Report: Blue Jays GM Anthopoulos to return in 2015
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos will be back next season, according to "a bevy of major-league sources," Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reports.
Despite Anthopoulos having taken heat from both the fan base and slugger Jose Bautista for his inactivity at this year's non-waiver trade deadline, Simmons says Blue Jays ownership has no plans to make a change:
Apparently, there is no temperature at all to remove Anthopoulos from his job — in fact, quite the opposite sentiment exists — with an appreciation internally for the manner in which he has conducted his business.
He opted not to trade pitching prospects Aaron Sanchez, Marcus Stroman and Daniel Norris at the deadline. The Blue Jays are now second in the American League East at 64-60, 6 1/2 games behind the first-place Baltimore Orioles and 3 1/2 games out in the wildcard race.
Anthopoulos has not been given any indication about his future, nor has manager John Gibbons, according to the report.
Neither Anthopoulos nor team president Paul Beeston would comment.
Next season would be the 37-year-old's sixth as the Jays' general manager. He was hired to replace J.P. Ricciardi in October, 2009.
The Blue Jays are 377-395 (.488) in the five seasons under Anthopoulos.