Twitter reaction: Anthopoulos departure draws mixed reviews

MLB insider Shi Davidi joins Jeff Blair to speculate why Alex Anthopoulos turned down the Blue Jays contract offer, wondering if it’s simply philosophical differences between he and new team president Mark Shapiro?

Sportsnet Staff October 29, 2015, 8:33 AM

Toronto Blue Jays fans woke up to some shocking news Thursday morning, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports that Alex Anthopoulos will not be back as the team’s general manager after rejecting a contract extension.

Following a memorable season in which the Blue Jays made the playoffs for the first time in 22 seasons, won the American League East title, and got all the way to Game 6 of the ALCS on the back of an incredible trade deadline put together by Anthopoulos, many were stunned by the news of the 38-year-old general manager’s departure and took to Twitter to make it known.

If not over money, Anthopoulos’ departure almost certainly linked to changing dynamic of #BlueJays’ front-office with Shapiro’s arrival.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 29, 2015

Just give Montreal a team and let Alex Anthopoulos run it and all will be well with the world.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 29, 2015

Well …

— Jeff Blair (@SNJeffBlair) October 29, 2015

This one hurts. AA was everything I would want in a GM. Made the big trades, productive drafts. Huge loss. #Bluejays https://t.co/0JrDp7RxY1

— Alex Seixeiro (@AlexSeixeiro) October 29, 2015

And so, what becomes of John Gibbons…

— Dan Robson (@RobsonDan) October 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/659706747867779076

Why do we always seem to eat our own? https://t.co/cVceMeBKnn

— John Shannon (@JShannonhl) October 29, 2015

Just serves as another reminder: if you're a fan of a Toronto sports team, you cannot have nice things. #anthopoulos

— Adam Wylde (@AdamWylde) October 29, 2015

The Jays off-season I was warning you about looks like it is underway! https://t.co/gJzj0WcumJ

— Tim Micallef (@tim_micallef) October 29, 2015

Well, now we know who the first GM of the New @Montreal_Expos will be . . .

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/bradyfan590/status/659697353629310977

BREAKING NEWS: Alex Anthopoulos named new GM of the @Montreal_Expos. Oh wait, that was a dream I had.

— Kevin Glew (@coopincanada) October 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/thisisbarn/status/659705639938035712

What Anthopoulos did well was accumulate lots of young talent to play and to deal for established talent. Should not be unemployed for long.

— Camden Depot (@CamdenDepot) October 29, 2015

How dare Alex Anthopoulos actually win in Toronto.

— Jordan Hopkins (@hopkinsj31) October 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/AvishSood/status/659711409983504384

On the bright side, I can now look forward to Alex Anthopoulos's triumphant playoff return as GM of the new Montreal Expos in 2020.

— Daniel Blouin (@danielblouin) October 29, 2015

Alex Anthopoulos sells the farm system and then leaves the team.. Smooth

— Alain Trottier (@AlainTrottier4) October 29, 2015

Anthopoulos will never have to pay for a drink in this town ever again. And he deserves that. But, he wasn't a perfect GM either.

— Chris Black (@DownToBlack) October 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/thescottlewis/status/659714827053621249

https://twitter.com/DamoSpin/status/659714987926102016

Not saying I agree but I remember reading many MLB execs shook their heads at Anthopoulos' deadline prospect purge.

— Mike Cormack (@MikeCormack) October 29, 2015

https://twitter.com/TheGameSheet/status/659714689706934272

Surprised to see Anthopoulos leave #BlueJays. Another turning point for the team. He will be a coveted GM candidate around baseball.

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) October 29, 2015

The unfortunate part is that the #FireGibbons crowd might end up prevailing here. That's a blow to every sane person.

— Jeff Simmons (@realjeffsimmons) October 29, 2015

Once Mark Shapiro was hired to replace Beeston, new context. Bottom line: Anthopoulos went from having near-total control to not having it.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) October 29, 2015