The 2015 option in the contract of Blue Jays manager John Gibbons is now guaranteed, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, by operation of a unique clause in his deal. Designed to avoid a "lame duck" situation, the clause guarantees Gibbons' option because he was not fired before the start of the new year.
As the clause further provides, Toronto also acquires a 2016 option to retain Gibbons. In essence, as Nicholson-Smith explains, the contract is something of a "perpetual two-year deal": should Gibbons hold on through January 1, 2015, the same clause would again be triggered in like manner.
Under Gibbons last year, the Jays disappointed with a 74-88 record. The once-and-current Toronto skipper says he hopes to have his club prepared for a fast start to the season coming out of Spring Training. Last year, he noted, the team was "buried" in the division early on.
I like Gibby! Sounds like Boomhauer.
They did dig themselves an early grave.
However, they were back in the thick of things when they won 11 in a row. I don’t recall what happened after that though…
I’ve successfully repressed those memories.
they went on the road to tampa bay and boston and got HAMMERED…i think they won 1 game between both series…
Cue ill-informed comments of him needing to be fired in 3, 2, 1…
Nah man… They are too busy talking about Dion Phaneuf’s “terrible” contract extension.
Just wait until hockey season is over.
hey man. not all canadians are blinded by hockey season. we pay attention.
but if a Jays fan falls in a forest and there is no Jays talk to hear him…
Why “ill-informed”? Being a manager is not just about “how you handle your bullpen.” It’s also about having some charisma and being a leader so that the players will play for you. Gibbons has exactly zero charisma. He will be fired despite his “guaranteed option” (probably about the same time that AA is fired).
Could Gibbons charisma stop Happ from being hit in the head by a Desomond Jennings line drive, or could it have stopped Morrow and Johnson from being injured most of the season? Maybe If Gibby was a “proven winner” Reyes wouldn’t have broken his leg on a fluke play or maybe Bautista would have played 162 games……..
You’re assuming it’s all about injuries and I’m saying it’s not. Happ was replaced by Redmond perfectly well. The Jays didn’t improve with Reyes. Remember the 11 game win streak? It happened when Reyes was out. As soon as he returned they tanked (not saying the tanked because of Reyes, but point being he didn’t help). Bautista was acting like a diva throughout the year, as was Lawrie. It’s up to the manager to put a stop to that stuff, but as I’ve said Gibbons isn’t the guy. No, there’s something more going on than injuries. The culture of the team wasn’t right, and that’s on Gibbons.
Third time’s the charm?
He needs to be fired!
🙂
Why can’t all Canadian baseball fans be this rational:(
Don’t worry, the options won’t mean a thing when Gibbons gets fired in June when the Jays are in the basement once again. Anthopoulos will be canned at the end of the season. Brace yourselves Jays’ fans.
How does anything think this ISN’T going to happen. I think everything, outside of Gibbons getting canned is a lock. Gibbons won’t be gone until AA is fired.
In my opinion, the best way to evaluate a manager is to look at how he uses his bullpen and his bench. And despite the overall results of the team, the Jays got good bench production and had a terrific bullpen. I mean, what else is Gibbons supposed to do? Yell at his players until they hit or pitch better. It doesn’t work that way. The Blue Jays need better starting pitching, not a better manager.
To me managers are a lot like teachers. Yelling at students generally doesn’t work, but certain teachers just have that certain something in their personalities (something that can’t be taught in teachers college) that naturally motivates and inspires. Gibbons doesn’t have it.
If that’s true, what makes you think that certain something isn’t specific to the player hearing or seeing it? In other words, that you can’t really say whether or not a manager “has it” at all?
You seem to be arguing that the “certain something” is just completely subjective. I disagree. I believe that some people are generally considered to be charismatic, and some aren’t.
I agree that some people are charismatic. I disagree that charismatic means they “naturally motivate and inspire,” or that one has to be charismatic to do so.
Because it’s far more likely that one person “doesn’t have it” than a whole team of people?
In your haste to be clever you completely missed the point.
My argument is that there IS no “it.” That the ability to inspire and motivate is akin to a lock and a key: If the two fit together it works and if not, it doesn’t, and it’s not the fault of the lock or the key if the two don’t go together. That’s not to say you never replace one or the other for the lack of fit — merely that it isn’t a lacking on either of their parts that causes it.
