Jays looking to replace Beeston

[C Court]

I wonder what Duquette as president would mean for AA's job. The timing of this is interesting, especially since AA has had about the best off-season on paper that he has ever had (from a win adding standpoint).

Duquette likely would be more interventionist on the baseball side.

I agree with this. If I'm Anthopolus, I'd be lobbying behind the scenes against Duquette. He's more likely to meddle and eventually want his guy hired. That said, I'd take Duquette over Williams.

[phillipmike]

I wonder what Duquette as president would mean for AA's job. The timing of this is interesting, especially since AA has had about the best off-season on paper that he has ever had (from a win adding standpoint).

Duquette likely would be more interventionist on the baseball side.

I agree with this. If I'm Anthopolus, I'd be lobbying behind the scenes against Duquette. He's more likely to meddle and eventually want his guy hired. That said, I'd take Duquette over Williams.

I dont think there is anything to worry about anyone with a baseball background taking the job and pushing out AA.

These are professionals and AA has done a good job in the offseason thus far so the new President wont clean house. If the Blue Jays ownership wants AA around and im sure they do then they will likely let the new President know that AA must stay and is off-limits for the time being.

[phillipmike]

Add Twins GM Terry Ryan to the list.

[agkagk]

Add Twins GM Terry Ryan to the list.

....yes please!

[SharoneWright]

Not terribly sold on having a baseball lifer acting as the liaison to ownership...there are few, if any times where I'll say this, but I'd rather it be some corporate suit with a decent grasp of baseball, but a better understanding of Rogers.

I hear Tim Leiweke recently became available...

Guy always wanted to rid himself of the Bell/Rogers conundrum. This should be his dream scenario!!! And his wife wouldn't even need to move anywhere!!

[Wo1verine]

Rogers missed the boat allowing Friedman to sign with the Dodgers

Friedman wouldn't come here over the Dodgers, so what boat exactly did we miss? The Dodgers offer a near limitless payroll on top of playing in an easier division, as well as the glitz-and-glamour of L.A. which attracts players to want to play there.

Most likely have came here if we jumped the gun before the Dodgers - If the plan was to replace Beeston, they should have done so several months ago! So what did we miss? Having one of the best baseball people joining our organization because Rogers was too slow to act.

[Wo1verine]

After thinking some more about this situation - As much as i want the 5-year policy gone, i am not sure i want an old timer baseball lifer running the show..

I am guessing the majority of them don't look at advance stats, which could potentially set us back some more.

[-MetA4-]

Most likely have came here if we jumped the gun before the Dodgers - If the plan was to replace Beeston, they should have done so several months ago! So what did we miss? Having one of the best baseball people joining our organization because Rogers was too slow to act.

Your level of assumption is absurd. Why would Friedman have "jumped the gun" when he is widely considered as one of the biggest front-office names in the league, as exemplified by the fact that the Dodgers made him the highest paid front-office executive in baseball? Guys with that type of leverage don't just jump at the first offer that comes their way.

He would have still ended up in LA because LA was intent on hiring him.

[vaff87]

This is great.

[dagger]

Ken Williams apparently is not in the running.

http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/ ... -white-sox

[Wo1verine]

Most likely have came here if we jumped the gun before the Dodgers - If the plan was to replace Beeston, they should have done so several months ago! So what did we miss? Having one of the best baseball people joining our organization because Rogers was too slow to act.

Your level of assumption is absurd. Why would Friedman have "jumped the gun" when he is widely considered as one of the biggest front-office names in the league, as exemplified by the fact that the Dodgers made him the highest paid front-office executive in baseball? Guys with that type of leverage don't just jump at the first offer that comes their way.

He would have still ended up in LA because LA was intent on hiring him.

We'll never know for sure, but i think he easily could have signed here before the Dodgers were mentioned.

If Rogers approached Friedman making him the highest paid, i am not sure he'd turn that type of money down.
We have already heard of very well respected baseball person in Duquette wanting to be here if it wasn't for owners being in the way.

In the end this going back and forth means nothing because until we here about Jays having interest, we will never know for sure.. Either of us could be right.

[Wo1verine]

Ken Williams apparently is not in the running.

http://m.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article/ ... -white-sox

The least appealing of the 3 names being mentioned.

[Schad]

We'll never know for sure, but i think he easily could have signed here before the Dodgers were mentioned.

If Rogers approached Friedman making him the highest paid, i am not sure he'd turn that type of money down.
We have already heard of very well respected baseball person in Duquette wanting to be here if it wasn't for owners being in the way.

In the end this going back and forth means nothing because until we here about Jays having interest, we will never know for sure.. Either of us could be right.

He's being paid $7m a year by the Dodgers, and with that has the keys to arguably the richest team in baseball. Meanwhile, we likely couldn't offer the same money, nor could we offer the level of control unless we were simultaneously turfing Anthopolous.

And Friedman wasn't exactly a free agent courting offers; he was announced as the Dodgers' new President of Baseball Operations on the same day he resigned, and had been speaking with the Dodgers for weeks prior.

[Wo1verine]

We'll never know for sure, but i think he easily could have signed here before the Dodgers were mentioned.

