The Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a multi-year extension with John Gibbons, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported Tuesday.
Gibbons’ current contract expires following the 2017 season. The sides expect to have a deal in place by April 3, when the regular season begins, according to Heyman.
Gibbons, now in his second stint managing the Blue Jays, has won more games than every manager in franchise history except Cito Gaston. The former New York Mets catcher first managed in Toronto from 2004-2008, compiling a 305-305 record. He then rejoined the organization following the 2012 season and has since led the club to a 250-236 record and back-to-back trips to the ALCS.
Gibbons was already in place when team president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins joined the organization in 2015, but the new front office has had plenty of praise for the 54-year-old already.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that John Gibbons has everything it takes to build a championship team,” Atkins said in December. “He has an elite understanding of what it takes and what it means to play 162 games and to get into a post-season, the toll that takes on a player. He seems to keep his eye on that better than anyone I’ve been around.
“His ability to be patient and work with the resources that are given to him are elite. He’s extremely well-received, extremely well-respected, a great in-game decision maker, has everything he would possibly need to win a championship.”
When Gibbons rejoined the Blue Jays, his contract initially included a rollover clause that ensured he’d never enter a season as a ‘lame duck’ manager. That clause has since been removed, leading the sides to discuss an extension this spring.
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