Former Blue Jays GM Anthopoulos reflects on shocking Jose Reyes trade in 2015

In an attempt to gear up for a playoff push in 2015, the Toronto Blue Jays underwent a reconstructive trade deadline under then-GM Alex Anthopoulos. Of the five moves he made to better his team, he knew one move would likely not be very popular in the clubhouse.

"It's not like the clubhouse was elated," Anthopoulos said regarding trading away Jose Reyes for Troy Tulowitzki in a recent appearance on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. "We knew that (his teammates) would be jarred."

Anthopoulos also shared that his motivation for trading away Reyes, whose work ethic made him an easy clubhouse favorite, was his defensive decline.

"We had concerns about Jose Reyes' defense," Anthopoulos said. And while discussions with the Colorado Rockies began following the 2014 season, a deal wasn't finalized until July 28, 2015. Anthopoulos, the now general manager of the Atlanta Braves, said the Jays remained "adamant that Reyes had to be part of the deal going back."

By the time the trade was completed, the Rockies wound up receiving Reyes, reliever Miguel Castro, top pitching prospect Jeff Hoffman, and right-hander Jesus Tinoco, with the Jays getting Tulowitzki and veteran reliever LaTroy Hawkins.

"We lost a ton of games just because we were not playing good defense, and all the pieces were there to have a great team," Anthopoulos continued, while also pointing out that Tulowitzki didn't commit an error after joining the Blue Jays.

Prior to the trade, the Jays had a 50-50 record and sat in fourth place in the AL East. The club then went on a 43-19 tear to secure its first division title since 1993.

In the following offseason, Reyes was charged with domestic assault, resulting in a 51-game suspension. Upon being reinstated from his suspension, the Rockies released the shortstop, ending Reyes' tenure with the club after 47 games. Later that year, Reyes would return to the New York Mets, and he played in New York through 2018.

Meanwhile, Tulowitzki would go on to play only 197 more games with the Jays following the 2015 campaign before being released in December 2018.

The five-time All-Star appeared in five games for the New York Yankees in 2019 prior to leaving the team.

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