Bolstering their manpower behind the scenes, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced that they have hired Alex Anthopoulos as vice president of baseball operations.
Anthopoulos spent the previous six seasons as general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, leading the franchise to its first playoff appearance in 22 years last season.
Once the Blue Jays were eliminated from the postseason, Anthopoulos parted ways with the organization after he turned down a contract extension.
Toronto’s front office went through a shake-up prior to Anthopoulos deciding to leave. The team hired Cleveland Indians President Mark Shapiro to be its president and CEO.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported the Blue Jays’ contract offer to Anthopoulos included an opt-out if his working relationship with Shapiro was not congenial.
Speaking to the Associated Press, via FoxSports.com about his decision to leave, Anthopoulos did not go into specifics about why he walked away following his most successful season in Toronto: “I don’t know that I’ve had to make a harder decision in my life, but I did what I felt like I needed to do. I just didn’t feel like this was a right fit for me going forward.”
MLB Network Radio tweeted out the official press release announcing the Dodgers’ hiring of Anthopoulos:
The Blue Jays’ loss is Los Angeles’ gain. The Dodgers have built a huge brain trust in their front office with Anthopoulos joining President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Farhan Zaidi, Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Josh Byrnes and President/CEO Stan Kasten.
Los Angeles has plenty of resources, but it has fallen short in the postseason each of the last three years. The Dodgers are acquiring as much front-office expertise as possible to get them over the hump.
Anthopoulos may not have the final say on personnel moves, but his experience as a general manager and shrewd trades during his time in Toronto will give him a louder voice than a typical vice president of baseball operations.
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