John Gibbons will be Toronto Blue Jays next Manager – MLB News
Toronto Blue Jays hired John Gibbons as the team’s new Manager on Tuesday, reports thestar.com. Gibbons was fired from the Blue Jays four year ago and he was surprised to be recalled by his former team.
“It’s really a thrill and honour to be back here,” Gibbons said.
In an interview, Blue Jays’ General Manager Alex Anthopoulos said he wanted to hire a Manager who could understand club’s history. Since Gibbons had worked with Blue Jays in the past, he was the top pick for the available management position.
The GM had been working to find a new Manager after John Farrell was hired by the Boston Red Sox last month. Anthopoulos was having discussions with Gibbons for the last couple of weeks and the club finally made an official announcement on Tuesday evening.
The Blue Jays also confirmed the signing of pitcher Jeremy Guthrie on Tuesday evening. Guthrie, who went 5-3 in 14 starts last season, is one of the most reliable and durable pitchers in the game. Along with Ervin Santana, he will be looking to help the
Blue Jays win the American League East Division title in the next season.
“From my standpoint, I don’t have any stronger belief that this is the right guy to lead this team,” Anthopoulos said. “I’ve got more conviction in this hire, in this move, from my standpoint, than with any transaction we’ve made here. I’m thrilled to have
him.”
“Players love playing for him. They’d go through a wall for him. They respect him. At the same time if he needed to put his foot down to let someone know where they stood he wasn’t afraid to do that either,” he added.
Blue Jays 12 player mega deal with the Miami Marlins was also approved by Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig. The deal that will let the Blue Jays acquire some of the top pitchers and hitters in the game is likely to have a big impact on the AL
East in the next season. It will be interesting to see if Gibbons can come up with the right tactics to help his side succeed.
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