OT: The Toronto Blue Jays

[CH1]

Yeah, that suuuuuuuuuuuuucks.


True, but Rogers was ready to move on from AA when they put the wheels in motion to hire Shapiro. They probably promised Shapiro everything including the kitchen sink and when the Jays made their run had to go to plan B which was to offer AA an actual contract to save face. Shapiro wasn't put in the greatest spot either. I can't imagine an AA-Shapiro tandem working the way Rogers went about things. AA was doomed once Shapiro was hired.

Yep, that's why i find it weird when people say that hiring Shapiro was a no brainer for him, but not for Rogers. What? Rogers were the ones hot and heavy for Shapiro (and before that Williams, Duquette, and God knows who else). if all Rogers wanted was some figurehead to keep the lights (and grass) on at the Rogers Centre, they could have found someone else

 

[anne25]

Anthopoulos's Job Would Have Been the Same under Shapiro. I wonder if this is fact or just Rogers PR attempt to quell the storm?

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/rogers-anthopouloss-job-would-have-been-the-same-under-shapiro/

Or:

Is it Shapiro’s fault that he took a job that Rogers Communications offered?

No, not at all.

It is the fault of Rogers UnCommunications for creating the mess that led to running off the most successful Jays GM since Hall of Famer Pat Gillick. Anthopoulos received an initial one-year-offer plus an option,* was told that the Price trade was paying too much and was questioned about manager John Gibbons in his first conversation, according to scouts.

Anthopoulos must have seen a change coming in mid- September because 2016 contracts went out to scouts with instructions to “sign them and get them back quickly


There has been a lot of speculation as to who will be the next GM of the Jays.
Our guess is that the Jays have someone who will conduct the day-to-day baseball duties of the GM or else the former one would not have left.

The man handling the GM duties will be Shapiro.

* later changed to a 5 yr. deal with opt out after one year

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/10/30/questions-surrounding-jays-future-leaves-fans-anxious

 

[JackBurton]

That's was really shitty of Rogers to announce that 5 year deal when in fact it began as a 1 year+ an option.

 

[Hoss]

Yeah they are trying to put out as many things to tell people.....see we tried Alex is the one saying no... That is real shitty and gong to be found out real easy.

 

[MindzEye]

Anthopoulos received an initial one-year-offer plus an option

Anthopoulos must have seen a change coming in mid- September because 2016 contracts went out to scouts with instructions to “sign them and get them back quickly

was told that the Price trade was paying too much and was questioned about manager John Gibbons in his first conversation, according to scouts.

Tell me more how this is just a case of AA's out of control ego......

 

[leafman101]

Yeah, its not an ego thing. Heard AA interviewed on the fan, and when he was asked if the next job need to be as a GM he said No. He'd be happy to be an advisor or scout or any role.

So it just comes down to Shapiro giving AA the impression that he couldn't even spend another year here.

 

[MindzEye]

Yeah, its not an ego thing. Heard AA interviewed on the fan, and when he was asked if the next job need to be as a GM he said No. He'd be happy to be an advisor or scout or any role.

So it just comes down to Shapiro giving AA the impression that he couldn't even spend another year here.

For anyone confused about the scout contract thing...there was clearly some concern from Shapiro that AA would be able to take a number of the top scouts in the organization with him and wanted them signed to contracts before AA got pushed out.

This has Ted Rogers' ridiculous spawns finger prints all over this mess.

 

[leafman101]

Interesting. I read it the opposite way. AA saw the writing on the wall so he extended the contracts of his staff before he left.

 

[MindzEye]

Interesting. I read it the opposite way. AA saw the writing on the wall so he extended the contracts of his staff before he left.

Ahhh, also makes sense.

 

[Deckie007]

Interesting. I read it the opposite way. AA saw the writing on the wall so he extended the contracts of his staff before he left.

Yeah, that's how I read it.

 

[LeafOfFaith]

Me three.

 

[CH1]

Interesting. I read it the opposite way. AA saw the writing on the wall so he extended the contracts of his staff before he left.

Yep. Richard Griffin mentioned it in his prescient article published 3 days before AA left.

