Blue Jays name Charlie Montoyo new manager

The Toronto Blue Jays have hired former Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Charlie Montoyo as the team's new manager. It is reportedly a three-year contract that includes a club option for 2022, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

"I am extremely honored and humbled to join the Toronto Blue Jays organization and I would like to thank Mark (Shapiro) and Ross (Atkins) for this amazing opportunity," Montoyo said, per Davidi. "Managing a team that represents an entire nation is incredibly special. My family and I look forward to working towards the ultimate goal of winning a championship for this city."

The 53-year-old Montoyo had been with the Rays organization since 1997, and he coached throughout the team's minor-league system before joining the major-league squad in 2015. He is the winningest manager in the history of the Triple-A Durham Bulls, notching 633 victories.

Montoyo will become the 13th skipper in Blue Jays history, and will likely oversee the promotions of top prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.

The job isn't Montoyo's introduction to life north of the border; he appeared in four games for the Montreal Expos in 1993.

Other names linked to the Blue Jays gig were Houston Astros bench coach Joe Espada, St. Louis Cardinals minor-league manager Stubby Clapp, and fellow Rays coach Rocco Baldelli, who was officially hired as Minnesota Twins manager earlier Thursday.