The Blue Jays' budget for the '13 season had initially been set for $100M, but team President & CEO Paul Beeston was able to convince the team's BOD this offseason that for every big-name acquisition, a "certain number of additional fans would come" to Rogers Centre this year, according to Sean Fine of the GLOBE & MAIL. Beeston "wanted to take it" to $125M, and the BOD gave him a "hearing unlike the one accorded" former Maple Leafs President & GM Brian Burke by MLSE. A source said, “You can’t even compare the two. ... Beeston does a very good job in instilling confidence in the board.” The source added, "Starting from the top, Edward (Rogers), they were saying, ‘look we’ve got the money, let’s spend.’ If the team starts winning, you fill up the stands, people spend more money, there’s more people watching at home, more people listening on the radio, the more times the Rogers Centre is mentioned. It’s just such a domino effect." Fine reported "most important of all to the owners was the timing." With Beeston and Senior VP/Baseball Operations & GM Alex Anthopoulos claiming the Yankees and Red Sox are "not at their best," they explained "now was the opportunity" for the team. The team traded for Ps R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle and SS Jose Reyes and signed LF Melky Cabrera during the winter. Beeston said, "There's smart money and there's stupid money. We think this is smart money" (THEGLOBEANDMAIL.com, 2/16).
RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME: Cubs Exec VP & GM Jed Hoyer said of Anthopoulos' offseason, “If you can be in that position where you can be aggressive and do what Alex did, I think it’s commendable and something you want to be in position to do” (“Clubhouse Confidential,” MLB Network, 2/18).
