Blue Jays’ Blockbuster Trade Complete; New Manager Inked

The Toronto Blue Jays’ offseason makeover is becoming more drastic by the day. With a news conference scheduled to introduce a handful of new players picked up in a blockbuster trade with Miami set for Tuesday, the Jays threw another curveball by announcing the signing of their new manager.

Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos reintroduced manager John Gibbons to the media at a news conference Tuesday morning. It will be Gibbons’ second tour of duty with the Jays. He managed the club for four seasons from 2004-2008. The move capped a wild 24 hours for the club.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig finally approved last week’s 12-player deal between Toronto and Miami on Monday. The Jays acquired Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, Jose Reyes, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio in the deal in exchange for Yunel Escobar, Henderson Alvarez, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jeff Mathis and three prospects. Later Monday evening the Jays also finalized the signing of former Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera. Cabrera inked a two-year deal worth $16 million.

“We think our lineup is going to be very dynamic,” Gibbons told reporters. “The front office has put together a legitimate, contending-type team. Now it’s the manager’s job and the coaching staff’s job to pull it together as a team and get the most out of these guys — that’s our No. 1 job.”
Gibbons put together a fairly impressive run with the Jays in his first stint with the team. Despite a talent-starved roster, he had a 305-305 record with the team in the competitive AL East division. For the most part, Gibbons is considered a fair players manager. However, he isn’t afraid to challenge his team either. He was involved in a couple of altercations with veterans Shea Hillenbrand and Ted Lilly in his last season as the Blue Jays’ manager.

“I don’t know that there was anybody better in terms of managing the bullpen, connecting with the players, connecting with the front office, holding players accountable,” Anthopoulos told reporters.“I have more conviction in this hire…than I probably have in any transaction that we’ve made here. So, I’m thrilled to have him.”

The Blue Jays planned to make some major changes after the club scuffled through an injury-plagued campaign last year. They finished in fourth place in the AL East at 73-89, 22 games off the pace. Many have suggest that the Jays need to make a move now, as the Yankees and Red Sox retool their lineups. Sports Interaction has the Jays at +800 to win the 2013 World Series.