Posted: Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 10:21 AM | 90 comments |
 

Phillies hire Ed Wade (again)
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Ed Wade was the general manager of the Phillies from 1998 until he was fired after the 2005 season. (David Schofield/For the Inquirer)

Ed Wade is back.

The Phillies have hired their former general manager as a special consultant, the team announced Tuesday. Wade will scout at the major- and minor-league levels and assist in salary arbitration. 

Wade, 55, was fired as Houston GM this winter. He still had two years remaining on his deal with the Astros.

Often the brunt of criticism, Wade actually built the foundation that is the current Phillies before he was fired in 2005. While GM, his staff drafted Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell, Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson and Brett Myers. 

While with Houston, Wade often dealt with Ruben Amaro Jr., a close friend professionally and personally. (Wade is godfather to one of Amaro's daughters.) The Phillies acquired Brad Lidge, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence in three separate deals with Houston. Currently, four of Houston's top six prospects, as ranked by Baseball America, are former Phillies.

Because of those deals, fans jokingly referred to Wade as a double-agent.

"That certainly will be insinuated," Wade told the Houston Chronicle. "I'm prepared for the remarks that I only traded with the Phillies so Ruben would give me a job if I got fired."

The last trade looks particularly favorable to Houston, as Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart are ranked first and second in the Astros system. Domingo Santana is sixth. Those three players were dealt for Hunter Pence last July.

From The Inquirer archives: Former GM Wade set Phils in motion (March 29, 2010)

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Posted by Matt Gelb @ 10:21 AM  Permalink | 90 comments
90
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:27 AM, 12/20/2011
    Once Wade got fired, the Phillies seemed probable. he had two losing franchises while there so I am sure no owner was eager to hire him.
    — Clem
  • Comment removed.
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:37 PM, 12/20/2011
    Sorry OP. Had to get this at the top. Really philly.com? Really newspapers? You pulled out every weapon in your arsenal to attack PSU and Paterno, but you have been harboring a monster this entire time. Unreal! Not even permitting comments on Conlin's last articles. I knew the media was full of hypocrites, but this site (and ESPN) have taken it to an entirely new level. I don't think I can even accurately and forcefully represent my outrage here. What a disgrace.
    — Penfold18
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:28 AM, 12/20/2011
    Good thing the Phillies acted on this quickly, I hear Wade was on the short list to replace Juan Castillo as defensive coordinator. All in Dream Team!
    — Scope33
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:28 PM, 12/20/2011
    Can you please remove all of Conlin's articles? It's sickening to have to see his name every time you want some Phillies news. Ed wade stuff I'd over rated. No one asks what he was hired to do. He worked for two franchises whose goal was to keep payroll low and build the farm. He did exactly that in Philly until the organization was ready to try and win. In houston he was told to get rid of all the players that would be getting raises and he did exactly that while getting what ownership wanted, young minor league talent. The phillies brought him back to do what he does well which is work in scouting.
    — UncleStosh
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:38 AM, 12/20/2011
    Two words to ratings - Dom Brown
    — KwaiChang
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:39 AM, 12/20/2011
    It's hard to hate on Ed Wade anymore considering that he did as much as he could to try and help the Phillies win the World Series the last two years (Oswalt, Pence), and actually did help them win it all in 2008 (Lidge). However, it's unfortunate that Rube will no longer have such a favorable trading partner to give the Phils whatever they need at the trade deadline.
    — scribbles
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:44 AM, 12/20/2011
    There goes the neighborhood.
    — Larry Byrd
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:58 AM, 12/20/2011
    Ed Wade left the Phils to Gillick with the core players to win a WS and a deep and talented farm system; the Rube took a WS-championship from Gillick, struck out 3 times in hail mary attempts to win again while decimating the farm system, resulting in an overpaid team athat is the oldest in baseball with a less-promising future than the Nationals or Marlins .. and yet all you losers applaud the Rube and criticize Wade
    — warbiscuit
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:11 AM, 12/20/2011
    Wade and dream team are in Miami.
    — mikemaddog
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:18 AM, 12/20/2011
    Maybe Wade and Amaro should switch jobs. Would be interesting to see what old Ed could do with $175M to play around with.
    — Sam Crow
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:18 AM, 12/20/2011
    Wade is godfather to Rubens daughter thanks Ed for Pence Lidge and Oswald now those trades make sense.
    — jbarrylee
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:18 AM, 12/20/2011
    Wade is godfather to Rubens daughter thanks Ed for Pence Lidge and Oswald now those trades make sense.
    — jbarrylee
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:42 AM, 12/20/2011
    He was/is a 'plant.' Literally and figuratively.
    — 24sDad


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About Matt Gelb and Bob Brookover












Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.

This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.

Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
To submit a question for Matt Gelb's Phillies mailbag, click here.

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