Wade, 56, did not need a job. He is being paid a handsome sum by the Astros for two more years. He has enough respect in the game that the last time he was out of work, Kevin Towers, one of the most highly regarded general managers in baseball, hired him to scout for the San Diego Padres.
Amaro, a willing trade partner with Wade in recent years, wanted his close friend back in Philadelphia and believed it could work.
"I had no idea whether he'd be interested in doing it, but I was curious to find out," Amaro said. "I guess it was kind of a delicate situation because he had just been let go. But last time he was let go, he jumped right back into it and worked for Kevin Towers pretty quickly. Ed likes to work and I know he likes working in the game."
A few days after their initial conversation, Wade asked Amaro to clearly define his role, and, after a conversation with his family, he decided he wanted to rejoin the Phillies.
"It's a full plate, which is what I wanted," Wade said. "It was really the same conversation I had with Kevin Towers. I did not want a token position. I didn't need it from an economic standpoint and I don't want to just be there. The role they carved out for me is very fulfilling. I'll have a chance to see the entire system from the major leagues to the Gulf Coast League. I'll scout a few outside triple-A and big-league clubs."
He is going to compile some serious Marriott points.
"Ed is not someone who has a tremendous ego," Amaro said. "I don't see any downside to this."
After rejoining the Phillies, Wade was asked by Amaro how much he still knew about the Phillies farm system. He could not pass up the opportunity at a good-natured jab.
"I said, 'I know enough to know the better players are all wearing Astros uniforms now,' " he said.
That, of course, is in reference to the two trades Wade made with Amaro during his tenure as the Astros general manager.
