Alex Anthopoulos Interm Report Card

As Alex Anthopoulos nears the end of his first hundred days on the job as Blue Jays GM, things have run a little smoother in the front office than Blue Jays fans are used to. He hasn’t called out Adam Dunn or sent anyone to the minor leagues for calling him a pimp. He has also made some significant moves that will shape the roster for years to come. The biggest of these moves was Anthopoulos’ signing of outfielder Jeremy Reed to a minor league contract. Anthopoulos also traded Roy Halladay.


Anthopoulos’ three way trade with the Phillies and Mariners was the biggest of the winter, and left the Jays with Kyle Drabek, Travis D’Arnaud and Brett Wallace (who was acquired for Michael Taylor, the third player Toronto received). While losing Roy may have been tough to swallow for Blue Jays fans, it replenished a farm system that was left barren by J.P. Riccardi. Drabek and Wallace are now Toronto’s #1 and #2 prospects according to Baseball America (which leaves me to wonder who J.P. has been drafting for the last three years). On top of Drabek and Wallace, Travis D’Arnaud gives us hope that we won’t have to reacquire Gregg Zaun next winter. Given that Roy was leaving after 2010 and he was closer to free agency than at the July trade deadline, I have to give Alex credit for making the best of a bad situation and landing some prospects with more upside than anyone else in the Blue Jays farm system.


Anthopoulos’ other significant moves this winter were to sign Alex Gonzalez, John Buck and trade for Seattle’s Brandon Morrow. John Buck and Brendan Morrow both filled holes (although the Jays definitely need more than one starting pitcher) and Anthopoulos was smart not to overspend when the Jays still seem a couple years away from contention. The Alex Gonzalez signing now gives Toronto two defensively skilled, light hitting shortstops which led me to wonder why the move was made. Last year’s offensive spike aside, Alex Gonzalez is a pretty comparable offensive player to John McDonald and everyone in Toronto would love to see Johnny Mac get a chance at a starting job. That being said, the Gonzalez signing is relatively low cost and shouldn’t hinder the Jays moving forward.


Anthopoulos’ first hundred days as GM involved all the moves made by a rebuilding of a team, while that may be depressing news for Jays fans, it appears as though at least we’ve found someone who is going about it the right way.