The Toronto Blue Jays sold out a portion of their farm system in hopes of a 2015 World Series but fell short of a ring, and incoming president Mark Shapiro questioned the merit of the trades.
That conversation may have played a role in Alex Anthopoulos declining a four-year extension to serve as general manager. Rick Westhead of TSN notes a team source said:
“Mark is a pretty direct guy and he was basically questioning giving up so many great prospects. He basically was trying to point out Alex really was going for broke.”
Toronto added shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, starting pitcher David Price and outfielder Ben Revere, shipping away the likes of Jeff Hoffman, Miguel Castro, Jesus Tinoco, Daniel Norris and Alberto Tirado.
However, the acquisitions didn’t pay off in a ring, but they basically failed during the postseason in general. Tulowitzki battled a dismal .205, including a 3-for-25 clip in Blue Jays losses. Price pitched 23.1 innings but allowed a still-league-high 16 earned runs, while Revere managed a middling .255 average.
Anthopoulos’ all-in approach was a bold move, and he deserves credit for trying something a good chunk of general managers certainly would shy away from. Nevertheless, excluding Dalton Pompey, Toronto no longer has as many potential immediate-impact prospects.
On the other hand, a strong majority of the Blue Jays are expected to return in 2016, so perhaps Anthopoulous’ moves will pay off next year. He just won’t be in the Toronto office to watch it happen.