Alex Anthopoulos reportedly joins Los Angeles Dodgers' front office

[Flight33]

http://www.bluebirdbanter.com/2016/1/5/10717604/alex-anthopoulos-reportedly-joins-los-angeles-dodgers-front-office

Ultimate slap in the face to Jays management. They had it coming.

[OakleyDokely]

Zaidi was born in Canada as well. Should be a good fit for AA.

Friedman, Zaidi, AA -- a lot of great baseball minds together with a lot of money to work with. Now, that's how you build a front office. LA raided some of the best run organizations. Not shocking that AA would want to work with that group over Shatkins.

[Randle McMurphy]

Ultimate slap in the face to Jays management. They had it coming.

How so? He was always going to take another job in baseball this offseason and the Dodgers are as good an option as any. If it's a full-time GM/president job that he seeks, though, he won't be long for LA. Don't think it has anything to do with taking a shot at Rogers or Shapiro.

[C Court]

Good for Alex. He made up his mind to leave and he did.

Don't see how this is any more a slap in the face than if he had gone elsewhere. Honestly, he's moved to a west coast NL team which is about as far away from Toronto as you can get. Jays and Dodgers don't even play each other than an occasional inter-league game.

[CrookedJ]

Good for Alex. He made up his mind to leave and he did.

Don't see how this is any more a slap in the face than if he had gone elsewhere. Honestly, he's moved to a west coast NL team which is about as far away from Toronto as you can get. Jays and Dodgers don't even play each other than an occasional inter-league game.

Agreed. The ultimate slap in the face would have been ending up in the AL East in a very big role for very little money. Revenge will be his compensation muhahahaha. This sounds like a dream job. I think I'm actually happy for him.

[wbbfan]

ohhh man. i have a feeling end of this year jays fans are gonna be crying for the return of AA...

[satyr9]

I don't get the big deal about this story, it's precisely what a ton of the talking heads predicted would happen. GM jobs were gone for now, so he was gonna get a short-term deal being some west coast teams east coast eyes. And the Dodgers are obviously the easiest fit. Maybe it all slots together and he sticks around there, but this looks like a basic keeping busy deal while he waits for a GM job. I know some think he might not go back to being a GM, but that I don't buy, I think he'll be back in the chair soon enough.

[Bankai]

Guess AA took his talents to the other South Beach.

That damn warm weather always taking our guys man..

[Santoki]

ohhh man. i have a feeling end of this year jays fans are gonna be crying for the return of AA...

They already have been. Where have you been all offseason?

[SharoneWright]

Started from the bottom.

[Raps in 4]

Zaidi was born in Canada as well. Should be a good fit for AA.

Friedman, Zaidi, AA -- a lot of great baseball minds together with a lot of money to work with. Now, that's how you build a front office. LA raided some of the best run organizations. Not shocking that AA would want to work with that group over Shatkins.

And they have an owner that's actually willing to spend. Good career move for AA.

[C Court]

This is a short term gig that gives AA a pay check and keeps him in baseball, because there are no GM vacancies. Wouldn't surprise me if he continues to live and work in Toronto.

AA turned down the Jays GM job because he wanted total autonomy. In LA, they have a GM and his team in place. So its not like Alex is going to suddenly step in and run the show. Far from it.

He's simply waiting until next off-season when he can find a new job where he makes all baseball decisions.

[JaysRule15]

The Dodgers also poached our International Scouting director Ismael Cruz a couple of months ago. Wouldn't be surprised if more employees of the team head down there once AA's role with the Dodgers is finalized.

[The_Hater]

ohhh man. i have a feeling end of this year jays fans are gonna be crying for the return of AA...

Only in toronto does 5 seasons of failure and 1 season of success make someone who legend. Meanwhile the new management team doesn't even get to play a single game and they're already a failure. It's headscratching.

[The_Hater]

Zaidi was born in Canada as well. Should be a good fit for AA.

Friedman, Zaidi, AA -- a lot of great baseball minds together with a lot of money to work with. Now, that's how you build a front office. LA raided some of the best run organizations. Not shocking that AA would want to work with that group over Shatkins.

And they have an owner that's actually willing to spend. Good career move for AA.

What career move? He's not the GM or someone higher than that. He'll likely be an asst or just a consultant. He's just keeping his feet warm waiting for a real job to open up and then he'll be gone.

[cram]

That's about as plum a situation as you can find short of a GM job. Good for him.

[JN]

If anything, this shows that it may have been more of an issue between AA and the Jays, then AA and Shapiro.

[JN]

Zaidi was born in Canada as well. Should be a good fit for AA.

Friedman, Zaidi, AA -- a lot of great baseball minds together with a lot of money to work with. Now, that's how you build a front office. LA raided some of the best run organizations. Not shocking that AA would want to work with that group over Shatkins.

And they have an owner that's actually willing to spend. Good career move for AA.

His last moves hurt the franchise in the end. If he knew Jays management was not going to increase the payroll to support where the Jays would be on the franchise success cycle after completing the summer trades, then the trades probably should not have been done in the first place.

Unless Ownership committed to or was vague on increasing the payroll at the time of the deals and then failed to do so == which of course is quite possible as well. This could have been the ultimate trigger for his departure,

I would hate to be a GM considering win now moves with an ownership group that is waffling or can't be trusted.

[Raps in 4]

Zaidi was born in Canada as well. Should be a good fit for AA.

Friedman, Zaidi, AA -- a lot of great baseball minds together with a lot of money to work with. Now, that's how you build a front office. LA raided some of the best run organizations. Not shocking that AA would want to work with that group over Shatkins.

And they have an owner that's actually willing to spend. Good career move for AA.

His last moves hurt the franchise in the end. If he knew Jays management was not going to increase the payroll to support where the Jays would be on the franchise success cycle after completing the summer trades, then the trades probably should not have been done in the first place.

Unless Ownership committed to or was vague on increasing the payroll at the time of the deals and then failed to do so == which of course is quite possible as well. This could have been the ultimate trigger for his departure,

I would hate to be a GM considering win now moves with an ownership group that is waffling or can't be trusted.

You have to also consider that Rogers was no doubt breathing down his neck demanding "results". And even though he might have hurt the franchise long term, getting to watch a contender in this city for the first time in my life was well worth it. I'd take one season of contention over sustained mediocrity (the MO of the Leafs and Raptors over the past decade) any day.

But to say he hurt us long term is also disingenuous. He got us the league MVP (with years of control left) and last season's ROY front runner as part of his "win now" moves (while giving up almost nothing to get them).

[C Court]

Yesterday I heard Davidi & Blair confirm that AA would continue to live and work from Toronto.