Gibbons won't return as Blue Jays manager in 2019
John Gibbons won't be returning as manager of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019, general manager Ross Atkins confirmed at a press conference on Wednesday.
An official decision regarding Gibbons' future has been looming for a while now, and all signs pointed to a split between the team and manager. In August, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the Blue Jays seemed "destined" to move on from the 56-year-old. Gibbons responded and said he's unsure about his desire to endure the rebuild Toronto is heading toward.
Gibbons: "I'll always be a Blue Jay ... the storm clouds were gathering and so I knew the reality of it ... I agree it's probably time for a change"
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) September 26, 2018
Gibbons signed an extension through the 2019 campaign with a club option for 2020 last April, but he's managed two consecutive losing seasons since inking the deal.
Gibbons took over as the Blue Jays' skipper in 2013. During his second stint with the team, Toronto owns 486-482 record, highlighted by back-to-back trips to the ALCS in 2015 and 2016.