APRIL 1: The deal is now complete, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi tweets.
MARCH 22, 7:54am: An agreement is in place, with the full deal “basically finished,” according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca.
MARCH 21, 4:23pm: The extension would cover the 2018 and 2019 seasons, according to the MLB Network Radio Twitter feed. The Jays would also have a club option on Gibbons for 2020.
11:58am: The Blue Jays are “finalizing” a new contract with skipper John Gibbons that will keep him in Toronto for multiple future seasons, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag. Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun reported last week on Twitter that the club believed it would likely strike such a deal with the manager.
Gibbons, 54, is in his second stint as the head of the Jays’ field staff. He has delivered three consecutive winning campaigns and guided the club to the postseason in each of the past two seasons, both of which ended with ALCS losses. All said, Gibbons carries a 644-614 record over parts of nine seasons as the Toronto skipper.
When the Jays changed front-office leadership last winter, the organization renegotiated its agreement with Gibbons to eliminate the anti-lame duck provision that had previously governed. Under the earlier deal, the team faced a decision on January 1st of each year. If Gibbons was still in his position at that point, the following year’s option would be picked up automatically and a new option year would arise.
With that new arrangement in place, 2016 figured to represent an important campaign as president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins assessed the organization and Gibbons’s leadership. As it turned out, the skipper drew high praise from Shapiro at the close of the campaign, when it was announced that Gibbons would return. Now, it seems there’ll be a lengthier commitment binding Gibbons to the Jays.
guy is a legend
Congrats, Gibby!
I will give up if he leaves; he is the glue of the jays
He is a horrible manager. Well maybe not horrible but not a good one. Enjoy the slow slide Jays fans.
He’s a players manager who doesn’t hurt the team at all. His bullpen management is what he gets the most flak for and its actually been pretty good for what he’s had to deal with since he arrived here
I live in Toronto and have worked in the sports tv industry so I have watched a boatload of Jays games and I have seen him get out manged time and time again. I am not trolling I am stating a fact. Why did he not have a managers job after he got fired the first time? And just watch him when he gets fired after 2018 and a below .500 season. This will be his last MLB manager job.
That’s your opinion, you did not say any facts to back it up
About him being outmanaged
“out manged”? You mean other teams have more mange? The Tigers come to mind — lots of skin under that fur.
Cite some examples of being outmanaged! i expect your list will be incredibly small!
Every game in the 2015 playoffs, his whole first stint with the Jays, the AlCS last year. Plus many other winnable games over the past three seasons that they just could close the door on.
Players manager I seem to remember two fights with players and one was on the bench. Great manager right there
How did he mismanage any of those games?
every game of the 2015 playoffs? do you have a specific situation? nothing he he did negatively impacted any of those games so severely that it caused the team to lose. remember r they lost to the team that won the the world series?
Troll alert Ellisburks
Not trolling. Stating a fact. He couldn’t get a job managing anywhere else the first time he was fired and won’t find another after he gets fired after 2018. He consisteny gets out managed.
Stating a fact. He couldn’t get a job managing anywhere else the first time he was fired and won’t find another after he gets fired after 2018. He consistenly gets out managed.
I guess bench coach for KC for a year or 2 doesn’t count as manger but it’s a MLB coaching job
Holy multiple posts Batman! Sorry about that.
Not getting rave reviews on those multiple posts.
And as JDGoat said, we’re still waiting for a fact or two about his managing abilities.
He has a winning record and had some not very good teams. It’s funny how everyone knows how to manage a MLB team that has never done so. In many cases moves are made for reasons we don’t even know, injuries, rest, match ups.
The fact that three different sets of upper management has shown support for how he does his job should tell you something.
One thing I have noticed a lot which Shapiro touched on is he doesn’t get too excited or to down, he’s very even keeled and supports his players no matter what, it’s never about him.
He has also been in baseball since he was a kid and being a catcher understands the nuances of the game.
He only has a winning record because some players had career years lately. He is and was a .500 manager when he came back.
When the Jays don’t produce for three years under Gibby now don’t say I didn’t tell you ha can’t coach.
He was merely a back up catcher at best when he played and people think that a .200 avg catcher with limited catching abilities can be a good manager. You guys are funny lol
You’re clueless
Glad Gibby will be around for a while. I wonder what type of salary he’ll be getting.
