Gonzo: SI puzzles others as well

While wondering whether Ruben Amaro Jr. reads Sports Illustrated, it's time to empty out the mailbag:

The SI general manager rankings [are] ludicrous in some areas. The reasoning to justify where it slotted Amaro was worse. SI ignored the great year [last season] and the great trades and focused on two moves, which have yet-to-be determined results (the [Cliff] Lee trade, which I actually hate like the rest of Philly, and the [Raul] Ibanez deal). 

Frustrating.

Pat,

I wouldn't have traded Lee away, either. I would have kept him and gambled on the Phils winning another championship. But even if you disagree with the move, at least Amaro did it for a reason - to add more minor leaguers to the farm system and keep the payroll from bloating any further. We may not like the players he got in return or dig the plan, but there was an obvious thought process.

That's why the SI story bugged me. Amaro helped build a team that went to two straight World Series, and he pulled off two of the biggest trades of the last year. There's obviously a mind at work there. So how is it that he was listed just one spot ahead of the Pirates' GM, a guy whose job entails little more than dumping salary before grabbing a sandwich at Primanti Bros?

If Pat Gillick was still running the ship he probably would have broken the top 10 barrier as opposed to Amaro at 19. Pat actually did the work. Ruben had it delivered on a silver platter. He hasn't done [anything] yet. So he brought Cliff Lee here. Where is he now? Basically a monkey could do what Ruben has done so far. 

Dan,

It's not like Amaro just sat around playing solitaire on his computer while Gillick ran the show. The guy helped out, and there's a reason why he won the GM job when Gillick left. Again, you may not agree with his decision to move Lee to Seattle, but you can't argue with the success Amaro has had as a GM so far. He acquired two of the best pitchers in the game and signed one of those to a long-term deal. That's not insignificant.

It frightens me when I'm the voice of reason.