GM Alex Anthopoulos Leaving the Jays

[SwainZag]

As per MLB Trade Rumors he rejected a 5 year extension and is leaving the team.  I gotta say this is a shocking one to me.

[nicksaviking]

Going to the Dodgers or something?  He has to be either lured away by a big market team or offered a President of Baseball Operations gig.

[TheLeviathan]

That is surprising.  He's a pretty sharp GM overall.

[twinsnorth49]

Wanted full control and didn't feel he would under Shapiro. Sportsnet reported Shapiro "scolded" him during their one meeting this summer for trading away so many prospects.

 

This has been a bit of a quiet discussion point since it was announced Shapiro would be the new President.

[Mike Sixel]

Uh, didn't he acquire all those prospects in the first place? Where would they be this year w/o those trades and FA acquisitions?

 

It's easy to say the trade with the Mets was bad.....what about all the good stuff?

[Otto von Ballpark]

Interesting to see the evolution of the "team president" position around the league.  The days of Jerry Bell or Dave St Peter holding that title are fading fast!

[beckmt]

Looks like he would not have final authority except for money.  That probably would be a non-starter for him.

 

[jokin]

 

Interesting to see the evolution of the "team president" position around the league.  The days of Jerry Bell or Dave St Peter holding that title are fading fast!

 

Not in Minnesota, though... yippee?

[jokin]

 

That is surprising.  He's a pretty sharp GM overall.

 

Uh, didn't he acquire all those prospects in the first place? Where would they be this year w/o those trades and FA acquisitions?

It's easy to say the trade with the Mets was bad.....what about all the good stuff?

 

I should say so.  Who else is as worthy on the short list for Exec of The Year?

[twinsnorth49]

 

Looks like he would not have final authority except for money.  That probably would be a non-starter for him.

Yep, that's pretty much what it boiled down to.

[drjim]

Not in Minnesota, though... yippee?

18 of 30 teams are structured like the Twins.

 

Titles are meaningless anyways, responsibilities are what counts, which is why AA is gone.

 

Will be interesting to see where he lands. Don't blame him for leaving but hard to see a ready made spot for him. Probably a special assistant for a big market team for a year or two.

 

He had a nice year but nothing in his track record suggests he's anything more than an average gm.

[Thrylos]

 

I should say so.  Who else is as worthy on the short list for Exec of The Year?

 

Jeff Luhnow, Dayton Moore, Jon Daniels AL

 

Sandy Alderson, Jed Hoyer NL

[Mike Sixel]

18 of 30 teams are structured like the Twins.

 

Titles are meaningless anyways, responsibilities are what counts, which is why AA is gone.

 

Will be interesting to see where he lands. Don't blame him for leaving but hard to see a ready made spot for him. Probably a special assistant for a big market team for a year or two.

 

He had a nice year but nothing in his track record suggests he's anything more than an average gm.

He successfully traded Vernon Wells. His teams have never lost 90 games, even in the AL East. Last year they were good, this year they were maybe the best team in all of baseball. Not sure how "nothing suggests he's better than average".

[drjim]

He went 85, 73, 74, 83 and now 93. I think the team is in decent shape, another year or two perhaps, but not necessarily set to be a juggernaut. Seems pretty average considering his resources. Perfectly fine but also not an injustice if he doesn't get another shot.

[Thrylos]

 

He went 85, 73, 74, 83 and now 93. I think the team is in decent shape, another year or two perhaps, but not necessarily set to be a juggernaut. Seems pretty average considering his resources. Perfectly fine but also not an injustice if he doesn't get another shot.

 

Have you checked the Division they are in?

[jokin]

 

Have you checked the Division they are in?

 

Apparently not...

[jokin]

 

18 of 30 teams are structured like the Twins.

Titles are meaningless anyways, responsibilities are what counts, which is why AA is gone.

Will be interesting to see where he lands. Don't blame him for leaving but hard to see a ready made spot for him. Probably a special assistant for a big market team for a year or two.

He had a nice year but nothing in his track record suggests he's anything more than an average gm.

 

You really don't follow a track record of transactions too closely, do you?

 

AA will be snapped up in no time... I'm sure he left Toronto knowing that there were multiple standing offers elsewhere, maybe not GM spots, but safe landing spots until the next juicy offer comes along. There's always a certain group of franchises that put a premium on going for it when warranted and prefer the benefits derived from "splashy and flashy" vs. "plodding, dodding and predictably methodical".

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

18 of 30 teams are structured like the Twins.

What's that structure?  Non-baseball president?  Just curious.

 

I would guess that number has been trending downward.  Not just presidents, but more organizations seem to have multiple former or legit future GMs around the top, in addition to their current GM.  How many other teams have both a St. Peter and a Rob Antony type in their top 3?

