Blue Jays' mistake allowing Alex Anthopoulos to depart continues to haunt the franchise

It was not that long ago that things looked quite promising for the Toronto Blue Jays. From 2020-2023, the Blue Jays made the playoffs three times and had star-level talent on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse lately and there are now real questions as to how much longer Toronto can realistically compete doing things the way they are.

At the center of these concerns is Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins. Both executives have been under fire. Not only have the Blue Jays not won a playoff series since 2016 despite heavy financial investment in the roster, but Toronto's future looks rather bleak at the moment following several very questionable draft classes and a number of key players set to leave in free agency.

There is a lot to unpack when it comes to the Blue Jays' current situation. However, it is also hard not to wonder if the troubles started when Alex Anthopoulos left town.

Alex Anthopoulos leaving the Blue Jays certainly didn't help, but reality is more complicated than that

Blue Jays fans that have been around for a while remember when Anthopoulos was the team's general manager. Following the 2014 season, Anthopoulos traded for Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzski, and David Price among others and the Blue Jays lost in the ALCS.

However, the installation of Shapiro as president and CEO (allegedly) led to tension over who would have final say on player personnel and Anthopoulos ultimately decided to move on. Shapiro would eventually hire Atkins to take his place and the rest is history.

After a short stay with the Dodgers as an assistant GM, Anthopoulos ended up taking the Braves' general manager position and Atlanta almost immediately started winning division titles left and right and getting a World Series title in 2021. He has made a number of high profile trades and signings to keep the good times rolling and his draft classes have resulted in a number of big league regulars.

In the meantime, patience has all but run out with regard to Shapiro and Atkins. Both are returning in 2025, but a number of the pair's first round picks have already turned into duds, and any momentum the organization had has been frittered away to a shocking degree. There have been some bright spots including signing Kevin Gausman, drafting Bo Bichette, and the emergence of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (the latter of which was signed under Anthopoulos fwiw), but the bad has outweighed the good.

Running a baseball team is hard and Toronto presents unique geographic challenges in terms of attracting top talent. The Blue Jays are trying to make waves including their failed pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, but it's notable that the top names on the market have turned down more money to avoid signing with the Blue Jays lately.

If Shapiro and Atkins can find a way to extend Guerrero Jr., that narrative could change. However, one cannot help but wonder if things in Toronto would've been a lot better if they had just given Anthopoulos the control of the team he sought instead of letting the Braves reap the benefits.

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