The Colletti Watch: Ed Wade Hates Fire Sales

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.