Former Phillies GM Pat Gillick elected to Hall of Fame

One of the key architects of the 2008 Phillies team has been given the highest honor in baseball: Former Phillies GM Pat Gillick has been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

While Gillick is best known in Philadelphia for helping construct a Champion in 2008, he also won two other titles when he was the GM for the Blue Jays and built a Mariners team that won 116 games in 2001. Bottom line, in his 30 year career as general manager of the Jays, Orioles, Mariners and Phillies, Gillick built winners. Gillick still currently works for the Phillies as an advisor.

Phillies to announce Ruben Amaro Jr. as their new GM

Phillies GM Pat Gillick will ride off into the sunset having accomplished the ultimate goal by bringing a championship to Philadelphia. Gillick announced months ago that 2008 was going to be his last season as GM, and since that time two names have been rumored to be taking his place: assistant GM's Mike Arbuckle and Ruben Amaro Jr. Most believed that the Phillies were leaning towards Amaro Jr., and they have been proven right.

The Phillies will announce Monday that Amaro Jr. will be their next general manager, and they will also announce that Arbuckle is leaving the team. Having learned that Amaro Jr. will be the new GM, Arbuckle informed the team that he will be leaving to look for other opportunities, presumably to find a GM job somewhere else.

Amaro Jr. has always seemed like a "company guy" and he is well-liked within the organization, so the Phillies must feel good to have him in charge. Whether he will be the better man for the job is another story. Arbuckle has overseen the Phillies drafts the last few years, the same ones that brought in most of the players that helped them win the World Series, like MVP Cole Hamels.

Amaro Jr. has Phillie red in his blood since both himself and his dad played for the team. It will be interesting to see how he handles his first offseason after the championship with several players looking for a big payday. The decisions Amaro Jr. makes could mean the difference between a one year wonder and a dynasty.