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Now that John Gibbons is out as manager of the Blue Jays, the organization has set its sights on selecting Toronto’s next skipper. 

Baseball general managers tend to hire new managers who can bring a different style than the approach used by their previous managers: Clubs replace player-oriented managers, who have few rules, with authoritative managers and vice versa. 
 
Gibbons was perceived to be a good fit with a veteran team because of his easy-going nature. He demanded that his players be prepared but he didn’t micro-manage that preparation. With a rebuilding team, the logic is that the manager needs to be more hands-on in the preparation of the roster. He needs to teach the kids how to play the game.  
 
Another factor considered in the hiring process is familiarity to the decision maker. A pre-existing relationship with a general manager can benefit a candidate because the relationship between manager and GM is so important. It was Gibbons’ relationships with general managers J.P. Ricciardi and Alex Anthopoulos that played a big part of his hiring both times with the Blue Jays. In addition to the familiarity with an individual, owners often like to hire former players as managers, even if the general manager wasn’t employed by the club when the player was on the roster.  
 
Experience as a manager can be a factor in some hirings. Some general managers value previous managerial experience on a candidate’s resume. Minor league and Winter League experience is not the same as MLB experience, but is valued highly as well.  
 
One other major factor that matters is whether a candidate is considered an old school or new school thinker. Effectively, general managers must differentiate whether the candidate for manager is educated, familiar and comfortable with the use of analytics, or is he more apt to go with his eyes and his gut.  
 
These factors will enter into the front office’s decision when it comes to considering candidates.

Here is a list of potential candidates for the Jays manager opening based upon the above criteria:  
 
Eric Wedge – Currently working in the Jays’ minor league department, Wedge has worked closely with many of the young prospects that will eventually impact the big-league club. He has worked for (Jays president) Mark Shapiro and (Toronto GM) Ross Atkins when they were part of the Cleveland Indians organization as their major league manager. The 50-year-old Wedge is familiar with the analytics the Jays use and he’s more intense than Gibbons.
 
Mike Matheny – The former St. Louis Cardinals manager is clean-cut and classy. He’s a serious, fairly intense baseball man in the same mould as Shapiro and Atkins. Matheny, who turned 48 a week ago, is an authoritative personality and a no-nonsense guy. He has managed both veterans and young players and is open to analytics as the Cardinals are one of the more statistically savvy organizations. His candidacy is similar to that of Cleveland skipper Terry Francona when he was hired after leaving the Boston Red Sox. 
 
Joe Girardi – The former New York Yankees manager now works for MLB Network radio. He is a tough, hard-nosed competitive manager and, like Matheny, also a no-nonsense individual. Girardi, who will be 54 next month, is articulate and can handle the media. He’s a hands-on guy who can manage veterans and young kids alike. Although he’s very serious and perhaps a bit rigid, the approach has worked well for him as he’s very well-respected. Girardi understands analytics and will be even more open to using them with a new team. He understands the AL East and all the challenges it brings. However, Girardi’s price tag might be too high for the Jays appetite as he was earning $4 million at the end of his time in New York.
 
Sandy Alomar Jr. – Currently the first-base coach for the Indians, Alomar Jr. was hired by Shapiro. The brother of Jays’ icon Robbie Alomar, the 52-year-old Puerto Rico product has been part of a Cleveland organization that has developed young impact prospects who have become stars. He has a low-key personality, similar to Gibbons.  
 
Eduardo Perez – Son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez, the 49-year-old Perez has been a major- league hitting coach with the Miami Marlins (2011-12) and a bench coach for the Houston Astros (2013). He was also manager of the year in the Puerto Rican Winter League in 2008 and managed Columbia in the World Baseball Classic in 2013. He worked for Shapiro and Atkins in Cleveland in 2011 as a special assistant to the baseball department. After working in the Astros organization, he has great awareness of analytics and the impact they can have on players. He’s currently working for SiriusXM MLB Network radio as my cohost and also works for ESPN as an analyst for games and Baseball Tonight. His candidacy is like that of Yankees manager Aaron Boone and Red Sox manager Alex Cora.  
 
Mark DeRosa – Now working for MLB Network Radio, DeRosa played for Shapiro and Atkins in Cleveland and ended his career as a member of the Blue Jays. The 43-year-old is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and he’s bright and articulate. He understands analytics and is a great communicator, and is also much like Boone and Cora. 
 
Stubby Clapp – The current manager of the Memphis Redbirds, the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate, Clapp is a two-time Pacific Coast League champion (2017-18) and two-time PCL manager of the year (2017-18). The 45-year-old Canadian was a tough, gritty journeyman player who got the most out of his ability. His teams have taken on his personality. He is an excellent communicator and is now managing in the Arizona Fall League, so he’s a manager who can grow with a young roster of players. Clapp hails from Windsor, Ont., and has represented Canada in international competition both as a player and a coach. His bases-loaded single against Team USA in the 1999 Pan Am Games turned him into a bit of a national hero. He has also worked for the Astros as a minor league coach and manager, and was with the Blue Jays organization as a minor league hitting coach in 2013 and 2014. His candidacy is similar to that of Andy Green, manager of the San Diego Padres, or Kevin Cash of the Tampa Bay Rays.
 
