RealGM

Buster Olney ✔ @Buster_ESPN
Sources: The Blue Jays' ownership is actively seeking a replacement for longtime CEO Paul Beeston. Dan Duquette among candidates discussed

Ken Rosenthal ✔ @Ken_Rosenthal
Sources: #Orioles GM Dan Duquette a top candidate to be #BlueJays’ president. Move would be a promotion. Difficult for O’s to stand in way.

Sign me up

Sounds like Beeston's contract expired at the end of this past season and will not be re-signed.

Wow another positive move this offseason

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/541617727178162176[/tweet]

Uh oh

Keep Ken Williams far away from my baseball team, that guy is absolutely useless. I'd be fine with Duquette, but Williams would be a really big mistake in my opinion, not impressed with his history with the White Sox.

It seems both the Orioles and White Sox are reluctant to let their guy go, despite baseball's unwritten rule that you don't stand in the way of a promotion. Williams, according to Rosenthal, is considering resigning from the Sox as a consequence.

It's the presidency, not GM, so I don't know if either is the best man qualified to serve as the intermediary between ownership and the Jays' management group. Understanding that is knowing what ownership wants the CEO to do, and what they didn't like about the job Beeston has been doing. The president should be carrying a lot more of the PR load that Alex has been forced to shoulder, and none too well at times. It's a dollars and cents job, and if the GM continues to operate according to budget and the plan laid out to the board, the GM should have a free hand.

Interestingly, both candidates are baseball men with ties to the Jays or Expos. I'm not sure if there is an advantage in having that bit of background. The landscape has changed a great deal since both were temporarily resident in Canada.

Haven't certain people held both the President and GM titles at the same time in the past? Could Duquette be looking to do so here?

Whatever it takes to get rid of the 5-year BS max contract policy!

We haven't made the post-season since 93', who are we to have these special rules in place?

Rogers missed the boat allowing Friedman to sign with the Dodgers

Duquette is a great GM, whether that would translate to a team president role is anyone's guess.

Beeston needed to be replaced years ago, as the game has clearly passed him by, so I'd approve of a change. Rogers has given the team money, so they are willing to spend. If a team president can eliminate the five year policy which may open up the possibility of Cuban signings, that alone would be an upgrade.

Tuuk wrote:Keep Ken Williams far away from my baseball team, that guy is absolutely useless. I'd be fine with Duquette, but Williams would be a really big mistake in my opinion, not impressed with his history with the White Sox.

People won't believe this now but at one point Kenny Williams was probably more well respected than Billy Beane or Theo Epstein, but yeah he's made a lot of questionable moves in the last 3-4 years to the point where White Sox fans almost universally hate him.

Wo1verine wrote:Rogers missed the boat allowing Friedman to sign with the Dodgers

First thing that came to mind when I saw this thread title.



Would be nice to steal Duquette from the O's, because **** them.

Wo1verine wrote: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.

Duquette all the way. I hated Williams ever since the sirotka (sp??) trade.

I do find it quite interesting, that news of this is NO where to be found on the Rogers Sportsnet website, hehe.

Lolz! ! ! ! Just saying! (I am obviously it won't be on there, but I am *still* disappointed it isn't).

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/541669788989153280[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/541669796962525186[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/541669804650676224[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/541670966426755073[/tweet]

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).

GoRapstheoriginal wrote:I do find it quite interesting, that news of this is NO where to be found on the Rogers Sportsnet website, hehe.

Lolz! ! ! ! Just saying! (I am obviously it won't be on there, but I am *still* disappointed it isn't).

Its on 360sn. The app is what told notified me

Michael Bradley wrote: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.

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.