Good for him cashing in while he can cause the Jays will be in full fire sale mode either by the all star game or next winter
Lol
I’m a die hard jays fan and it’s sad to say after the drought we had for many years that I think you are right. it’ll be a tightly contested division forsure but I think they will fall a few games shy of the playoffs this year
You can’t say that yet, it’s a wide open division especially with bostons injury problems
Thank you.
I guess you’re not a good manager when your team makes back to back ALCS appearances.
A good Manager would have won them
you’re brutal man. a great manager would have won them? so should he have grabbed a bat and took a few at bats, then took the mound for a few high leverage innings? managers for the most part, play the hands they are dealt. It’s not his fault that his guys under performed, or were beaten by a good team.
if managers are just played the hand they are dealt, then shouldn’t we be saying good job to the front office and not gibbons?
Good article, but theres an error when u say “three consecutive winning campaigns.” The Bluejays only had two consecutive winning seasons with gibby thus far, 2015/2016.
Before 2015, Toronto didnt appear in the post season since that 1993 world series win.
They were 83-79 in 2014. Still a winning record
ok my misunderstanding, thx
I just want to see Joey Batflip batflip one more time.
I’m with ellisburks (great name), Gibbons is overrated. The whole “players manager” theme is not intended to overshadow poor decision making. Gibbons is a great guy, but an entirely average manager. So, too, is John Farrell, for that matter, another “players manager.” Tito Francona is both a players manager and tactician, that’s what you want.
Good. Gibby isn’t Joe Maddon but he’s good enough. This team has had 25 years of instability at manager with Gibbons really the lone exception. Extend him and move on; no sense trying to find another manager right now.
I’ll be the first to admit that when Gibby was rehired, I damn near lost my mind. But over the last couple seasons, he’s grown on me… a lot. Is he a statistical genius? Absolutely not, but he does go to bat (no pun intended) for his players without a second thought. He reminds me a lot of the few little league coaches I had that I actually liked. Which is no way to measure a Major League skipper, but it can’t be argued that the guy’s got character and when it comes to his ability and record, I’m not worried about that either.
I mean, Cito was a pretty brilliant and beloved bench boss and Gibby’s career WL record is only .004 behind Gaston’s (.516 vs .512). It could be argued that roster strength plays a great deal in that… and of course it does. But god knows many a powerhouse squad have failed in spite of their big budget and seemingly stacked roster.
End of the day, I’m pretty happy he’s stickin’ around.
John Gibbons today is not the same guy he was first time around. He is more laid back and its all about the team not the individual player. He was had success the past three years. True Jays haven’t reached the top. But then neither have 28 other teams.
Talking about Madden or Francona as being great managers. I even say someone saying Madden was the greatest manager ever.
Guess Martin, Torres, Stengel, Derocher, and all those others weren’t very good. Or maybe making stupid statements like that are because your to young to remember any of them.
Gibby is a good manager, and he handles the team he’s given well. And lets remember that over the next few years the Jays will lkely lose Bautista, Donaldson, and some key pitchers. Is that Gibbons fault NO !!
As they say about baseball you hit the ball you catch the ball you throw the ball and sometimes it rains
And no manager anywhere can do any of those things its the players on the field.
… classic Jays fan response. Gibbons is good because the other 27 managers might be as bad? Jays fans tend to worship mediocrity. Gibbons is overrated. John Farrell is a “players manager,” too, certainly doesn’t make Farrell any more alert in the dugout.
Just because he’s not francona or madden doesn’t make him a bad manager
… Jays fans are out in force with their optimism. JD, I admire your allegiance to the Jays, but evaluating your comments shows a distinct inability to be critical, on any level, with your beloved Jays.
You’re one of the worst commenters on this site, bud. It seems your only job is to troll the jays. I still remember the thread where you said the jays needed to trade Bautista for prospects last year when they were in a playoff spot. But please, show me how gibbons gets outmanaged. I’m sorry you don’t understand baseball, but don’t spread your crap here, it’s honestly pathetic. You have to get off the kool aid you’re drinking
JD, little defensive? “Worst commentators” because we don’t agree? Come on. Take off the rose coloured glasses and intelligently defend your position. Enough with the hysterics.
… further, “kool aid” is my line.
I personally think gibbons is a fine manager, but you have done nothing to show how he’s a bad one. If anything, you’re the biased one
he’s not over rated at all. wasn’t he 30th on espns list of best managers in the league last year. or maybe the year before.
Love the guy! Awesome Toronto! Get a world series this year!!
Don’t bet on it
And I remember when Jays fans were miffed about losing John Farrell.
Must have been the idiot part of the fan base. Farrell was clueless.