If Rogers approached Friedman making him the highest paid, i am not sure he'd turn that type of money down.
We have already heard of very well respected baseball person in Duquette wanting to be here if it wasn't for owners being in the way.

In the end this going back and forth means nothing because until we here about Jays having interest, we will never know for sure.. Either of us could be right.

He's being paid $7m a year by the Dodgers, and with that has the keys to arguably the richest team in baseball. Meanwhile, we likely couldn't offer the same money, nor could we offer the level of control unless we were simultaneously turfing Anthopolous.

And Friedman wasn't exactly a free agent courting offers; he was announced as the Dodgers' new President of Baseball Operations on the same day he resigned, and had been speaking with the Dodgers for weeks prior.

Again, if they planned better ( month's ahead before the dodgers were interested), i don't see why he would turn down our organization.
Rogers obviously has money and could easily afford the $7 million.
Rather or not they would want to pay that - who knows either way potentially missed opportunity

[Michael Bradley]

I wonder what Duquette as president would mean for AA's job. The timing of this is interesting, especially since AA has had about the best off-season on paper that he has ever had (from a win adding standpoint).

Williams has a general manager (Hahn) in Chicago, and presumably Williams or Duquette would need one here, too. Perhaps a better question would be if a currently successful GM like Duquette gets the job, would AA want to stay. Duquette likely would be more interventionist on the baseball side than Williams, although the President/CEO is primarily a business and hiring position, with oversight for baseball, but not day-to-day responsibility.

AA is Beeston's guy, so Duquette would likely have someone in mind as GM as well. The timing of this makes it interesting, since it's reasonably late in the off-season and AA's had a great off-season by anyone's standards. I don't think DD would keep AA long-term if he got the role, especially since he himself is a successful baseball guy and likely has specific people in mind who he'd want to be the GM.

[polo007]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/541761232978464768[/tweet]

[polo007]

According to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun, reports of the demise of Blue Jays’ Paul Beeston from the exalted office of president are greatly exaggerated. Paul Beeston is not going anywhere and will be the president of the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2015 season.

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/12/07/beeston-will-stay-with-blue-jays-for-another-year

Rogers Communications is actively seeking a replacement for Beeston, with Baltimore Orioles general manager Dan Duquette and former Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams having been internally discussed as successors, according to an ESPN report.

But Beeston is not going any where, we are told and will be the president for the 2015 season, we’re told.

Could Rogers be looking for a successor for Beeston, 69, when he retires?

Quite possibly.

Would they hire former Jays outfielder Williams and then show his base-running highlights on the Jumbotron at his press conference, as he bowls over third base coach John McLaren to score with Yankees’ Mel Hall lying injured in left field?

Doubtful.

Duquette has four years remaining on his contract with the Orioles.

Other reaction and questions from executives and GMs:

- “Let me get this straight: Rogers gave Beeston approval to overpay on Russell Martin (five years, $82 million) and then gave him the green light to trade Brett Lawrie while going around asking for permission to interview someone to take Beeston’s place? Does that even make sense?”

- “I’m surprised those TV people even know who Kenny Williams and Dan Duquette are. What about Mario Lemieux ... isn’t he a president somewhere in hockey?

- “With all due respect to Kenny Williams and Dan Duquette for the great jobs they did as GMs with their respective teams, neither would be on my top 10 list to be a club president. What about quality guys Doug Melvin (Milwaukee Brewers GM), Ned Colletti (former L.A. Dodgers GM) or Gerry Hunsicker (ex-Houston Astros GM)? Their search committee needs some help.”

- “I did hear Beeston turned down an extension, but that he wants to stay and work on his terms.”

- “Is this because Beeston and Jerry Reinsdorf (White Sox owner) backed Red Sox’s Tom Werner as commissioner against Rob Manfred?”

- “So was Beeston fired or is he retiring?”

- “Beeston had a wonderful relationship with Nadir Mohammed (who used to run Rogers). How does he gets along with this new guy (Guy Laurence)?”

- “Why not just borrow a GM from the Dodgers and make him president?”

[vaff87]

This now sounds rather confusing.

[-MetA4-]

i don't see why he would turn down our organization.

I don't know...maybe because the Dodgers ownership group is significantly more committed to winning at any cost, play in a much more favorable division, offer a much more advantageous position with regards to signing and retaining players, don't play on **** turf, etc, etc, etc.

You are being delusional. As Schad pointed out, he was likely in talks with the Dodgers for weeks. We can not come even close to offering what they offered. Gee: build a team in Canada in a stadium that doesn't even have real grass with an ownership group that is notoriously questionable, versus building a team in Los freaking Angeles where they're going to give you as much money you want to build a winner, oh, and you're also not competing against the Yankees and Red Sox every single season for a playoff spot. What sounds like a better gig? We would also not come even close to paying him what the Dodgers shelled out. You think Rogers is paying $35 million for a baseball executive? Get real.

[C Court]

Let's give this a few days to see how it shakes out. Usually where there's smoke, there's at least a little fire.

Remember, MLSE and Leiweke vehemently denied he was leaving and then ....