Just weeks after Ken Rosenthal wrote that the Blue Jays “seem destined” for a managerial change this offseason, Fancred’s Jon Heyman offers a similar take, reporting that a changing of the guard is a virtual certainty. Per Heyman, it’s “99.9 percent” that the Jays will move on from skipper John Gibbons, who is still signed through the 2019 season. Gibbons tells Heyman the plan is to sit down with the Jays after the season and “see what direction we’re going to go, myself included,” though he’s previously suggested that he may not be the man to oversee a rebuilding effort. Whether the Jays go that route remains to be seen, though Heyman indicates that president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins are leaning toward a younger manager with an eye toward contending in 2020-21.
More rumors pertaining to the managerial and coaching staffs throughout the league…
- Jim Riggleman hasn’t spoken to the Reds’ front office yet about shedding the interim label from his job title, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer recently wrote. Though Cincinnati has performed better under Riggleman than under Bryan Price earlier this season, Riggleman told Fay he still expects to be one of many candidates. “When the change was made, Dick [Williams] was the GM,” said Riggleman.“He basically said we’re going to interview a lot of people and have a long list. … My understanding is that’s what’s going to happen.” Fay notes that Riggleman is a favorite of team owner Bob Castellini, suggesting that if the Reds go with a more “old school” approach in the dugout, Riggleman is the favorite to stay with the Reds on a more permanent basis. The organization has become more analytical under the current front office regime, though, and it’s not clear what style of manager they’d prefer.
- It’s been an ugly season for the Rangers for the most part, though Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that GM Jon Daniels and his staff are drawing some positives from the manner in which their coaching staff has helped a few younger players move forward. Rougned Odor’s rebound season was one positive highlighted by Daniels, who also listed Jose Leclerc, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Ronald Guzman and Jurickson Profar as some players who’ve taken positive strides in an otherwise disappointing season. Davison notes that “signs seemingly point to job security for manager Jeff Banister,” who is currently signed only through next year after a 2019 club option was exercised last offseason. It’s not clear whether the Rangers front office has its sights set on a new deal for Banister or whether he could potentially head into next year’s season with the dreaded “lame duck” status.
How Jon will possibly justify keeping Doug Brocail as pitching coach will be fun to watch.
Methinks the Jays will be the most active team this winter. If nothing else, fascinating to watch. They have the prospect capital, reasonably interesting veterans to trade, and money to churn over their roster, and come out of it looking pretty good.
They can use 2019 to set up a window for 2020 and beyond.
I dont see them trading prospects yet. I also dont see them being very active in the FA market this year (except on the SP side)
I’m curious which vets you think they can trade
Smoak/Pillar/Travis are the ones I can see being moved.
Tulo/Martin and to a lesser extent Morales are going to take a miracle or having to give up a bichette/Biggio to facilitate the dump
The Jays aren’t a cost cutting team and can swallow those hefty contracts. So I dont envision a scenerio where we can get rid of them.
Tulo could rebound. Martin is done as a catcher and Morales needs a full season of his current pace before he gets traded for a lotto ticket
Oh I don’t think they’ll trade any of the farm products; that wouldn’t make much sense. But they can afford to eat some coin while moving some of those guys you mentioned. Combine that with some of the talent that Smoak et al would have will up the return.
They’ll need to be innovative, but there’s certainly a foundation there.
They still got Tulo and Martin making 20 million each though. I think after next season, when Martins money is gone is when they’ll start making moves
One thing I disagree on: prospect capital. Personally I’d rather be in the Yankees/Red Sox/rays position (considering young players on the teams and prospects)
I’d agree in terms of DEPTH in those other systems (especially the Rays), but the Jays’ Top 5 is the best in baseball….Vlad Jr. is on another planet, in the Harper/Machado/Trout/Betts way…..I’m not sure Bichette is far away from that…..And ya, the Sox are short on the farm, but they’re also pretty young.….
Please….Bichette is going to be a below average major leaguer. He’ll make the big leagues but not be a star like Vlad. #scoutseyes
Dream on. Shapiro and Co. are more conservative than Orrin Hatch. He has never done anything to shed that label. He isn’t trading and certainly not spending $$.
Gibbons is a great fellow and would be a strong choice as another team’s bench coach. In Spring Training Gibbons joked that fans should ‘come out and watch John Gibbons manage his last year’ in Toronto. Have to appreciate such self-deprecating humour.
