Even if you’ve followed the Toronto Blue Jays from a distance over the last little while, there’s still a good chance that you knew that manager John Gibbons’ time with the Blue Jays is likely soon coming to an end.
Nicknamed “Gibby,” Gibbons has become one of the most likeable characters in the Canadian sports scene for his laid back and easy going attitude. But as the Blue Jays ride out the rest of what’s been a borderline brutal season with their 52-62 record, the likeliness that Gibbons is no longer manager of the team that will all but surely miss the post-season for the second straight year has never been higher.
14 years after Gibbons was appointed manager of the ball club for the first time, the 56-year-old knows his tenure in Toronto could soon be coming to an end with the Jays ready to turn the page and flip the script towards the future in the form of a rebuild. The discussions around the baseball world over the last couple of weeks regarding Gibbons’ future has certainly picked up, prompting the Texas product to comment on the speculation in an interview on MLB Network Radio.
“I’m not so sure I want to go through one of those things — a total rebuild,” Gibbons shared on the podcast. “We’ll probably sit down … before it’s all said and done and talk that out.”
Hired under the previous management team led by former GM Alex Anthopoulos, Gibbons was granted a two-year contract extension prior to the start of the 2017 season after managing the team to two straight American League Championship Series, and isn’t naïve to the fact that he wasn’t Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins’ “guy.”
“It’s like a crying wolf. Sooner or later, it’s going to happen. I guarantee you that,” Gibbons said on the podcast. “I learn to dismiss those things. It’s a reality, though; they inherited me here.”
“This is starting to get into a full-blown rebuild... and if my days are finished here, it’s been a wonderful ride. Maybe they would benefit from getting a new, fresh face that could grow with young players and things like that.
You can listen to the full interview below.
Although his performance is hardly at fault for the team’s on-field struggles given the division the team plays in and the injuries to key players, the transactions over the last few weeks of trading J.A. Happ, Steve Pearce and Roberto Osuna indicate the organization is ready for a new direction. A new face and voice in the clubhouse would complement that philosophical approach. Making a decision on Gibbons during the season wouldn’t change much, and letting him stick it out for the rest of the year would be the best route for both parties.
Heading into Friday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Gibby has compiled a 772-762 career record with the club for a .503 winning percentage. His 772 wins are 122 wins off the Jays’ all-time wins record of 894 held by Cito Gaston.
(h/t MLB Network Radio)
