Phillies chairman Montgomery confident in Amaro

PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies chairman David Montgomery hired Ruben Amaro Jr. as Pat Gillick's replacement as general manager in 2008.

Amaro's contract expires at the end of the year, and his status is unclear following a pair of 89-loss seasons -- including a last-place finish in the National League East in 2014.

Montgomery and Gillick -- the Phillies' president -- have expressed their support for Amaro, but Montgomery acknowledged Thursday on MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM that the club's ownership group is watching closely and a collective decision will be made about Amaro's future.

"We think we have a pretty quality guy in that role," Montgomery said. "At the same time, I have a partnership group … they are looking at this closely as well. The reality is that we have a GM that we think is effective. We have a Hall of Fame GM [Gillick] in our midst as well. If Pat spends an entire year or two close with Ruben, I think he'll have a very good idea to how effective Ruben is, and collectively a decision will be made."

Amaro has traded Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd and Antonio Bastardo this offseason as the team rebuilds for the future. Gillick has said the team will not be competitive until 2017 or '18, but signs of improvement at the big league level and encouraging progress from the team's prospects could help Amaro's cause.