Phillies Fire Wade

Phillies fired GM Ed Wade today. You could see this coming a mile away. I'm not sure who will replace Wade but but I think the five things his replacement will have to do are:

- Get a centerfielder. Johnny Damon may make Philly a big stop on his free agent tour. Kenny Lofton was serviceable but he's Kenny Lofton.

- Trade either Jim Thome or Ryan Howard. Thome would be preferable but that would mean eating about $20 million of his remaining deal.

- Upgrade at third. David Bell is awful. The AAA guy would be better (and I don't even know who that is).

- Get Billy Wagner to re-sign. They need a closer and bad.

- Get a front line starter. Hopefully Randy Wolf will come back as an ace but you can't count on that. Not that he's an ace but maybe the Dodgers would be willing to trade Derek Lowe for Thome and $20 million. Lowe's sinkerball could keep balls from flying out of the bandbox that the Phillies call home. This would be a risk for both teams. Thome's back could go out and Lowe's fragile ego may take a beating in Phillie. The rewards could be worth the risks though.