Luckily for all of Anthopoulos’ lieutenants, their boss earlier in the summer locked them up to deals through 2016 — maybe seeing potential darkness on the edge of town.

http://on.thestar.com/1LxUmwu

Astute fans should have seen the writing beginning to form on the wall last year when high profile development execs like Williams and Duquette were pursued, plus AA was not given an extension. It's standard for general managers to negotiate an extension a year before the contract is over.

 

[MindzEye]

Astute fans should have seen the writing beginning to form on the wall last year when high profile development execs like Williams and Duquette were pursued, plus AA was not given an extension. It's standard for general managers to negotiate an extension a year before the contract is over.

Agreed, though it was hard to imagine seeing him walk away from this given the way the 2nd half unfolded....was also hard to see the new guy not approving of walking into a situation where the team had a legendary offence locked in through next season and a few important pitching decisions being his only real off season work required to roll out a legitimate WS contender.

 

[CH1]

Some good stuff in Richard Griffin's piece about Thor and Sanchez.

http://on.thestar.com/1REi0Ji

Recall that when the Jays were angling for R.A. Dickey in a trade with the Mets in November 2012, it was a choice of which studly prospect would be included in the package.
Former Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos insisted at the time the organization believed Sanchez would be the better prospect long-term. But if that winds up being true, the California youngster has a lot of catching up to do.

 

[CH1]

Agreed, though it was hard to imagine seeing him walk away from this given the way the 2nd half unfolded....was also hard to see the new guy not approving of walking into a situation where the team had a legendary offence locked in through next season and a few important pitching decisions being his only real off season work required to roll out a legitimate WS contender.

sure, but nevermind what AA wanted for a sec and flip it -- how much did Rogers want AA if they were content for him to a lame duck GM?

Another interesting thing is that AA admittedly learned to save part of his payroll budget for the trade deadline. Last year he didn't and his arms were tied even though the Jays were right there in the hunt before it all fell apart

 

[MindzEye]

sure, but nevermind what AA wanted for a sec and flip it -- how much did Rogers want AA if they were content for him to a lame duck GM?

Oh, I have no illusions concerning the stupidity involved with the Rogers 'braintrust'. They fumble****ed the search for Beeston's replacement, embarrassing a club legend in the process...then hired a guy that we were told was here to oversee the big renovations to the dome and other business related stuff (basically to take over for Beeston's job tasks), but it really turned out that we had hired a very mediocre baseball executive to take over as our head baseball guy.

Rogers clearly didn't want to keep AA here. If they had identified a guy with a legit winning track record as their target, I'd be cool with it....but Shapiro isn't that guy. Eddie Rogers has proven himself to be both entirely inept and a serial liar whenever he's gotten involved with the baseball club.

Another interesting thing is that AA admittedly learned to save part of his payroll budget for the trade deadline. Last year he didn't and his arms were tied even though the Jays were right there in the hunt before it all fell apart

I absolutely believe both AA and Beeston were sincere last year when they repeated the line they were told by ownership about the money being there if we were in it late....and the organization ****ed him. He wasn't willing to believe the same line 2 years in a row, and it landed us in the playoffs.

 

[CH1]

Despite his love of the city and the team he built, I truly believe AA is happy not to work for Rogers.

I have personally sat in meetings with many of their top execs, and I've never met a more smarmy, unintelligent group of douche-nozzles. Everybody is basically a clone. It's terrifying.

 

[Deckie007]

Despite his love of the city and the team he built, I truly believe AA is happy not to work for Rogers.

I have personally sat in meetings with many of their top execs, and I've never met a more smarmy, unintelligent group of douche-nozzles. Everybody is basically a clone. It's terrifying.

Not surprising. What do you do CH? Marketing?

 

[CH1]

Not surprising. What do you do CH? Marketing?

Media/TV production and marketing. And Jays are considered a media property, so I've met many of the execs over the years in some capacity or another. Always left thinking, WTF was that?

 

[Deckie007]

Media/TV production and marketing. And Jays are considered a media property, so I've met many of the execs over the years in some capacity or another. Always left thinking, WTF was that?

Yeah, their corporate culture leaves much to be desired...shame we don't have a Mark Cuban kicking around in Toronto to own this team.