Alex Anthopoulos Departing

[GeorgiaPeach]

Hates Canadian baseball fans.

 

Not all of them.

[Smokey]

AA is the ultimate politician and that's exactly where he should take his career if he doesn't land another GM job. Who else could get away with making such empty promises as building a "sustainable winner" from the ground up by developing young power arms in the rotation, and then leaving 6 years later as a hero despite there being so many holes in the rotation?

 

The guy goes from answering fan mail to being handed one of the best career opportunities in all of majors... Taking over a team with such low expectations and having years to patiently build up prospect capital rather than being pushed to compete. Not to mention being allowed to trade the best pitcher in the game for prospects without much criticism. And unlike his predecessor, he's also given a lot more flexibility to hire more advisers/scouts and to spend more freely on the draft.

 

So what does he do when it comes time to complete? He targets guys like Dickey, Reyes, Josh Johnson and Bonifacio to name a few... proceeds to add zero depth to the rotation and crowns JPA as the catcher that will lead his staff. And when that fails he essentially sits on his hands the following year and does next to nothing to improve the club. Finally with his back against the wall and his job on the line, he makes a few nice moves along with a few relatively irresponsible ones and watches a team that was playing .500 ball after 100 games get hot and go on a nice run.

 

He's obviously done a pretty good job this year considering the circumstances he put himself into, but the process has been far from foolproof. Somehow though, he's got the masses deceived into thinking that he's "the hardest working GM in the game" and that his "ninja" moves are about to lead the team into a dynasty. Just like most politicians, he's got the media wrapped around his fingers... The other day he had the Bobcat slobbering all over his knob and thanking him endlessly for all the great interviews he's provided over the years (despite him dodging every question til the very last interview).

 

The silver lining however is that he finally bought his own BS and turned down a job that's turned his flabby ass into a hero because he felt like he's entitled to more.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Smokey

[Boxcar]

Shocker

 

They are like twice as old as any player on this team should be.

[GeorgiaPeach]

Too many people read a few articles and fall in love with prospects they have never even seen before.

 

The same could be said of the Country and 20,000+ people every game after the trade deadline of the Blue Jays.

 

They fell in love with a feeling, team and sport they didn't know existed days before.

[GeorgiaPeach]

Shocker

 

You do?

[ProfessionalAtBat]

I'd rather see MLB relocate to other locations other than Montreal.

 

F u

[TheHurl]

AA is the ultimate politician and that's exactly where he should take his career if he doesn't land another GM job. Who else could get away with making such empty promises as building a "sustainable winner" from the ground up by developing young power arms in the rotation, and then leaving 6 years later as a hero despite there being so many holes in the rotation?

 

The guy goes from answering fan mail to being handed one of the best career opportunities in all of majors... Taking over a team with such low expectations and having years to patiently build up prospect capital rather than being pushed to compete. Not to mention being allowed to trade the best pitcher in the game for prospects without much criticism. And unlike his predecessor, he's also given a lot more flexibility to hire more advisers/scouts and to spend more freely on the draft.

 

So what does he do when it comes times to complete? He targets guys like Dickey, Reyes, Josh Johnson and Bonifacio to name a few... proceeds to add zero depth to the rotation and crowns JPA as the catcher that will lead his staff. And when that fail he essentially sits on his hands the following year and does next to nothing to improve the club. Finally with his back against the wall and his job on the line, he makes a few nice moves along with a few relatively irresponsible ones and watches a team that was playing .500 ball after 100 games get hot and go on a nice run.

 

He's obviously done a pretty good job this year considering the circumstances he put himself into, but the process has been far from foolproof. Somehow though, he's got masses deceived into thinking that "he's the hardest working GM in the game" and that his "ninja" moves are about to lead the team into a dynasty. Just like most politicians, he's got the media wrapped around his fingers... The other day he had the Bobcat slobber all over his knob and thanking him endlessly for all the great interviews he's provided over the years (despite him dodging every question til the very last interview).

 

The silver lining however is that he finally bought his own BS and turned down a job that's turned his flabby ass into a hero because he felt like he's entitled to more.

 

I'd like to add one more. He had what was called one of the cushiest GM jobs in the game as no matter what he did, Rogers took the blame.

[Boogerloo]

Let them come out and spend and cheer. But their opinions need to be left at the door for what are good moves or players. They just need to worry about the "W's"

 

How are they gonna come out and spend if the majority thinks we just destroyed a good thing. The fans embraced this team and AA for 3 months. The fans were hyped up after coming short in the ALCS. Then all of a sudden the team lost its Moses. And I agree with the mob. AA should have been kept to atleast see how far he could take his creation

 

You got to keep the masses happy. They pay with cash so they are entitled to their opinions no matter how dumb.

[mitchf]

AA is the ultimate politician and that's exactly where he should take his career if he doesn't land another GM job. Who else could get away with making such empty promises as building a "sustainable winner" from the ground up by developing young power arms in the rotation, and then leaving 6 years later as a hero despite there being so many holes in the rotation?

