Alex Anthopoulos participated in a web chat with fans yesterday though the official Blue Jay site. He answered about forty questions with several interesting answers.
First Jeff Blair started the rumour that the Jays might not be too happy with Travis Snider and might try and trade him. Anthopoulos appeared to quash that yesterday.
paddlepop: Al -- Please do NOT trade [Travis] Snyder! Thank you.
Anthopoulos: We love Travis Snider. No idea where these rumors are coming from. We think he's going to be an impact middle order at bat and in addition he has such a tremendous makeup he could be a great leader on this team one day.
In his press conference announcing the trade Anthopoulos was trying not to put too much pressure on Drabek and Wallace and he suggested that they would return to AA and AAA respectively to start 2010. He backed away from that somewhat yesterday.
youtubber: I noticed at the press conference that you said [Kyle] Drabek would start at Double-A New Hampshire. Don't you think he is at least ready for Triple-A [Las] Vegas? Curious on why you thought that right away.
Anthopoulos: You know right now without having Drabek in camp our thought is that he starts in Double-A because he finished there. That being said, if he will have the opportunity to compete in Spring Training whether it is for the Major League team or for the Triple-A rotation. We are certainly not putting any restrictions on where he starts -- that will be up to him.
I liked the following answer, I believe Drabek has a higher ceiling than Happ.
Kev13: When you were trading Roy Halladay, I'm sure you had many choices of prospects to choose from. Did you have a choice of J.A. Happ or Kyle Drabek?
Anthopoulos: Kyle Drabek was a target for us and a must in this trade. Philly was very reluctant to give him up but over time they relented.
Finding more skilled players appears to be the toughest future job for Anthopoulos. I would also add centre field to Anthopoulos's list.
RIPEXPOS: With the additions of Drabek, Wallace, and D'Arnaud assumably shoring up the future in the rotation, first base and at catcher, what positions/skill sets (OBP etc) do you think still need to be addressed, and how could you go about doing so?
Anthopoulos: We still need to address several long term positions on the diamond. I'd say the left side of our infield is an area we continue to evaluate and we're always looking for more pitching.
Batters Box has discussed the nutritional needs of minor leaguers in the past. Anthopoulos suggests the Jays have made some progress in this regard but it it might not be enough. I am not sure about home clubhouses but in the minors the clubhouse manager supplies the food as almost an independant contractor. Even if the players have more money it doesn't mean the visiting clubhouse will provide better food. Also by the time players finish playing many better restaurants are closed, especially in the smaller towns that the minor leagues play in. The Jays will have most leverage with home clubhouses and hopefully those meals will get better.
nelson_c: Alex, there has been some criticism of the Jays farm teams not providing nutritional education to the players. Have you identified nutrition and training at the Minor League level as a goal moving forward?
Anthopoulos: Great question. We addressed improving the nutrition at the big league level last year and I've talked to our Minor League trainers and strength coaches about doing so in the Minor Leagues. MLB rules dictate that club pay their players $20 a day for meal money, we've already instituted a policy to increase that to $25 a day in addition to having our strength coaches work with clubhouse people to provide nutritional and healthier options for our players.
The Jays see Zach Stewart as a starter, his value is obviously higher there, but Anthopoulos appears to be very confident in his answer here.
BigHurt_2: What is the plan for Zach Stewart this season? Do you see him as a starter or reliever long-term?
Anthopoulos: We see Zach Stewart as a starter. All of our scouting reports project him to be a #3.
The Jays are checking out Aroldis Chapman.
nearyj: Acquiring young, controllable talent seems to be the focus of the offseason for the Blue Jays. What are your thoughts on Cuban defect, Aroldis Chapman? Several teams watched him pitched last week. Were there representatives from the Jays there?
Anthopoulos: Yes we had Roy Smith and Gary Rajsich watch Chapman pitch this past Tuesday. We will be on top of every amateur player that is available.
And finally Dirk Hayhurst made an appearance.
garfoose: Is there's any truth to the rumor of the new Jays mascot being a Garfoose?
Anthopoulos: [Blue Jays pitcher] Dirk Hayhurst!! Talk about a super-fan!!! Just got your Christmas card in the mail. You and your wife look great in the moose outfits! Or should I say Garfoose outfits?
The chat was a good one with some better questions and not all cliche answers, it is worth the read.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20091219142803801