Mark Shapiro disappointed Alex Anthopoulos not returning to Blue Jays
TORONTO – Mark Shapiro didn’t anticipate having to address a vacancy at general manager on his first day on the job as president and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays.
But Alex Anthopoulos decided not to re-up less than a week after the Blue Jays were eliminated in the ALCS, leaving the team without a GM and a surprised Shapiro to assess the situation at his introductory press conference Monday afternoon.
“I’m disappointed that Alex won’t be back. Over the last couple of months I’ve gotten to know him, to learn about him,” said Shapiro, who joins the Blue Jays after nearly 25 years as an executive with the Cleveland Indians. “I respect deeply his story, it’s an incredible story. I respect his creativity, his passion, his intellect, his drive to win. It was my sincere hope that I would have the chance to learn from him, to partner with him and to work with him.”
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Anthopoulos’ decision not to return to Toronto, which was characterized as an inevitability after he lost an apparent power struggle with Shapiro, was received with outrage by a fan base still basking in the glow of the team’s first playoff run in over two decades. Shapiro recognized that the timing was awkward, but that his focus doesn’t change, especially with a roster that’s poised to be a contender again.
“In the end, the true test is, are we going to win?” said Shapiro. “I understand the disappointment. I share the disappointment. We’re going to move forward and we’re going seek to build a winning team and a winning organization.”
Shapiro also confirmed that assistant GM Tony LaCava will take over the GM responsibilities on an interim basis and that manager John Gibbons will be back for the 2016 season. LaCava has been with the Blue Jays since 2002 and held the title of assistant GM since 2007. The organization’s self-imposed cap on contracts of more than five years, a long-standing policy under previous president Paul Beeston, is a thing of the past as well, with Shapiro stating he doesn’t believe in absolutes.
The strong core of hitters that Anthopoulos assembled – Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Troy Tulowitzki, Edwin Encarnacion and Russell Martin – are all under contract for next year, but there are certainly questions about Toronto’s pitching. Starters David Price, Marco Estrada and Mark Buehrle are free agents while the club holds an option on R.A. Dickey. And with the Kansas City Royals being crowned World Series champions, the clock has already started on offseason dealings.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