I used to view him as simply grumpy but he’s grown on me in recent years. Seems like a very down to earth and candid guy.
Ditto.
John Mozeliak of the Cardinals would be an outstanding GM for the Mets. He will blend in perfectly in New York.
Rangers MUST address the pitching coaching at all levels with all the prospects they have accumulated. Those specs will go to waste if they aren’t properly developed and the Rangers are historically bad with pitching development.
I would keep Gibbons around for another year. Ofcourse, the regime may be looking at a “young” managerial candidate to see if they have what it takes to be a manager at the big league level, whereas they already know what to expect from Gibbons.
As for the offseason, let’s pretend for a second Tulowitzki plays somewhere on the infield not named shortstop….list of names on the INF are him, Drury, Travis, Smoak, Morales, Diaz, Gurriel. That means if they are looking to promote a guy later in the season they will need to deal or DL a guy. Also means Rowdy Tellez will not have a chance to make the club if they keep Smoak and Morales.
Jays still have to figure out what they plan to do with Vlad next year. 3B or OF or 1B and when he will be brought up.
Doug Brocail is a joke and needs to be replaced immediately. Knew it from the moment he was preaching all of our pitchers to pitch inside, yea that may work when you’re throwing 93+ but when you have a rotation full of Retreads who only throw in the 80’s and low 90’s pitching Inside is a recipe for getting rocked.
Gibbons is the guy! Not sure why they want to move though he said he is not necessarily up to a rebuilding process! If you look at A’s Bob Melvin and the Long rebuilding process Oakland has endured then you can’t blain Gibbons at all…
Exactly. If Gibbons heart isn’t in it for a rebuild, then it’s best to move on. Though looking to contend in 2020-2021 isn’t that far away. 2-3 years away.
Gibbons is thoroughly mediocre to bad manager. The Jays would be better off with a more progressive manager rather than a 3-run homer manager.
That’s not true. Coming into this season he was ranked top 10 by the experts. I wish I had a link but I forget where I read that article. I fail to see how a more “progressive” manager would make the team better anyways. If you have watched any Jays baseball over the past two seasons, you would know that Gibby is not the problem.
I really like Gibby too, but you must admit that since he’s been managing every player is swinging for the fences. That’s gotta be something top management will want to change. Gibby needs to show he can get the team to have better at bats.
That isn’t on Gibbons… The young front offices nowadays say it’s okay to strike out if you hit HRs. Its all about launch angle and putting it out of the park. Old school managers tend to be more strategic. (Single, Steal, Bunt, Sac Fly).
It is very tough to play old school if you don’t have players that can execute. You need a team with some speed. Scouts can find speed and project guys to hit, but then you run into guys like Billy Hamilton or Anthony Gose who struggle to hit at the big league level. That thwarts the old school approach. Power lineups seem like the safer approach, believe it or not.
Hey REDS…. doesn’t matter who manages if you don’t have starting pitching. The team can hit… that we know. Now go get some pitching.
I like Gibby as a person. Great guy.
WHen he basically took a game off and allowed the players to celebrate in the series and wiped out the next playoff game because of it, I saw a players manager, but not an elite manager. Anyone who puts Travis as lead off needs his head examined. His bullpen moves are often by the book when the gut would be better.
He is not a young kid rebuild type of manger, he is more a walk, single 3 run homer earl weaver type of veterans player manager.
The challenge is that there are not enough Terry Franconas around. Francona is elite as is Maddon,
I wonder if Shaprio/Atkins have the cojones to hire a strong manager or will they hire a puppet that they can control from behind the scenes? The best moves Shapiro ever made were hiring Tito and drafting Lindor.
I’d argue the Colon trade is up there for best moves. Depending on who you ask some say Shapiro wasn’t the guy spearheading the Francona hire.
Regardless, you assessment of Gibbons is fair. To further your point, he was also “by the book” with pinch hitting situations starting in the 6th or 7th playing matchup games down 2 runs with nobody on base and two outs. Sometimes he’d try to make things happen when the odds were stacked against him. The blowback of the move would be seen on defense where the alignment would weaken. Sometimes you have to hold onto bullets and not unload too soon. However I’m not sure if that was a Gibby thing or if AA and company had influence on that.
Girardi is the only elite manager available. Blue Jays are in no position to get him at this present time.