Alex Anthopoulos is leaving the Toronto Blue Jays much to the surprise of the baseball world. A clash with new team president Mark Shapiro may be the reason why.
The Jays offered Anthopoulos a contract extension and wanted him to return as GM, but he likely was hesitant to do so knowing that he wouldn’t have the final say on baseball decisions. The change in the front office structure happened when the team hired former longtime Cleveland Indians GM Mark Shapiro at the end of August to be their new president and CEO.
Anthopoulos is believed to have a more scouting-focused philosophy, while Shapiro is known for being more statistics-focused. It also sounds like their relationship got off to a rocky start during their first and only meeting, according to The Sports Network’s Rick Westhead.
Source: In their 1st & only meeting, new Jays prez Mark Shapiro scolded Alex Anthopolous & staff for trading so many top prospects this yr
— Rick Westhead (@rwesthead) October 29, 2015
While Anthopoulos built the most powerful team in baseball and a squad that nearly reached the World Series, he did so at a cost. Perhaps believing this was a make-or-break year for him, Anthopoulos went all-in and traded the likes of Daniel Norris and two others for David Price; three prospects including No. 9 pick Jeff Hoffman for Troy Tulowitzki; and two prospects for Mark Lowe. The results paid off in the short run, but those trades coupled with dealing Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard for R.A. Dickey could cripple the franchise in the future. That may have been what Shapiro pointed out in their meeting.
Walking away from the Jays is a risky move by Anthopoulos, but after building an ALCS team this season, he probably thinks someone will want to hire him.
