The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly hired Ross Atkins as their new general manager with hopes to make another run at the American League pennant, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports confirmed the report, though the team hasn't yet made an official announcement.
Atkins, who has spent the past 20 years with the Cleveland Indians—most recently as the vice president of player personnel—was hired by his former boss, Mark Shapiro, who left Cleveland to become Toronto’s CEO in November.
Atkins has the lofty task of replacing former Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos, who was named baseball’s Executive of the Year by Sporting News just before turning down a multiyear extension after six seasons in Toronto because of what was a speculated rift with Shapiro over power and autonomy.
In Atkins, Shapiro gets a candidate he's established a trust with over the past two decades and one with a pedigree in player development. Atkins was drafted by the Indians—under Shapiro's watch—then, after five unsuccessful seasons in the minors, transitioned to the front office, where he climbed the ranks in player development.
Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti sent his congratulations, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com:
Atkins will head to Toronto with both short- and long-term agenda items as the Blue Jays aim to defend their American League East title. The bullpen and bench command immediate attention, and looming free agents next winter include sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, as well as top reliever Brett Cecil.
Anthopoulos was praised for returning to Toronto to prominence by aggressive offseason and deadline trades that brought in key contributors David Price, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin, R.A Dickey and others while hitting on draft picks such as Marcus Stroman—all with a manageable payroll, 10th highest in MLB last year, per Spotrac. Anthopoulos hasn't yet been picked off the open market since leaving Toronto.
Interim GM Tony LaCava was the other finalist for the job, according to Heyman. He will reportedly remain with the team “as an integral part of the club’s decision-making process,” according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.
Bob Nightingale of USA Today believed it would be Atkins all along:
The Blue Jays claimed were 93-69 last year and reached the playoffs for the first time since 1993 before falling short in the American League Championship Series to the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals.
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