Dodgers’ executive Alex Anthopoulos has turned down an opportunity to interview for a general manager position with the Diamondbacks, per a report by FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman. The Diamondbacks released GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale on Monday after the club completed their third consecutive season below .500.
Anthopoulos is still in his first year as vice president of baseball operations for the Dodgers. His extensive experience as general manager of the Blue Jays would have made him a strong candidate within the Diamondbacks’ organization, with credentials that include a 489-483 record over six seasons, a postseason run in 2015, and a number of blockbuster trades that brought Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey, and David Price to Toronto, among many others. According to Heyman, Anthopoulos was hesitant to entertain the offer and uproot his young family in the process. Other factors, like the extreme rate of turnover among Arizona’s general managers, were not addressed.
Anthopoulos was said to be on the list of managerial candidates alongside Brewers’ vice president Ray Montgomery, Dodgers senior advisor Ned Colletti, Diamondbacks farm director Mike Bell, Diamondbacks assistant general manager Bryan Minniti, and MLB executives Peter Woodfork and Kim Ng.
