In his last act as the general manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, Ruben Amaro Jr. was left to dismantle the decaying team he had helped build. A year ago, the Phillies were still stocked with stalwarts from their championship teams, like Chase Utley, Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins. But Amaro traded them all — plus Jonathan Papelbon, Ben Revere and others — before the team fired him on Thursday.
“When you’re moving guys that are your personal favorites, people like Chase and Cole and Jimmy, there’s nothing fun about it,” Amaro said late last month before a game at Citizens Bank Park.