Blue Jays Morning Brew: Leave it to Alex

It’s another off day for the Toronto Blue Jays, who now sit 2.0 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East. There’s still a Wild Card race to worry about, though, and this weekend’s series against the Los Angeles Angels will go a long way in determining that. To help kickstart your baseball-free Thursday, enjoy a fresh cup of the Morning Brew!

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Jays miss Dombrowski  –  We all know by now that Dave Dombrowski is headed to the Boston Red Sox, but as Bob Elliot of the Toronto Sun tells us, the Blue Jays were definitely involved. Dombrowski spoke with Paul Beeston before his decision, but the Jays are now left looking elsewhere. Elliot lists outgoing Brewers general manager Doug Melvin as a possibility, or suggests the Blue Jays could take another run at someone like Dan Duquette from another organization. Hopefully they make less of a mess this time.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

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• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
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Why not Alex?  –  The further this process goes, the more comfortable I become with general manager Alex Anthopoulos taking over the role as president of baseball operations. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet explores the idea here, where he suggests that the move becomes even easier if Rogers ownership is comfortable with the baseball side of the organization.

“If they deem it is, why set up the potential for dysfunction by adding a layer above Anthopoulos that may or may not share his philosophies? Does this kitchen need more cooks?” Davidi writes. Anthopoulos has proven himself to be fully able of handling the big picture over the past year, and without a surefire candidate externally, why not?

Free Agent Alex?  –  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports is talking Anthopoulos, as well, and worries what will happen in the unlikely situation that the Blue Jays allow their GM to test the open market when his deal expires at the end of the season. I’d be interested to know if Beeston still holds the power to negotiate with Anthopoulos, or if that will be left to the next president and/or ownership. Regardless, I don’t see this situation playing out. At all.

Best Jays roster ever assembled?  –  Another good one from Steve McEwen of Blue Jays Plus here, where he stacks up the current Jays positional players against their position mates from classic Jays teams. Each player is ranked with a score out of five, and not surprisingly, the starting nine from 2015 lead the pack. Segment number two could tell a different tale when Steve breaks down the pitchers, but this is a great way to familiarize yourself with the stats of past stars. Especially for the younger crowd.

Next: It's nearing decision time with Randy Wolf

More from Jays Journal

• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time
• Who Should the Blue Jays Extend First: Guerrero, Bichette or Manoah?
• Blue Jays now hold the top Wild Card spot, and yes that’s a good thing
• Blue Jays may have the tools to use a Bullpen Day
• Blue Jays win important first game after Bichette’s late inning heroics