Report: Duquette wants to leave Orioles to become Blue Jays' CEO
Paul Beeston had only been a chartered accountant for five years when he joined the Toronto Blue Jays in 1976, an opportunity that eventually allowed the affable executive to play an invaluable role in the operation of the franchise.
After more than three decades, however, the organization is looking to move on.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the club's owners are seeking a replacement for Beeston, the first person ever employed by the Blue Jays - and Dan Duquette, the executive vice-president of baseball operations for the Baltimore Orioles, is among the candidates that have been discussed.
Sources: Duquette wants to leave #Orioles, become #BlueJays’ prez/CEO. Some with club not opposed to his departure. Angelos standing in way.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 7, 2014
Beeston took over as both president and CEO of the Blue Jays in 1991 and eventually became a figure synonymous with the club's consecutive World Series championships in 1992 and 1993. Though he took a five-year hiatus from the organization to serve as the league's chief operating officer from 1997 to 2002, Beeston unofficially rejoined the Blue Jays shortly thereafter and was formally renamed president and CEO in 2008.
Details of Beeston's contract remain elusive, but Sportsnet's Shi Davidi reported in August that the executive's deal was believed to expire shortly after the 2014 campaign.