The first thing that must be understood about what's happening in the Toronto front office right now is that Mark Shapiro was never not going to be involved in the baseball side of the operation.
Though Shapiro has graduated to the business side of the sport in recent years, he was still very much versed and active in the day-to-day baseball decisions of the Cleveland Indians, while simultaneously overseeing Progressive Field improvements, experiments with ticket pricing and promotions, and all the other assorted tasks associated with this entertainment field.
The second thing that must be understood about this awkward and ultimately unpopular situation is that Alex Anthopoulos' reputation -- his stock, as it were -- has never been stronger.