The former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays says he advised the embattled Houston Astros to come clean about their recent cheating scandal during a job interview for their recently vacant manager position.
John Gibbons said he thinks perceptions about the team would have changed if Houston was up front about what they did.
“You can’t talk about it forever, but lay it out there and then move on,” Gibbons said Tuesday on Sportsnet 590 The Fan’s Writers Bloc.
Houston has been under fire for using electronics to illegally steal signs in 2017 along with parts of 2018. The Astros fired manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow in January for their roles in the matter.
Gibbons, a longtime manager of the Blue Jays before leaving at the end of the 2018 season, sat down with Houston owner Jim Crane to interview for the Astros’ managerial role in January.
The 57-year-old thought he would have been a perfect fit for the job and the No. 1 question during the process was how he would have handled being in the spotlight with the cheating scandal at the forefront.
“They got their hands full right now,” Gibbons said, although he believes the Astros will get through it. “It looks like they’re on the right track.”
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Houston eventually hired veteran Dusty Baker to be its manager while Gibbons was hired Monday by the Atlanta Braves as a special assignment scout.
Gibbons said he needed last year off to recharge and is excited to be back in the game working under former Blue Jays GM and current Atlanta president and GM Alex Anthopoulos.
During his 11 years in Toronto, Gibbons managed the Blue Jays to a 793-789 record and two playoff appearances in 2015 and ’16.
