Anthopoulos confident in Jays’ new-look roster
Posted March 2, 2012 11:28 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos is taking a whole new mindset into the 2012 MLB season.
Entering his third year as GM of the club, Anthopoulos says his mindset is “night and day” compared to last year, mainly because he has confidence in the Jays’ new-look roster.
“I’m so much more relaxed this spring,” Anthopoulos told Brady & Lang on Sportsnet 590 The FAN Friday morning. “I think continuity in the staff is huge … I think there’s a lot more defined roles from the bullpen to the position players, even the rotation, there’s all frontrunners for the job.
“From that standpoint this is the best collection of talent we’ve had in the organization since I’ve been general manger, at the big league level and at the minor league level … I’m excited to see these guys play. It’s going to be a fun year for us.”
With the MLB’s recent announcement about the addition of extra Wild Card spots, many believe the Jays’ chances of making the playoffs are as good as they have been in years. Anthopoulos, though, said this won’t change the outlook for his team .
“I think it’s good for the game. It’s exciting but at the same time winning a division becomes that much more important,” Anthopoulos said. “With the one wild card, you knew you were in. The two wild cards, it’s a one-game playoff. But the fact that it can lead to more meaningful games in September is exciting.
“We still need to build a team that can win the AL East. Because I can imagine, going forward, that there are going to be a lot of teams that are going to get bounced in that one-game playoff that were probably a much stronger team over the course of sixth months.”
The Jays kick off the grapefruit league on Saturday as they take one the Pittsburgh Pirates in Dunedin, Fla.
