Anthopoulos is the general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. All he wanted to do this winter was build a contender, maybe an AL East winner. He made trades for big-name pitchers, an outfield slugger, a couple of utility infielders and an all-star shortstop.
Alas, two of the three new pitchers turned out to be flawed physically or mentally, the slugger was missing his previous steroid-fueled power, and the jazzy shortstop injured himself with an awkward slide in April and didn’t return until the end of June.
Throw in injuries to the returning third baseman and the number-two starter and you’ve got a season that all concerned would just as soon forget. Forget except for the little Japanese shortstop Munenori Kawasaki, the only person who appeared to be having any fun at all on the diamond. But in a move that had most fans and teammates scratching their heads, Kawasaki was sent back in the minors.
He could be back soon. Wednesday in the Major League Baseball’s trade deadline, and it’s possible Kawasaki could return if Anthopoulos can make a trade. Don’t count on it. There are not a lot of Blue Jays anybody really wants. That’s what happens when you are a last place team eight games under .500.
Terry Haig spoke with the Toronto Star’s Richard Griffin about the season to date.
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