Toronto Sun: Alex Anthopoulos will return next year

[Atothe]

Tv, radio and online content were received very well guys. Only reason AA is back. I'll give him credit for drafting tho. If he can get Alford playing full time. He really should be asg or scouting director.

[Atothe]

Henderson Alvarez and Yunel Escobar combined have provided more fWAR than everyone received in the trade, and they've done it for $11 million.

 

Stop it Yunel has once again worn out his welcome in Tampa bay. Its getting clearly obvious dude is a head case.

[ElNik2013]

Dickey and Buerhle probably end the year at .500 records. Even without making the miami deal, the Jays would likely be in the same win loss record that they have this year at a lot less cost in both money and prospects given up. Cabrera has been the only really valuable addition.

 

 

It's easier said with the benefit of hindsight. I am/was against the change of direction, especially after how the 2012 season turned out. However, without any moves, the 2013 team would've likely lost at least 90, if not 100 games. My point is that their goal was to avoid going into 2013 expected to lose 90-100 games because that would've meant lower attendance and lower ratings on tv.

 

If the owners of this franchise thought the Miami trade was so bad, then why is AA still the GM? I keep saying, franchises are built from the top on down. With corporate ownership, it probably starts with the president, but the owners still hire the team president who then hires the baseball operations people.

[burlingtonbandit]

I totally agree with you. However, reports indicate that Sanchez told them he wasn't ready to sign and the Jays wanted to move quickly, which indicates they didn't want to strike out in improving the team as I suspect. So basically, they weren't willing to risk waiting him out only to strike out.

 

Again, I'm not saying it was a great trade, just saying that the franchise is run a certain way and this reports would confirm that the owners of the franchise think AA's doing just fine.

 

You shouldn't strike quickly to make a move that is not the best move for the franchise though. I think AA regrets the trade even though he wouldn't say it publicly and that he isn't a bad GM. He seems to struggle operating a team with a higher budget as the first couple years he made a ton of great trades that looked like steals.

[burlingtonbandit]

Tv, radio and online content were received very well guys. Only reason AA is back. I'll give him credit for drafting tho. If he can get Alford playing full time. He really should be asg or scouting director.

 

He's a great AGM. He struggles with the daily operations of a roster but he is great with a key areas like contracts, scouting and the Intl Market.

[ElNik2013]

You shouldn't strike quickly to make a move that is not the best move for the franchise though. I think AA regrets the trade even though he wouldn't say it publicly and that he isn't a bad GM. He seems to struggle operating a team with a higher budget as the first couple years he made a ton of great trades that looked like steals.

 

Again, I agree. I just think it's important to understand the context in which things occur. Same with the Escobar thing. People claim that AA should've gotten "assets" for him. So I ask, when has Escobar fetched much in the 2 or 3 times he's been traded? Let alone in the middle of a P.R. s*** storm that probably killed any leverage the Jays may have had in trading him. The Jays let go of Rios for P.R. reasons as well. My guess is AA was told to release Escobar and he asked for some time to try and find a way not to have to eat his salary so I suspect they discounted what was owed to him from Reyes's deal or the Miami trade over all. Admittedly, this is a guess.

[ElNik2013]

He's a great AGM. He struggles with the daily operations of a roster but he is great with a key areas like contracts, scouting and the Intl Market.

 

 

Agreed again. He does some things well and the farm team is on the verge of being rebuilt after so many claimed it would be impossible because he had gamed the compensatory system (another positive for him) to build it to where it was prior to the trades in 2012.

 

However, he's proven incapable of rounding out a roster.

[jake]

Jays will probably end up with a win total of between 80-84 wins only 10 more or so than 2013 and 2012 in a year that everyone said the east could be had because other teams were very weak. So far the big Miami trade and Dickey acquisition look like a bust. But not disastrous enough to fire AA

[burlingtonbandit]

Agreed again. He does some things well and the farm team is on the verge of being rebuilt after so many claimed it would be impossible because he had gamed the compensatory system (another positive for him) to build it to where it was prior to the trades in 2012.

 

However, he's proven incapable of rounding out a roster.

 

I still don't understand how you go into the season with no 2nd baseman and no RH 4th outfielder. Having Sierra to start the season was an extreme head scratcher.

[Slot Machine]

I still don't understand how you go into the season with no 2nd baseman and no RH 4th outfielder. Having Sierra to start the season was an extreme head scratcher.

 

That's my all-time fav right there.

[ElNik2013]

Jays will probably end up with a win total of between 80-84 wins only 10 more or so than 2013 and 2012 in a year that everyone said the east could be had because other teams were very weak. So far the big Miami trade and Dickey acquisition look like a bust. But not disastrous enough to fire AA

 

 

I've seen this said quite a bit, but it's not what I remember people saying in the off season. The Rays won 92 games in 2013 and I can't see how they got worse coming into the season. In fact some here were salivating at their acquisition of Ryan Hanigan and Logan Forsythe. The Yankees were busy picking up Ellsbury, Tanaka, McCann and Beltran. Several of the same posters thought their lineup looked way better than the Jays'. The Red Sox were the defending champions and while some thought they had been a bit lucky in 2013, they all thought having Peavy for a full season plus Bogaerts would keep them in contention.

 

The only teams people were really down on were the Jays and O's, but I could be misremembering. It's certainly easier now to say the division was weak coming into the year, but I think that's because the O's and Jays are 1-2.

[G-Snarls]

No one should have expected the AL East to be all that weak this year

 

Yankees, Rays and Red Sox all should have been better than they were. Combination of injuries (Yankees) and multiple underperformances. I suppose the Sox were the biggest guess with so many rookies expected to play every day.

