Anthopoulos was brought up in relation to how shocking it was that Sale and Robby Ray, the starter for the Seattle Mariners, were traded. It wasn’t anticipated that the two veterans, who are both very skilled, would be traded this offseason. As Ray, the 2021 Cy Young winner, recovers from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in May, Boston was reportedly hoping to add starting pitching rather than subtract a high ceiling arm. Players are not normally dealt in such situations.

It would have been easy to sit this one out after topping all of baseball in victories (104), fielding one of the best offensive lineups in modern MLB history, and accomplishing all of that without complete seasons from Kyle Wright and Max Fried. Accept the 2024 club option of leftfielder Eddie Rosario, hope for improved health from your lineup, and aim for another postseason appearance.

However, that is not Alex Anthopoulos’ style as President of Baseball Operations. No, Anthopoulos used his creative side this offseason, making a number of trades to take on bad contracts in exchange for talent upgrades, taking advantage of the financial uncertainty that the sport was experiencing due to Diamond Sports Group, a major broadcast partner of Major League Baseball, and their impending bankruptcy proceedings. By adding Ray Kerr from the San Diego Padres, Chris Sale from the Boston Red Sox, and Jarred Kelenic from the Seattle Mariners, Anthopoulos strengthened the starting rotation, the bullpen, and the outfield combination.

The length of Anthopoulos’ extension has drawn a lot of criticism; however, as Castrovince mentioned, it’s uncommon to see MLB executive contracts for so long. This indicates not only AA’s desire to stay in Atlanta, but also the team’s ability to negotiate a deal when facing the person who typically closes deals.