| Alex Anthopoulos | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 25, 1977 [1] |
| Nationality | Canada |
| Education | Bachelor of Arts |
| Alma mater | McMaster University |
| Occupation | General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays |
| Known for | Baseball |
| Predecessor | J. P. Ricciardi |
Alex Anthopoulos (born May 25, 1977[2][3]) is currently the Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager for the Toronto Blue Jays. He was appointed to this position from his former position of Assistant General Manager, on October 3, 2009 after previous G.M. J. P. Ricciardi was fired. Anthopoulos came to the Blue Jays in 2003 as a scouting coordinator, after working in the Montreal Expos organization starting in 2000.[3][4]
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Anthopoulos is a Greek Canadian who was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[3] He has a degree in economics from McMaster University.[4] He is married with one child. Alex began his career working with the Montreal Expos.
Alex Anthopoulos began his tenure as the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays by playing a major role in one of the biggest trades in Blue Jays history, "The Doc Deal". In the deal, Anthopoulos traded Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, and Travis D'Arnaud. Soon afterwards, he sent Michael Taylor to the Oakland Athletics for Brett Wallace, and in July 2010, traded Brett Wallace to the Houston Astros for center field prospect Anthony Gose.
On December 22, 2009, Anthopoulos traded reliever Brandon League and minor league outfielder Johermyn Chavez to acquire Brandon Morrow from the Seattle Mariners.
On July 14, 2010 Alex Anthopoulos made a deal with the Atlanta Braves to acquire Yunel Escobar, and Jo-Jo Reyes in exchange for Álex González, and two minor league prospects: Tim Collins, and Tyler Pastornicky.
The Jays' first season with Anthopoulos at the helm resulted in a 85-77 record good for fourth place in the American League East division. The club belted a franchise-record 257 home runs, the third-highest single-season total by any club in major league history.
On January 21, 2011, Alex Anthopoulos completed a blockbuster trade, shipping another longtime face of the Blue Jays franchise Vernon Wells and the remaining US$86 million over the next four years to the Los Angeles Angels for slugging catcher Mike Napoli and veteran outfielder Juan Rivera. He then sent Napoli to the Texas Rangers for pitcher Frank Francisco and Rivera to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
On July 28, 2011, Alex made a deal to acquire center fielder Colby Rasmus from the St. Louis Cardinals as a centerpiece to the 14 player, 3-team trade. Toronto sent pitching prospect Zach Stewart and veteran reliever Jason Frasor to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for starting pitcher Edwin Jackson and infielder Mark Teahen. Edwin Jackson was then sent to the Cardinals along with relief pitchers Marc Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel, outfielder Corey Patterson and cash or 3 player's to be named later, in exchange for Rasmus and relief pitchers Brian Tallet, PJ Walters and Trever Miller.
On August 23, 2011, Alex traded infielders Aaron Hill and John McDonald to the Arizona Diamondbacks for second baseman Kelly Johnson.
He is widely known for liking to stockpile supplemental draft picks. The greatest instance is when he acquired Miguel Olivo, A Type B free agent and declined his club option the next day making Olivo a free agent. He gained a draft pick when Olivo signed with Seattle.
Anthopoulos served as an advanced scout for the Greek National Baseball Team for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The Greek team finished in 7th place.
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| Preceded by J. P. Ricciardi |
Toronto Blue Jays General Manager 2009–present |
Succeeded by current |