It's not the greatest of years to be a general manager in the MLB. On Thursday the Philadelphia Phillies announced they will be moving on from their current GM, Ruben Amaro, which will be the seventh GM change in the league this season.
The Phillies made the announcement on Twitter and confirmed the various rumors that have been swirling all season long. Amaro was in the final year of his contract with the team and it was unknown if soon-to-be new team president Andy MacPhail would keep Amaro in the position beyond this season.
#Phillies announced today that the club has elected not to extend the contract of Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr.
— Phillies (@Phillies) September 10, 2015
The team has named Assistant General Manager Scott Proefrock as Interim General Manager, effective immediately.
— Phillies (@Phillies) September 10, 2015
"It's never an easy decision to make a change," MacPhail said in a team press release. "Ruben has had a direct impact on some of the best years in the team's history. He helped to create some great memories for Phillies fans with his accomplishments, but in order to return to a top-contending club, we believe this is the right thing to do as we continue the rebuilding process."
"The Phillies ownership fully supports Andy's decision not to extend Ruben Amaro's contract," added partner John Middleton. "As a group, we have tremendous respect for Ruben, who has been a significant contributor to this organization. This decision is about taking the club in a new direction and that will be facilitated by new leadership."
It was believed MacPhail might consider keeping Amaro as the team's general manager after the seemingly successful trades he has made within the past eight months, but it appears as if the new team president wants to pick a GM of his own.
Amaro took over as GM after the 2008 season and was the team's assistant GM for the 10 years prior. Philadelphia reached the World Series again in 2009 after winning it in 2008, but lost to the New York Yankees. They also made the postseason the following two years and won NL East titles from 2009-2011 under Amaro.
However, the last four years have been a colossal disappointment. The team hasn't had a winning record since the 2011 season and is one pace for its second consecutive last-place finish in the division.
Amaro will finish his tenure as the Phillies GM with a 573-539 record.
