“They worked their butts off last offseason and then were forced to sit through and write about 2013. I think it is time to give writers a break, let them spend time with friends and family.”
This is what Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos told SB Nation’s Blue Jays site Bluebird Banter, after explaining the reasoning behind this year’s quiet winter meetings.
“We were a bit reckless,” he went on to say, “maybe that’s too strong of a word, how about ‘trigger-happy’ – last offseason and we never thought about the ramification of our actions on the reporters and bloggers.”
You could say forget the witty jokes and stick with your day job, but, based on the response from fans to this explanation/excuse, there aren’t very many who want to see that happen either.
In November, Alex Anthopoulos optimistically reminded the media and fans of the in-house rotation options the club would seriously consider for 2014, but, for a general manager who notoriously omits the word “confirm” from his vocabulary, his statement was brushed aside so early in the offseason. However, the GM and winter meetings ran their course and, with only two major signings for the club (one which only lasted a day), the upcoming season for the Blue Jays rotation looks as though it will indeed only consist of familiar faces.
The prospect of a healthy Brandon Morrow and Drew Hutchison combined with R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Kyle Drabek or J.A. Happ on deck to nab starting spots, along with seasoned prospects Marcus Stroman, Sean Nolin and Aaron Sanchez waiting on deck, is not sitting well with fans.
The words “joke” and “fool” are pretty much the only two that are not laced with profanity when reacting to Anthopoulos’ apparent vision for 2014. Many point out this is nothing but an injury-prone lineup that will yet again spend more time on the DL than the mound, while others agree this offseason can already be summed up as just another Alex Anthopoulos gamble (polar opposite to last year) that simply won’t work out.
The club seems to be taking the same approach at second base as well. After speculation hovering over names like Ian Kinsler, Omar Infante and Mark Ellis it looks as though Ryan Goins and Maicer Izturis will dance around some sort of sharing arrangement.
Of course, the month of January still hangs in the balance, but Alex Anthopoulos has admitted that the current prices are too high for his taste this year.