In Pat We Trust

By Tim McManus

If the song remained the same, Tuesday, May 30 would have marked the end of the Philadelphia Phillies’ 2006 campaign.

Amid reports that Yankees’ scouts were at Citizens Bank Park to observe outfielders Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell, General Manager Ed Wade would have emerged from his bunker to defiantly dismiss any trade rumors:

“I like the group we have assembled,” Wade would say, in the cry that marked his reign and guaranteed his downfall. “We have a strong, young nucleus, and both Pat and Bobby are a major part of that. Neither player is available.

“I think once we get healthy and Wolfy and Lieby get back on the mound, we’ll be in good shape.”

The trade deadline would come and go, leaving the team once again deflated and without the necessary cog or two that could have solidified them as contenders.

According to several accounts, Wade was hot-tempered and known for berating both players and media members alike. This personality trait seemed to surface the most in July, when it was perennially intimated that the team he put together might need some tweaking via a trade. One reported incident has the former GM, when asked if there was anything in the works, taking a verbal shot at the reporter before telling him to kiss where the sun don’t shine.

With this defensive, dismissive and even aggressive side of Wade revealed, it is not a stretch to suggest that his non-action before the deadline was in part to service his ego, and it even helps explain why many blue-chippers in this organization (Schilling, Rolen, Wagner) were quick to flee.

There’s a reason why Wade is now just a scout for the San Diego Padres.

In his place stands Pat Gillick, who admittedly hasn’t pushed all of the right buttons to date. He sent the erratic but at times sensational Vicente Padilla to Texas for Ricardo Rodriguez, who was promptly released. And free agent acquisitions Abraham Nunez and Ryan Franklin have been busts.

Washing all of that away, however, was Gillick’s ability to receive value in return for Jim Thome. Even though the slugger hit just seven home runs in 59 games last season and was suffering through chronic back problems that threatened to derail his career, Gillick was able to pump his value high enough to get World Series champion Aaron Rowand in return. Whereas Kenny Lofton would have likely still been gimping around center under Wade, Gillick acquired a man who has become the (albeit broken) face of the team; a player that single-handedly won one game for the Phils with his already legendary grab, and helped propel the winning streak that put his squad in contention.

Where Gillick becomes even more valuable is in the here and now. Realizing that a front-line pitcher trumps even the most sensational of field players in terms of importance, he openly shopped the likes of Abreu in the offseason, obviously to no avail. Now, with some teams (specifically the Yanks) in need of a high-caliber outfielder, the market appears ready to bear just what Pat is looking for.

The rumored three-way trade that would send Burrell or Abreu to the Yankees and bring left-handed ace Dontrelle Willis to Philly probably won’t happen. As history teaches us, the first reported blockbuster is rarely announced because it’s going to go through, but rather to gauge and enhance market value.

The beauty, though, is that the Phillies organization, led by Gillick, is openly in the thick of this ongoing positioning. The lines of communication are wide open; no player this side of Cole Hamels is off-limits; and there is a definite feeling that something, at some point, will get done.

Wade never seemed to grasp the importance – both to the health of his team and the sanity of his fan base – of getting into the mix.

Pat’s in it. And there’s something beyond hope that tells us that his next press conference will not be to deny rumors before telling us to collectively kiss off, but rather to introduce the missing piece of a championship puzzle.