Toronto Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos Will be Back Next Year According to Sources
According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, league sources have indicated that Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos will be back next year.
Even though the Blue Jays continue to fall further back in the playoff race, the organization has no desire to relieve Anthopoulos of his duties according to Simmons.
"“Apparently, there is no temperature at all to remove Anthopoulos from his job — in fact, quite the opposite sentiment exists — with an appreciation internally for the manner in which he has conducted his business.” said Simmons."
While this report does offer fans insight on the Blue Jays front office situation, neither Anthopoulos or president Paul Beeston have made a comment on the matter.
Aug 7, 2014; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager Alex Anthopoulos talks to the media before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Rogers Centre. The Baltimore Orioles won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
After not making a move at the trade deadline – or the waiver deadline yet – Anthopoulos has received an abundance of scrutiny from fans. Even players like Jose Bautista and Casey Janssen voiced their displeasure with the lack of deadline activity.
Although fans would have loved to see the Blue Jays make a big splash, the team’s future is arguably the strongest it has been in years. This season pitchers like Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez and Drew Hutchison have provided fans with a glimpse of what the future could be. Anthopoulos certainly merits some credit for helping assemble this young stable of arms.
Of course the Blue Jays want to win now, but is it worth mortgaging their future for a potential rental player this year? If recent baseball history is any indication, Anthopoulos’ decision to stay put might not have been a bad one.
The Blue Jays fan base may be leery of Anthopoulous now, but what many of us overlook is the fact that this year is only year two of the Blue Jays big plan. That big plan would be when the Blue Jays acquired Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson in a huge 12-player deal.
Looking back on trades in baseball history, you can see how years two-to-three, tend to be when the full value of a trade is revealed.
Here’s a look back at some trades that paid dividends in years two or three.
In 1990, the Blue Jays acquired Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter from the San Diego Padres. We all know how this trade ended in years two and three.
In 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Luis Gonzalez for Karim Garcia. Three years later the Diamondbacks won the World Series and Gonzalez was a household name in baseball – albeit for a brief period.
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In 2007, the Texas Rangers acquired Elvis Andrus, Matt Harrison, Neftali Feliz and Jarrod Saltalamacchia for Mark Teixeira. Three years later, Andrus, Harrison and Feliz emerged as key pieces for the Rangers and remain core pieces of the Rangers lineup today, while Teixeira suits up for the Yankees.
In 2008 the Baltimore Orioles acquired Adam Jones, Chris Tillman and George Sherrill from the Seattle Mariners for Erik Berdard. Three years later, Jones and Tillman were staples of the Orioles rebuild, and are now leaders of the up-and-coming Orioles.
While there are endless examples of both good and bad trades in baseball, proclaiming a trade as a “failure” in year two of the deal is very premature. Just a year ago, Alex Anthopoulos was deemed a legend for revamping the Blue Jays over one winter. Now this year fans are calling for his head?
Are we not jumping the gun a bit here?
I think giving Anthopoulos another season to finish off what appears to be a three-year plan, is the right call. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.