Cleveland Indians president Chris Antonetti joined Blundell & Co., on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Wednesday to discuss his time working alongside new Toronto Blue Jays boss Mark Shapiro.
Antonetti, who got his baseball start with the Montreal Expos in 1998, accepted a job with the Indians the following year, and quickly worked his way to up general manager. Last month, on the heels of Shapiro’s move to Toronto, Antonetti was promoted to President of Baseball Operations. The two spent a number of years working together in Cleveland and Antonetti says they maintain a close personal relationship.
“I know Mark [Shapiro] was very surprised,” said Antonetti, when asked about Alex Anthopoulos’ decision to leave the Blue Jays organization. “I know his clear preference was to continue to work alongside Alex and to continue to build the foundation that’s in place in Toronto together. I think he was surprised and, as he said, disappointed when that didn’t happen. But I think he had to then [say] this is the reality, these are the cards that have been dealt, so how do we move forward from here?”
Listen: Full Chris Antonetti interview with Blundell & Co.
According to Antonetii, Anthopoulos’ departure was a tough blow for Shapiro. “He was expecting to partner with Alex moving forward and that had been his plan and his intention and I think he had to adjust. I think that was a difficult thing,” Antonetti said.
Speaking to Sportsnet’s Stephen Brunt, Shapiro himself said, “I genuinely liked, I admired, and I respected [Anthopoulos]. He wasn’t a guy I knew that well. He was a guy that Chris Antonetti, who was my GM in Cleveland, had spoken very highly of, and he was a guy that Chris encouraged me to be really warm and open minded with.[…] I was excited to work with him and learn from him.”
Anthopoulos announced his departure from the Blue Jays on Oct. 29. Former Blue Jays president Paul Beeston formally retired from the role on October 31.
