DUNEDIN, FLA. - Ross Atkins was interviewed by president Andy MacPhail for the Philadelphia Phillies vacant general manager’s job in 2015.
When Atkins didn’t get the job, he called MacPhail to a) thank him for the interview and b) to ask if there is any way he could improve his resume in future.
At the time, Atkins was still the Cleveland Indians’ vice-president of player personnel while Alex Anthopoulos was still the Blue Jays general manager.
MacPhail hired Matt Klentak, Los Angeles Angels assistant GM, to be the Phillies new GM on Oct. 28. The same week, Anthopoulos rejected the Rogers Communications five-year offer, eventually joining the Los Angeles Dodgers as an assistant GM.