CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The instant Alex Anthopoulos rejected the Blue Jays' contract offer, the former Toronto general manager seemingly became a patron saint north of the border. On the other hand, Mark Shapiro, the Blue Jays' brand new bigwig, became a target for fan frustration.
The Blue Jays had long been a mediocre team, glued to third place in the American League East. Then, Anthopoulos tapped into his resource pool to acquire a handful of stars -- Josh Donaldson, David Price and Troy Tulowitzki -- to help terminate a 22-year postseason drought.
Toronto reached the AL Championship Series, but less than a week after the team fell short against Kansas City, the club had a vacancy at GM and much of the ire from the fan base was funneled toward the new guy in charge, the former Cleveland Indians executive.