 

The guy goes from answering fan mail to being handed one of the best career opportunities in all of majors... Taking over a team with such low expectations and having years to patiently build up prospect capital rather than being pushed to compete. Not to mention being allowed to trade the best pitcher in the game for prospects without much criticism. And unlike his predecessor, he's also given a lot more flexibility to hire more advisers/scouts and to spend more freely on the draft.

 

So what does he do when it comes times to complete? He targets guys like Dickey, Reyes, Josh Johnson and Bonifacio to name a few... proceeds to add zero depth to the rotation and crowns JPA as the catcher that will lead his staff. And when that fail he essentially sits on his hands the following year and does next to nothing to improve the club. Finally with his back against the wall and his job on the line, he makes a few nice moves along with a few relatively irresponsible ones and watches a team that was playing .500 ball after 100 games get hot and go on a nice run.

 

He's obviously done a pretty good job this year considering the circumstances he put himself into, but the process has been far from foolproof. Somehow though, he's got masses deceived into thinking that "he's the hardest working GM in the game" and that his "ninja" moves are about to lead the team into a dynasty. Just like most politicians, he's got the media wrapped around his fingers... The other day he had the Bobcat slobber all over his knob and thanking him endlessly for all the great interviews he's provided over the years (despite him dodging every question til the very last interview).

 

The silver lining however is that he finally bought his own BS and turned down a job that's turned his flabby ass into a hero because he felt like he's entitled to more.

Well said, this is exactly how I feel.

 

The last sentence is the only explanation for what he's done. He's disillusioned himself and until he's 2-3 years into his second GM job and the fans/media start coming for blood will he realize how poor his decision was.

 

We let him trade for prospects, watch him try to exploit the draft, target players that hadn't lived up to their expectations, go reliever crazy and make it his top priority, to finally trading away the prospects he drafted... Which he had the privilege of doing twice. He won't find that opportunity anywhere else, that much I'm sure of.

[Captainobvious]

Grass is always greener on the other side

 

Shapiro is the leader in mediocrity. He will bring in tons of young talent but that will never result in victories. I guess if the goal is to have the #1 farm system in the league, he is your man

[Boogerloo]

Well said, this is exactly how I feel.

 

The last sentence is the only explanation for what he's done. He's disillusioned himself and until he's 2-3 years into his second GM job and the fans/media start coming for blood will he realize how poor his decision was.

 

We let him trade for prospects, watch him try to exploit the draft, target players that hadn't lived up to their expectations, go reliever crazy and make it his top priority, to finally trading away the prospects he drafted... Which he had the privilege of doing twice. He won't find that opportunity anywhere else, that much I'm sure of.

 

And he also brought in the pieces that got the team to the playoffs. Got an MVP for cheap...but yeah lets forget about all that.

[mitchf]

Still can't believe the guy paid for Dickey's would be contract if he came to the Blue Jays. Only GM I've ever seen do it.

 

1 year of control and he paid for an extension.

[mitchf]

And he also brought in the pieces that got the team to the playoffs. Got an MVP for cheap...but yeah lets forget about all that.

Yup, he made a lot of excellent moves, and in the Donaldson case perhaps one of the best ever. It outweighs a lot of his mistakes.

[Boogerloo]

Still can't believe the guy paid for Dickey's would be contract if he came to the Blue Jays. Only GM I've ever seen do it.

 

1 year of control and he paid for an extension.

 

Same GM who got rid of Vdubbs contract.

[GeorgiaPeach]

How are they gonna come out and spend if the majority thinks we just destroyed a good thing. The fans embraced this team and AA for 3 months. The fans were hyped up after coming short in the ALCS. Then all of a sudden the team lost its Moses. And I agree with the mob. AA should have been kept to atleast see how far he could take his creation

 

You got to keep the masses happy. They pay with cash so they are entitled to their opinions no matter how dumb.

 

If the majority of fans cried for Shapiro or Alex to hand blank cheques and an unlimited amount of years to keep Edwin & Jose. Do you support the Jays Front Office doing that?

[GeorgiaPeach]

F u

 

If the Yanks and Mets didn't have a problem with it. I'd prefer to see MLB put a team back in Brooklyn.

[burlingtonbandit]

AA is the ultimate politician and that's exactly where he should take his career if he doesn't land another GM job. Who else could get away with making such empty promises as building a "sustainable winner" from the ground up by developing young power arms in the rotation, and then leaving 6 years later as a hero despite there being so many holes in the rotation?

 

The guy goes from answering fan mail to being handed one of the best career opportunities in all of majors... Taking over a team with such low expectations and having years to patiently build up prospect capital rather than being pushed to compete. Not to mention being allowed to trade the best pitcher in the game for prospects without much criticism. And unlike his predecessor, he's also given a lot more flexibility to hire more advisers/scouts and to spend more freely on the draft.

