John

Gibbons

Gibbons is on the way out, but he won’t be alone. Passan notes that pitching coach Jeremy Hefner along with hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes have also been given their walking papers. It’s not surprising to see the Mets cleaning house after their collapse, and Carlos Mendoza — assuming he’s back — will have a tremendous amount of pressure to make up for not making the postseason in 2025.

Gibbons spent 11 years combined over a pair of stints at the helm for the Blue Jays, with his final stint ending at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign. The 61-year-old former skipper adds some valuable experience for first-time manager Carlos Mendoza in New York.

Morosi adds that Gibbons is not believed to be among the finalists for the Marlins job. The former Blue Jays manager has two different stints with Toronto, spending 11 years at the helm from 2004 through 2018. Skip Schumaker, Pedro Grifol, Joe Espada and Matt Quatraro are considered the top candidates in Miami at the moment.

Montoyo was briefly mentioned as a candidate for the Reds before they eventually decided on David Bell, but this is the first we’ve heard of him talking to the Blue Jays. Astros bench coach Joe Espada just interviewed on Monday while Rays major league field coordinator Rocco Baldelli, Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde, and Athletics coordinator of instruction Ed Sprague are among the other names being considered.

Espada is believed to be one of around five finalists to replace John Gibbons as manager. Rays major league field coordinator Rocco Baldelli and Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde are in that mix. Athletics coordinator of instruction and former Jays player Ed Sprague has also interviewed for the job. David Bell was a candidate before being named manager of the Reds on Sunday.

Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports that the deal is for three years with an option for 2022, and that the press conference will take place on Monday. Montoyo must have made quite an impression in his interview with the Jays’ higher-ups on Tuesday. The 53-year-old native of Puerto Rico got a short cup of coffee with the Montreal Expos back in 1993 and played his final pro season with Triple-A Ottawa in 1996 -- so he has some roots in Canada. Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde, Cardinals minor league manager Stubby Clapp, and Athletics coordinator of instruction Ed Sprague were among the other candidates to replace John Gibbons in Toronto.

Blue Jays’ General Manager Ross Atkins is looking for a “tough, smart and passionate” manager. They have a long list of candidates, including Astros’ bench coach Joe Espada, Giants’ farm director David Bell, former Blue Jays Chris Woodward and John McDonald, Indians’ base coach Sandy Alomar, Phillies’ bench coach Rob Thompson, the Rays’ Rocco Baldelli, Cardinals’ Triple-A manager Stubby Clapp, former Yankee manager Joe Girardi, former Cardinals manager Mike Matheny and former Astro bench coach Eduardo Perez. Internal Blue Jays’ candidates are bench coach DeMarlo Hale, Double-A manager John Schneider and Triple-A manager Bobby Meacham.

There could be several others. Rosenthal notes that many of these candidates have ties to Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins from their days with the Indians. Clapp is an outlier in that regard, but he’s one of the hotter names on the managerial market after guiding the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate to the national championship in 2018. Clapp is a native of Windsor, Ontario. The Blue Jays cut ties with John Gibbons in late September.

Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins made the long-rumored news official at a press conference in Toronto, with Gibbons sitting by his side. Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports reported earlier this month that the Jays will seek a “younger manager with a likely target date to compete in 2020 or 2021.” Bob Nightengale of USA Today has put forth Eric Wedge and Stubby Clapp as “two strong potential candidates.”

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic initially caught wind of this back in August, and Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports confirmed it in early September, so the writing has been on the wall for over a month. Gibbons led the Blue Jays to the playoffs in 2015 and 2016, but the team went 76-86 in 2017 and currently holds a 71-87 record here in 2018. Heyman said in his earlier report that the Jays will be looking to “hire a younger manager with a likely target date to compete in 2020 or 2021.”