Au Revior Anaheim!
Dec 20, 2016 18:39:19 GMT -5
NickP_Marlins GM, Texas Rangers, and 5 more like this
Post by David_ExposGM on Dec 20, 2016 18:39:19 GMT -5
It took him six years to reach the post-season with the LA Angels in the AL West Division, where he has been for three consecutive seasons now. Today a new, but very similar chapter in the career of GM David Jones begins. He has been offered, and has accepted, the job of day to day GM operations with the second Canadian baseball franchise, the Montreal Expos.
While he felt things certainly were not finished in Anaheim with the Angels, leaving them with a better than average chance of repeating their post-season appearance and possibly even going all the way in the next couple of years, he also felt the Montreal offer was simply too good to ignore.
With a couple of the best hitters in 1B Francisco Serrano, who just opted to remain with the Angels, and DH Bruce Peak, plus Ace SP Jhoan Brown part of the long-term outlook and coming off 101 wins this past season, the most in their history, Jones felt he was certainly leaving a great situation for the next Angels GM. That said, the lure of returning to his homeland to work to build the Montreal Expos was simply too great. Jones, a Canadian, takes over a Montreal team coming off a 57 win season. They have actually been worse more recently but he felt that was part of the challenge in bringing the Expos franchise all the way back!
When he joined LA, they were midway through an eventual 53 win season. One difference was that LA had crept into the post-season only two years earlier but was unable to sustain that. The larger difference is that Montreal hasn’t seen the post-season since a three year run from 2027 to 2030. And for the last decade it is very fair to say they have struggled, even being mentioned as a candidate for PBL contraction only a matter of a few years ago.
The fact that Canada has only the two teams, after the Expos were granted a PBL franchise in 2015, and were on the verge of having that taken away, was simply too much to process. While he couldn’t come right out a say it, behind the scenes there was no way he could let that happen if he were in any sort of position to intervene. That day has come.
It took the better part of six years to build the Angels into a contending team. The Expos, in one of the leagues smallest markets, with the smallest budget, below average fan loyalty and below average fan interest, and with very little of the current squad worth salvaging and only a few pieces in the system for the distant future, will be a large challenge. Not to mention they sit in the NL East, well known for the presence of traditionally competitive franchises in New York and Philadelphia and him to the perennial 100-game winning, and regular World Series contending, Pittsburgh Pirates.
There is really only one way to go in Montreal and Jones wants to be the person to manage that journey!
While he felt things certainly were not finished in Anaheim with the Angels, leaving them with a better than average chance of repeating their post-season appearance and possibly even going all the way in the next couple of years, he also felt the Montreal offer was simply too good to ignore.
With a couple of the best hitters in 1B Francisco Serrano, who just opted to remain with the Angels, and DH Bruce Peak, plus Ace SP Jhoan Brown part of the long-term outlook and coming off 101 wins this past season, the most in their history, Jones felt he was certainly leaving a great situation for the next Angels GM. That said, the lure of returning to his homeland to work to build the Montreal Expos was simply too great. Jones, a Canadian, takes over a Montreal team coming off a 57 win season. They have actually been worse more recently but he felt that was part of the challenge in bringing the Expos franchise all the way back!
When he joined LA, they were midway through an eventual 53 win season. One difference was that LA had crept into the post-season only two years earlier but was unable to sustain that. The larger difference is that Montreal hasn’t seen the post-season since a three year run from 2027 to 2030. And for the last decade it is very fair to say they have struggled, even being mentioned as a candidate for PBL contraction only a matter of a few years ago.
The fact that Canada has only the two teams, after the Expos were granted a PBL franchise in 2015, and were on the verge of having that taken away, was simply too much to process. While he couldn’t come right out a say it, behind the scenes there was no way he could let that happen if he were in any sort of position to intervene. That day has come.
It took the better part of six years to build the Angels into a contending team. The Expos, in one of the leagues smallest markets, with the smallest budget, below average fan loyalty and below average fan interest, and with very little of the current squad worth salvaging and only a few pieces in the system for the distant future, will be a large challenge. Not to mention they sit in the NL East, well known for the presence of traditionally competitive franchises in New York and Philadelphia and him to the perennial 100-game winning, and regular World Series contending, Pittsburgh Pirates.
There is really only one way to go in Montreal and Jones wants to be the person to manage that journey!