 

So what does he do when it comes times to complete? He targets guys like Dickey, Reyes, Josh Johnson and Bonifacio to name a few... proceeds to add zero depth to the rotation and crowns JPA as the catcher that will lead his staff. And when that fail he essentially sits on his hands the following year and does next to nothing to improve the club. Finally with his back against the wall and his job on the line, he makes a few nice moves along with a few relatively irresponsible ones and watches a team that was playing .500 ball after 100 games get hot and go on a nice run.

 

He's obviously done a pretty good job this year considering the circumstances he put himself into, but the process has been far from foolproof. Somehow though, he's got masses deceived into thinking that "he's the hardest working GM in the game" and that his "ninja" moves are about to lead the team into a dynasty. Just like most politicians, he's got the media wrapped around his fingers... The other day he had the Bobcat slobber all over his knob and thanking him endlessly for all the great interviews he's provided over the years (despite him dodging every question til the very last interview).

 

The silver lining however is that he finally bought his own BS and turned down a job that's turned his flabby ass into a hero because he felt like he's entitled to more.

 

I dunno hes a pretty good people person. I don't think you should fault the guy for being nice to everyone he encounters. If a fan came up to him and wanted to talk baseball when he was on a scouting trip he would talk to the guy. Not many of these massive ego GMs will do that.

 

Masai for the Raptors is similar in that respect. While Lou for the Leafs is the opposite and one of the worst people in sports.

[Boogerloo]

If the majority of fans cried for Shapiro or Alex to hand blank cheques and an unlimited amount of years to keep Edwin & Jose. Do you support the Jays Front Office doing that?

 

Ofcourse not. But the masses would rather have AA make that decision than the new guy.

[GeorgiaPeach]

Grass is always greener on the other side

 

Shapiro is the leader in mediocrity. He will bring in tons of young talent but that will never result in victories. I guess if the goal is to have the #1 farm system in the league, he is your man

 

I can't see the Cubs or Astros sliding as an MLB team any time soon. And there's still many pieces on the farm to keep them in the top 15. The same also applies to the Rangers who by BA rankings haven't fallen below 15th in the last 5 years of rankings but field a contender/competitive team.

[Trouba95]

 

Here you go

[BTS]

 

Here you go

 

Nice. If it stays in the 5-10 range in the league this team could be good for a long time.

[GeorgiaPeach]

Ofcourse not. But the masses would rather have AA make that decision than the new guy.

 

Fair enough.

 

And the masses would be in an uproar if we traded Bautista or Edwin for Trout and the Angels at Trout's entire contract.

 

There's too many emotional ties fans make with players or teams.

[THANOS]

I can't see Hendriks sitting 94-96 in the rotation.

 

He's likely throwing a tick above what he was when he was starting before.

 

It's a drastic increase of like 3-4 mph on average with him topping out at even 99 at times. I'm pretty sure he'll sit around 93-95, in the rotation, given this dramatic increase was not just a 1-year anomaly. I think it's worth checking out, just like it was when Carrasco's fastball increased by 3 mph's in 2013 in the bullpen.

[GD]

Nice. If it stays in the 5-10 range in the league this team could be good for a long time.

 

I was expecting $130. That's not an insignificant difference. That's an entire extra pitcher you could probably add.

 

$32m to add, then, and if you non-tender Revere (I'd trade him for depth guy like Cory Rasmus/Mike Morin), Smoak, Thole, Saunders (MiLB deal hopefully), that climbs up to $40m you can add between 3 rotation spots (probably) and hopefully one bat (OF or 1B/DH depending on Bautista).

[Boogerloo]

Fair enough.

 

And the masses would be in an uproar if we traded Bautista or Edwin for Trout and the Angels at Trout's entire contract.

 

There's too many emotional ties fans make with players or teams.

 

If we could trade for Trout, I will personally drive EE and Bau to LA. Altho to be honest I would hesitate trading Bats.

 

And as a team you need these emotionally tied fans. They are the ones who will get their kids, the new generation to keep buying your product.

[GD]

Should've just listend to high85 and traded Bautista for Mike Trout smh

[Boxcar]

Fair enough.

 

And the masses would be in an uproar if we traded Bautista or Edwin for Trout and the Angels at Trout's entire contract.

 

There's too many emotional ties fans make with players or teams.

 

Lol what a load of absolute s***. Can you ever make a point without resorting to hyperbole?

[GeorgiaPeach]

It's a drastic increase of like 3-4 mph on average with him topping out at even 99 at times. I'm pretty sure he'll sit around 93-95, in the rotation, given this dramatic increase was not just a 1-year anomaly. I think it's worth checking out, just like it was when Carrasco's fastball increased by 3 mph's in 2013 in the bullpen.

 

Stroman

Dickey

Hutchison

Osuna

Hendriks +

___________

= playoffs

[GeorgiaPeach]

Lol what a load of absolute s***. Can you ever make a point without resorting to hyperbole?

 

I'm not in favour of what the masses want ever.

 

FTFYF

[Trouba95]

Stroman

Dickey

Hutchison

Osuna

Hendriks +

___________

= playoffs

 

We'll have 30-40 million to spend. That's why I agree with you on trading one of EE/Jose or both for a starter(s). It'd be in this org's best interest.