[G-Snarls]

Stop it Yunel has once again worn out his welcome in Tampa bay. Its getting clearly obvious dude is a head case.

 

Counter-argument - even though trading him was a forgone conclusion (and it clearly was), the Blue Jays should have gotten better value when trading him away due to his contract.

 

I can't believe Miami didn't keep him actually. Cheap ass motherf***ers.

[burlingtonbandit]

Counter-argument - even though trading him was a forgone conclusion (and it clearly was), they should have gotten better value when trading him away due to his contract. I can't believe Miami didn't keep him actually. Cheap ass motherf***ers.

 

You think AA would of traded him to a team he knew would give him less? There wasn't much value for him trade wise as Tampa gave up barely anything to acquire him from Miami. The homophobic slur killed all the value he had.

[G-Snarls]

You think AA would of traded him to a team he knew would give him less? There wasn't much value for him trade wise as Tampa gave up barely anything to acquire him from Miami. The homophobic slur killed all the value he had.

 

Yeah, you're right, a guy who has worn out his welcome with TWO teams in 3 years is probably hard to get full value from. We didn't give up much to get him and neither did Tampa.

[ElNik2013]

You think AA would of traded him to a team he knew would give him less? There wasn't much value for him trade wise as Tampa gave up barely anything to acquire him from Miami. The homophobic slur killed all the value he had.

 

 

You're right again. If the Jays had released him, they would've had to pay for what remained on his contract to play somewhere else so they probably discounted this amount from Reyes's contract since it was money they were saving, just the way I see it.

[ElNik2013]

Yeah, a guy who has worn out his welcome with TWO teams in 3 years is probably hard to get full value from. We didn't give up much to get him and neither did Tampa.

 

 

Bingo. As much as some posters refuse to accept this, it's the truth. The guy is just not well regarded around MLB.

[G-Snarls]

AA's failure to upgrade at 2B this off season AND in July really rankles me.

 

No excuse for that. Everyone knew he needed to do it.

[ElNik2013]

Counter-argument - even though trading him was a forgone conclusion (and it clearly was), the Blue Jays should have gotten better value when trading him away due to his contract.

 

I can't believe Miami didn't keep him actually. Cheap ass motherf***ers.

 

 

Yeah, especially since he's Cuban.

[G-Snarls]

Yeah, especially since he's Cuban.

 

Yep. All of a sudden they wouldn't keep anyone making more than league minimum. f***ing sheisters. Brand new ball park and you fire sale a year later. And then don't even keep good assets you picked up in said fire sale. *******s.

 

(Partly I'm mad they helped Tampa out by handing them Escobar of course LOL)

[jake]

One other thing I am a bit concerned about is how they are calling Stroman our new ace. It is way too early for that. I want to see how he does after teams have faced him two or three times. Then if he's pitching great then maybe he could be the new top of the rotation guy.

[G-Snarls]

One other thing I am a bit concerned about is how they are calling Stroman our new ace. It is way too early for that. I want to see how he does after teams have faced him two or three times. Then if he's pitching great then maybe he could be the new top of the rotation guy.

 

Agree

 

Let's not etch Stroman, Sanchez and Norris in stone for the 2015 rotation just yet

 

You have to plan as though 1 or 2 of them won't cut it

[ElNik2013]

One other thing I am a bit concerned about is how they are calling Stroman our new ace. It is way too early for that. I want to see how he does after teams have faced him two or three times. Then if he's pitching great then maybe he could be the new top of the rotation guy.

 

 

I'm not sure I've seen anyone call him an Ace. I think what some mean is that out of the 5 starters, they view him as the best of the bunch, but same thing was said about Hutchison earlier in the year. They should go after one of the top FA SP. Even after a guy like Masterson.

 

We'll see what happens...

[Ziggyy108]

This is f***ing the worst. AA has done a horrible job.

 

The fact that he didn't improve the team one iota in the offseason was a big f***ing joke and then again not doing anything at the deadline was an even bigger f***ing joke.

 

Oh and Drew Hutchison isn't that good. Sanchez has pitched a handful of f***ing innings out of the bullpen after fairly disappointing minor league year. Stroman has been good but this future ace s*** is a little much right now, and Norris has never thrown a f***ing pitch in the big leagues.

 

Rogers is such f***ing ******** and I'm not gonna support these stupid f***s.

[JaysFan4Ever]

I'd laugh my ass off if they fire him after the season anyway.

[Slider]

This maybe true or not true but its probably true. Hopefully he will do something in the off season.

[burlingtonbandit]

Hindsight is 20/20, I recall everyone wanting a 2B and starting pitcher.

 

It baffles my mind. Everyone knew we needed a 2nd baseman...Yet they didn't address the need the enitre season when there were opportunities to as well.

[burlingtonbandit]

I'd laugh my ass off if they fire him after the season anyway.

 

Well Steve Simmons is an awful reporter so this story is probably wrong anyways. I still think AA has the job next year but it has nothing to do with the garbage Steve Simmons writes about.

[FireAlexAnthopoulos]

This franchise is a f***ing joke. 21 years of no playoffs and not a thing will be done to fix it! Attendance needs to plummet to Tampa Bay levels next year to send Rogers a message.

[ElNik2013]

It tells me that the Rogers head honchos aren't baseball people, so they defer to the actual baseball people to tell them what's needed, and they're willing to provide them the funds when it means they're likely adding to the product (i.e. producing a winner).

 

And the actual baseball people have s*** the bed.

 

 

 

Hopefully these owners realize the actual baseball people have s*** the bed. I'd think they'd be interested in their team being well run.