gillick and Manuel deserve the Nobel Prize for their patchwork on a team decimated by injury throughout the season.

Wonder what this writer would say to that.

mike l
Posted 09/21/2007 07:27:40 PM
C'mon. Wade might have signed a lot of the guys on the team now, but he didn't scout them. All he had to do was come up with the contracts. Speaking of which, how did all those long-term deals he gave to Abreu, Lieberthal, Burrell end up. We're paying a bundle to NY for Abreu and couldn't get rid of Burrell, who did nothing up till July.
For all the Utleys and Howards, you have the Floyds and Duckworths. Lots more misses than hits. Whether he liked Bowa or not, he should have backed his manager and told the team to stop whining and play ball. And he should not have conducted that sham of a manager search that produced--Charlie Manuel! Had Wade been smart we'd have had both Jim Leyland and Placido Polanco, who took Detroit to the Series last year.
John O
Posted 09/22/2007 07:08:06 AM
Wade is probably a good fit for the Astros because of his relationship with Tal Smith.  Just be glad they did not hire Amaro - this is Gillick's eventual replacement and I think he will be great.
Joe O
Posted 09/22/2007 01:13:21 PM
Let's not forget 8 years under Wade without a Postseason appearance. How about the lack of trades in July when the Phillies were still in contention? Wade will never win as a GM.
Rick S
Posted 09/22/2007 03:00:39 PM
I was surprised of Wade's hiring until I found out he had a good relatinship with Smith. Thankfully Wade never traded Howard, regrettably he didn't trade Floyd when he had value, held onto Abreu too long but all of will remember his blockbuster moves of losing Schilling and Rolen and getting nothing in return. He should have filed a criminal complaint on the mugging that happened to him after those 2 deals. On the bright side maybe we can trade him some middle relievers next July.