I have to respectfully disagree that there is no “it.” Both from a coaching and playing side of the coin, sports history is filled with people who were not necessarily the most talented or most naturally gifted, but found a way to win and/or inspire those around them to win. One of the best examples I can think of is outside of baseball; I’ve read accounts from numerous teammates of Joe Montana from his SF glory days who all said they realized Joe didn’t have the best arm or the best legs or what-all, but when Montana stepped on the field, “he just made us feel like we were going to win.” Some of it is chemistry, yes, but Montana was a pretty solid constant for those 49ers teams. There have been a lot of managers in the history of baseball who have a long and solid reputation as men who consistently get the best from their players, and the reason often cited by players is “he’s a guy you want to play hard for.”
How do you know that Gibbons doesn’t have it? Because he didn’t make his AAA and AAAA players into stars? Or because he injured his players?
I agree with your sentiments and do not believe Gibbons was at fault, but the the herd always tries to find the scapegoat and most of the time it’s pointed to the manager or GM.
Calling people who disagree with you names (“the herd”) shows that your argument has no substance. AA put the team together, so naturally he’s going to bear responsibility. AA has a history of picking up players with injury histories and/or attitude problems. It hasn’t worked out.
By the herd I meant the casual fans that freak out over things like minor signings and depth moves by stating the GM should be fired, or those who put sole blame of every team loss on the manager, but fail to praise him when they win.
“AA put the team together, so naturally he’s going to bear responsibility” – You pretty much reiterated my point…he got players to make this team competitive…he has no control over their performance or whether they get injured; therefore, he’s the scapegoat. And the only 3 guys with attitude problems I see AA picked up was Rasmus, Escobar and Lawrie…all were great acquisitions.
Rasmus has attitude problems? I know that he and his dad weren’t a fan of LaRussa’s coaching methods in St. Louis, but that hardly justifies him as having attitude problems.
Well I was assuming he was referring to him. I don’t think he does myself. I would have classified the group as “troublesome” more than attitude problems as they all had issues with their previous teams, and AA acquired them figuring a change of scenery would do them better.
As a fan of a rival AL East team, this is great news, Gibbons has lost countless games for the Jays last season!
Yep, because a teams record is 100% because of the manager
Any examples or evidence? Seriously, point to games where you can say that Gibbons lost it. I bet you couldn’t find three let alone countless.
At least he lost less games than Farrell, now that’s a man who lost countless games for the Jays
The only thing this guarantee guarantees is that he’s going to get paid through 2015.
Love how people are calling Gibby a bad manager. Most of his roster underperforming is not his fault. Factors that he could control such as bench and bullpen management were excellent. I’ll take Gibby over Farrell any day of the week (BOS vastly over performed in 2013)
And in 2008 the Jays just coincidentally under performed under Gibbons and coincidentally over performed under Gaston? Leadership matters a lot more than you people want to admit. Gibbons laissez faire style is a bad fit for this team. I think he’d work well with a veteran group with a core that’s been together, but this team needs some direction.
Small sample size with Cito. Check what happened during the 2009 season with a full year of Cito.
Fair enough. But in 2010 they were back to “over-performing” considering that roster. I’m not saying gibbons is a bad manager, I just don’t like the fit with this particular team.
I wouldn’t say they over-performed in 2010. Romero, Marcum, Morrow and Cecil were a good 1-4 in the rotation that year and they had breakout seasons from Bautista and Buck, plus Wells managed to stay healthy and be productive. The team was also quite healthy throughout the season.
Hard to imagine a more veteran group than the Jays last year. What style would you adopt with a veteran group such as this?
Not sure what you mean about direction.
I didn’t mind the gibbons hiring at first, but it’s clear these players don’t deserve a manager that’s going to give them free reign. IMO they need someone who’s going to whip them into shape. They showed poor discipline and I don’t think Gibby’s the guy to fix it.
So you don’t actually have anything?
When the team consistently underperforms, you look towards the manager. I wonder if the Blue Jays lackluster offseason comes from free agents not wanting to play for a guy who assaulted his own player.
This is like the Red Sox giving Bobby V another shot and extending him.
Pretty strange reaction when the player involved says he thinks Gibbons did the right thing.
That’s a very unique contract… I don’t recall anyone else ever having a clause like that.
He was so excited he pushed Ted Lilly over to celebrate.
Perhaps a late June early July trigger date. for a following year option, would have been better for the team. Guessing Gibbons did not have a tonne of leverage in negotiations considering the Jays were the only team that i’m aware of that were even considering him as an option for there top spot. This Appx. trigger date would have the manager coming out of the gate swinging, fighting for the for the best first half record possible. While if they remain in the hunt going into the second half. Just the will to win alone would keep him hungry.
I honestly can’t imagine that there’s a single manager in MLB (or most levels, for that matter) who isn’t hungry to win every game right out of the gate.
All ready for another last place finish in 2014 with eyes on 5th for 2015.