FanHouse Colletti Watch

It is July. The trade deadline approaches. Which GMs are poised to destroy the near future of their franchise for a quick fix? Quis custodiet ipsos Collettus? The Colletti Watch, that's who.

The Situation: We at the Colletti Watch knew that we would likely be focusing on only a few GMs during this trade season, as there are only a few truly awful GMs in the league. Today, we have our first repeat offender. Ed Wade is seriously trying to load up for a run at the playoffs. I repeat, Ed Wade is seriously trying to load up for a run at the playoffs. Buster Olney is reporting that the Astros are in "serious discussions" to acquire Randy Wolf from the Padres. Seriously.

Yes, Roy Oswalt is out for the season and the Astros need another starter. They're also 10 games away from the nearest playoff spot, have a run differential of -55, and haven't even resembled a playoff team since May. Last night, they gave up three homers in the ninth inning to the Pirates and turned a 3-2 win into a 9-3 loss. It's true that Wade has said he's not rebuilding, but did anyone think he actually meant it?

The Doomsday Clock: RED ALERT! ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT! I have no idea who the Astros are offering for Wolf and I have no idea how close the deal is to going down, but the simple fact that it's being discussed is proof that Wade has no long-term plan for the Astros. Be afraid, Astro fans. Be very afraid.

It is July. The trade deadline approaches. Which GMs are poised to destroy the near future of their franchise for a quick fix? Quis custodiet ipsos Collettus? The Colletti Watch, that's who.

The General Manager: Pat Gillick has one of the all-time great baseball nicknames: Stand Pat. He's earned the nickname because despite his stellar track record as a GM, he hasn't made a significant deadline deal in the interest of a playoff run since 1993, when he traded for Rickey Henderson to lock up the Blue Jays second straight World Series.

The situation: The Mets surged into the break with nine straight wins, while the Brewers have loaded up with CC Sabathia. The Phillies are in danger of getting left behind on both the NL East and Wild Card fronts and teams that are in danger of falling out of races are teams that are in danger of doing something stupid. Behind Cole Hamels, their starting pitching is incredibly thin. Everyone's interested in A.J. Burnett and there are reports that the Phillies are interested in Joe Blanton and maybe even Erik Bedard (if he's healthy). The problem is that neither of these guys are good enough to solve the Phillies problems and neither one of them is going to come cheaply.

The Doomsday Clock: Six minutes to midnight, but this one's a lot harder to peg. Gillick has a strong history of doing very little at the deadline, but his team has obvious needs and there are players out there to fill those needs with hefty price tags that exceed the help they'll bring. And Billy Beane might be involved.

It is July. The trade deadline approaches. Which GMs are poised to destroy the near future of their franchise for a quick fix? Quis custodiet ipsos Collettus? The Colletti Watch, that's who.

The general manager: Ed Wade. Simply put, the man loves middling veterans and hates prospects. He spent years acquiring such players in Philadelphia, making the Phillies perennial near-contenders, but never a playoff team. According to legend (which, in this case, is almost certainly the truth), Eddie Highpants once tried to trade Ryan Howard for Kris Benson. In Houston, he's already traded a boatload of prospects for the charred remains of Miguel Tejada's career. The man is a menace to common sense.

The quote: In this case, I don't have a specific rumor to deal in. Instead, I have a series of cliched quotes that's harrowing to Astro fans everywhere:

"I don't think fire sales work," Wade said. "I think a lot of that works for cosmetic purposes, but it's sort of a 'panic button' approach that leads you to a course of mediocrity."

Fire sales are cosmetic? Fans like to see a team deal all of their good players for young players who may or may not make it? Neal Huntington hopes you're right, Ed. Wade's not giving up on this season despite being in last place in a division with the two of the best teams in the National League right now and a roster full of veterans on the downside of their career. This is a dangerous situation.

The Doomsday Clock: Seven minutes to midnight. Here's the problem: Wade's already traded all of the Astros' prospects away. At this point, he's only got Hunter Pence and J.R. Towles, though with Towles struggling in his first big league season, I wouldn't rule out him doing something monumentally stupid.

It is July. The trade deadline approaches. Which GMs are poised to destroy the near future of their franchise for a quick fix? Quis custodiet ipsos Collettus? The Colletti Watch, that's who.

The general manager: Lest you misunderstand the title, the Colletti Watch will be looking at GMs from all across the league as the trade deadline approaches. Today, we start with Ned Colletti for the same reason that the feature is named after him; he values "grit" over talent, his owner is desperate to win, and the Dodgers are are tied for first place in the NL West, despite a losing record. This scenario is tailor-made for bad things to happen.

The key rumor: Colletti wants Jack Wilson. He obviously wants a shortstop and there's all kinds of evidence to imply that he's targeting Wilson. The thing is, both Colletti and McCourt are talking about trading their young talent, which is defined by most as Matt Kemp, James Loney, and Andy LaRoche. Would Colletti really trade a good, under-25-year-old talent for a 30-year-old shortstop with a career OPS below .700? The answer kinda seems like it might be yes.

The Doomsday Clock: Two minutes to midnight. Colletti is both a bad GM and a desperate one, which is generally a recipe for trade deadline disaster. He has some good assistants (Kim Ng, Logan White) who might be able to talk him out of hitting the big red button, but with McCourt pushing him, I wouldn't count on it.