DUNEDIN, Fla. – John Gibbons recognized how much the Toronto Blue Jays had to do this past off-season, which is why he urged GM Ross Atkins to put their talks on a contract extension on the back-burner.
For now, the matter remains there, although the manager is by no means concerned about starting spring training in the final year of a contract he reworked last year.
"It hasn’t been a driving force for me, because I think we’ll get something done. But there was a lot going on this winter too, so I just kind of laid low, you know?" Gibbons said Tuesday. "We’ve talked. We laid the groundwork. I told Ross, I said, ‘Listen, you got a lot going on, man. In due time, we’ll get that done.’ We’ve got a good working relationship, you know? We proved that last year … I enjoy working with him. I think he feels the same way."
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Both Atkins and president and CEO Mark Shapiro have heaped praise on Gibbons, who ranks second in franchise history with 644 managerial wins, trailing only Cito Gaston’s 894. During a conversation Monday with Bob McCown on Sportsnet 590 The Fan’s Prime Time Sports, Atkins stopped just short of guaranteeing an extension, but said the matter is something he and Gibbons "are embracing."
"I think the world of Gibby," added Atkins. "I really enjoyed working with him and he’s obviously done a lot of good things for this organization. It’s just a matter of us talking about what’s best for him and what’s best for the organization."
Before reworking his contract last year, Gibbons was under a unique contractual structure that included a rolling option that kicked in every Jan. 1. Former GM Alex Anthopoulos, who was close with Gibbons, designed the option as a way of guaranteeing that his manager never entered a lame-duck season.
Gibbons removed that clause for a raise last year, and then steered the Blue Jays to a second straight trip to the American League Championship Series, winning the faith of a new front office in the process.
"Pretty much I get along with everybody," said Gibbons. "You don’t know what to expect from the business end of it. New guys coming in and running the whole thing, and generally, in sports, they make changes. You bring new people in to run your team. They should have the people they want. You’re trying to be successful. I got no problem with that. But I think we hit it off pretty good. We hung in there and got to the post-season. But I really like the guys. I enjoy working with them and I think they feel the same way. But yeah, going in, you never know what to expect.
"But I’ll survive either way, man, you know?"
