That didn't take long

Benny Looper has a new job.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. replaced departed assistant GM Mike Arbuckle on Friday, naming Benny Looper as assistant general manager, player personnel.

Looper will assume Arbuckle's responsibilities in the scouting and player development realm, and will be assisted by Chuck LaMar, who has been promoted to assistant GM, player development and scouting.

The uncle of free-agent pitcher Braden Looper, Benny will oversee player personnel in his role as assistant GM. He worked closely with Pat Gillick during their years together with the Mariners.

Looper, 60, spent the previous 23 years with Seattle in many capacities at the Major and Minor League levels, including most recently as vice president of player personnel (2006-08), VP of player development and scouting (2003-06) and VP of player development (2002-03).

From the Seattle PI Mariner blog:

''I'm very excited about this,'' Looper said Friday morning. ''It's a chance to do what I want to do, and to join a very good organization.''

The Phillies are at the peak of their game, having won just the franchise's second World Series title last month by beating Tampa Bay.

Zduriencik, like Looper, has his background in player development, and when he took the Seattle job, he brought with him Tony Blengino and Tom McNamara with him from Milwaukee. He offered the job of pro scout to Looper, but Looper wasn't interested.

In 2002, when then-Seattle general manager Pat Gillick decided to step down, he recommended Looper as his replacement, but the Mariners' front office instead opted for Bill Bavasi, who was fired mid-season and ultimately replaced by Zduriencik.

Curiously, Amaro is replacing Gillick in Philadelphia after Gillick guided the Phillies to the World Series title.

''I liked my time in Seattle,'' said Looper, who worked for 23 years with the club. ''But I'm looking forward to going and working with Ruben in Philadelphia.''

Looper is well known around the ballpark as a frequent visitor to the Fox Cities due to these lines on his resume:

• Director Player Development 1998-2002
• Vice President Player Development 2002
• Vice President Player Development & Scouting 2000-2006