[drjim]

What's that structure? Non-baseball president? Just curious.

 

I would guess that number has been trending downward. Not just presidents, but more organizations seem to have multiple former or legit future GMs around the top, in addition to their current GM. How many other teams have both a St. Peter and a Rob Antony type in their top 3?

Correct - non-baseball operations guy as President. And also correct that the trend is away from this. Baseball operations is taking the top title in more and more organizations.

 

I don't know if you can equate St. Peter and Antony, one is business and one is baseball. I think all organizations split this only with a variety of ways of giving them titles.

 

I do think, like most things, Twins are slower on this change, but they do have a former gm on staff.

[drjim]

You really don't follow a track record of transactions too closely, do you?

 

AA will be snapped up in no time... I'm sure he left Toronto knowing that there were multiple standing offers elsewhere, maybe not GM spots, but safe landing spots until the next juicy offer comes along. There's always a certain group of franchises that put a premium on going for it when warranted and prefer the benefits derived from "splashy and flashy" vs. "plodding, dodding and predictably methodical".

I follow transactions very closely.

 

I'm also confident AA will get a job, never stated otherwise, just skeptical he'll ever be the top guy again.

[Otto von Ballpark]

Correct - non-baseball operations guy as President. And also correct that the trend is away from this. Baseball operations is taking the top title in more and more organizations.

 

I don't know if you can equate St. Peter and Antony, one is business and one is baseball. I think all organizations split this only with a variety of ways of giving them titles.

 

I do think, like most things, Twins are slower on this change, but they do have a former gm on staff.

I forgot about Krivsky. They actually have 2 former GMs if you count Smith (I won't).

 

I know St Peter is the business guy, but this org seems to rely way too much on TR for its baseball direction. There are always bad GMs, but how many teams have handed the keys to a guy with Smith's background? Then after having to take the keys away, leave a guy with Antony's background in the #2 spot?

 

Didn't mean to spin this discussion toward the Twins, but man am I worried if/when TR has to step down again...

[drjim]

 

I forgot about Krivsky. They actually have 2 former GMs if you count Smith (I won't).

I know St Peter is the business guy, but this org seems to rely way too much on TR for its baseball direction. There are always bad GMs, but how many teams have handed the keys to a guy with Smith's background? Then after having to take the keys away, leave a guy with Antony's background in the #2 spot?

Didn't mean to spin this discussion toward the Twins, but man am I worried if/when TR has to step down again...

 

Seems that would be the perfect time to do a proper reorg and bring in some fresh blood. I'm not sure Pohlad has it in him. Would almost certainly be a disaster if he doesn't.

 

I don't count Smith either, especially because he's on the business side.

[drjim]

BTW, here's the Fangraphs article by Dave Cameron that I used for the front office organizational numbers. Good article all around.

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/alex-anthopoulos-and-title-inflation/

[Otto von Ballpark]

Thanks for the link. Agreed on the Twins, and it would be nice to see some baby steps toward that reorganization already (maybe TR up to president, with a new young GM he could work with for a few years and potentially hand over the reins if all goes well.

[drjim]

Thanks for the link. Agreed on the Twins, and it would be nice to see some baby steps toward that reorganization already (maybe TR up to president, with a new young GM he could work with for a few years and potentially hand over the reins if all goes well.

Based on no knowledge I think Ryan is about ready to be done but wants to stay until he clearly is handing off a team in a solid position. That would be the time to reorg, maybe kick him upstairs.

 

I support another year of keeping as is to build on last year's momentum.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'd love to see the organization follow the Cubs and others by putting a baseball guy in the president seat and Ryan would look good in that role.

 

I question whether Ryan wants to be in baseball much longer, though.

[Thrylos]

 

I'd love to see the organization follow the Cubs and others by putting a baseball guy in the president seat and Ryan would look good in that role.

 

Indeed.  But hard to pry him from the Rangers

 

If you are talking about Terry, that Ryan would not look good in that Role.  They need someone who won something and has proven himself.  TR has done neither. 

 

Part of the Twins' problem is inbreeding.  They need to go outside the organization and get a proven winner.  Joe Torre would be perfect for something like this...

[biggentleben]

 

Indeed.  But hard to pry him from the Rangers

 

If you are talking about Terry, that Ryan would not look good in that Role.  They need someone who won something and has proven himself.  TR has done neither. 

 

Part of the Twins' problem is inbreeding.  They need to go outside the organization and get a proven winner.  Joe Torre would be perfect for something like this...

 

Joe Torre is about second in power over the game to only Manfred, but coming to work in a business capacity for the Twins would absolutely be the job that'd pull him away from that...