Anthopoulos knew Jays' clubhouse 'would be jarred' after trading Reyes for Tulo

In an attempt to improve for a playoff push in 2015, the Toronto Blue Jays underwent a transformative trade deadline under then-GM Alex Anthopoulos, even though he knew one move might not be 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 divulged that the motivation for trading away Reyes, whose work ethic made him a 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, who's now the 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 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 stating Tulowitzki didn't commit an error after being acquired.

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

In the ensuing 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 remained with them through 2018.

Meanwhile, Tulowitzki would go on to play 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.