Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos announced on Thursday that he is leaving the team.
Anthopoulos’s contract with the team expires on Saturday. The Blue Jays had offered him a multi-year extension but he turned it down, according to ESPN. Anthopoulos’s decision to leave comes at a time when Mark Shapiro will become the Blue Jays president. Shapiro is replacing Paul Beeston, who is retiring.
"After an exciting 2015 season, Alex Anthopoulos has reluctantly and regrettably decided that he is not going to return," Beeston said in a statement. "Alex has done an unbelievable job and positioned us well for the future. He can take great pride in his past and while we do not know where his future is taking him, we do know wherever he is going, he will be successful."
Anthopoulos became the Blue Jays general manager in 2009, replacing J.P. Ricciardi. During the offseason he acquired third baseman Josh Donaldson in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. At the trade deadline he acquired pitcher David Price, shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, and outfielder Ben Revere. The Blue Jays were 489-483 under Anthopoulos and never finished better than third in the AL East until this season when they won the AL East with a 93-69 record and made the playoffs for the first time in 22 years, according to USA Today. They were eliminated. however, by the Kansas City Royals in the American League Championship Series.
In is unknown whether Shapiro will take over the Blue Jays baseball operations or if he’ll hire a new general manager.