While it may have seemed difficult to do so without losing an executive, the Los Angeles Dodgers front office recently added a new member in Alex Anthopoulos. The former Toronto Blue Jays general manager joined the Dodgers organization as vice president of baseball operations.
Anthopoulos becomes the seventh former or current general manager working in the club’s front office.
The laundry list includes Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Farhan Zaidi, senior advisor Ned Colletti, senior vice president of baseball operations Josh Bynres, special advisor Gerry Hunsicker and special advisor to the chairman Tommy Lasorda.
Lasorda, a former Dodgers manager as well, worked as the club’s interim general manager from June to September in 1998.
However, unexpected the hire may seem, Anthopoulos recently said he intends to remain with the Dodgers organization for the long-term. The 38 year old is moving to Los Angeles where his daily activities are expected to include meeting with Friedman and Zaidi.
As for the outside perception and concern of the Dodgers having too many executives under one roof, Anthopoulos doesn’t believe it to be an issue, according to Jon Weisman of Dodger Insider:
“I just look at it as really talented baseball guys that are here, and that’s actually part of the appeal,” Anthopoulos said. “All these guys, they come from different backgrounds (and) experiences. … Ultimately Andrew has the final say, which is the way it should be, but he is someone who values opinion and input. It’s a great collaboration on his end. I guess I respect those guys so much, it’s really exciting for me, because I do think it’s a great fit.
Additionally, Anthopoulos added each individual’s mindset and approach will complement each other:
“From a philosophical standpoint, they’re all unique in their own way. … They all bring their own elements to the table, and they balance each other and complement each other very well. From my experience, any time you take executives from other clubs, they’re not going to necessarily look at the world the same way. When you bring them all together, we can consolidate our ideas and thoughts, and hopefully that leads to great decisions — and wins.”
Anthopoulos spent the past six seasons as the Blue Jays’ general manager. After constructing a club that made its first postseason appearance in 22 years, he was selected as Sporting News’ MLB Executive of the Year in 2015.
He turned down an extension and surprisingly and abruptly left his post as Blue Jays GM one week after the AL East champions were eliminated from the postseason.