There will be no shortage of qualified candidates for the Jays’ managing job. Akins and Shapiro will have to identify what is most important to them as they search to find the perfect fit as Gibbons’ successor.  
 
Stroman, Sanchez must rebuild their value

The candidate selected as the new Jays manager will be trying to win with a young, green roster. The team’s level of competitiveness while rebuilding will be based upon the quality of pitching Toronto carries on its roster. Ryan Borucki and Thomas Pannone have certainly made a positive impression since their call-ups and will likely be on the staff in some kind of role. 

Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez will be the most important players going into 2019 when it comes to the club’s competitiveness. However, neither of them lived up to expectations this season due to underperformance and injuries, and some pundits may call for the two right-handers to be traded this off-season. 

If the Jays are going to rebuild, then why not go all in and move Stroman and Sanchez as well? There would certainly be takers who would make a deal for either or both of them, but only with the thought of catching lightning in a bottle. Competitive teams would love to have either Stroman or Sanchez as their fifth starters, with the hopes that they get back on track and pitch like No. 2 starters. 

But the math doesn’t work in favour of the Blue Jays, so they would be better served to wait and let the two pitchers rebuild their value. This is not a Josh Donaldson situation where if they don’t trade him, they will lose value. Both Stroman and Sanchez have little trade value right now. The best thing that could happen is that they both get to rebuild their careers. If they are successful again the Jays can keep them until free agency, sign them to extensions or trade them. A trade now won’t bring back a good return and may lead to the Jays getting burned if they bounce back for someone else.  
 
Bullpen Spitting Seeds

- Bullpens have become possibly the most important component of the game in October baseball. Below is the percentage of innings pitched by relievers during the past five postseasons. Playoff teams are using their bullpens significantly more, particularly during the last couple of years:

2013: 34.8 per cent
2014: 40.2 per cent
2015: 39.5 per cent
2016: 43.2 per cent
2017: 46.5 per cent

Managers don’t hesitate to pull their starters. Rarely, in recent years, have we seen starters facing a lineup for a third time – only the aces get that privilege.  
 
- The American League has a collection of very good bullpens. Here’s how I rank them:

1. Yankees (34-20, 3.37 ERA) – Lefty Aroldis Chapman was recently activated off New York’s disabled list and, along with Zach Britton, gives them great balance to go with Dellin Betances, David Robertson and Chad Greene from the right side.

2. Athletics (44-15, 3.30 43/60 saves) – Oakland’s Blake Treinen (9-2, 0.79 ERA, 37/42 saves) has had a Cy Young-calibre season as the A’s closer. He leads a very deep pen that has thrown more innings than any other team not named the Tampa Bay Rays. Manager Bob Melvin has no hesitation pulling his starter and leaving the game in the hands of his relievers.

3. Indians (15-27, 4.51 ERA, 40/57 saves) – Cleveland’s statistics don’t tell the whole story of their season. They struggled late in the game for the first few months of the season. The loss of Bryan Shaw to the Rockies in free agency coupled with health issues for Andrew Miller compromised the pen. Trade deadline acquisitions Brad Hand (LHR) and Adam Cimber (RHP) added to the length, depth and balance needed. They stabilized the end of the game and now with the return of a healthy Miller, Francona can shorten the game like he has successfully done before. The Indians staff threw the fewest innings of any bullpen during the regular season, but we have seen Francona manage differently in October and he has a pen to do it again.

4. Astros (28-22, 3.00 ERA, 43-63 saves) – Houston has the best bullpen ERA in the AL despite having closer questions most of the season. They have been using former Jays reliever Roberto Osuna as their closer since his acquisition on July 31. Houston also plans to use starters Lance McCullers Jr. and Charlie Morton in the bullpen to serve as a bridge from their starter to Osuna. The Astros have righty Chris Devenski’s changeup to neutralize left-handed hitters. They may also use rookie lefty Framber Valdez to face some big left-handed hitters.

5. Red Sox (39-15, 3.60 ERA, 46/66 saves) – Boston has one of the best closers in the game in Craig Kimbrel (5-1, 2.79 ERA, 42/47 saves). He will be a two-inning option for manager Alex Cora but the rest of his bullpen is mostly unproven in postseason play. Right-hander Ryan Brasier has been a pleasant surprise in the eighth inning but he hasn’t pitched in October before. The Red Sox have recently used former starter and knuckleball pitcher Steven Wright out of the bullpen. He can throw just about every day and can pitch multiple innings. Left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez could be a weapon out of the bullpen as well to neutralize big lefty sluggers.  

- When it comes to the quality of relievers, National League bullpens don’t come close to AL pens. Only the Milwaukee Brewers (39-21, 3.52 ERA, 46/69 saves) can stand toe-to-toe with the best in the American League. Josh Hader is a weapon from the left side who gives manager Craig Counsell the ability to save the game at any point. Hader, Corey Knebel and Jeremy Jeffress provide the Brewers with the pitching depth and balance needed to manoeuvre through the best lineups in baseball.  
 
The rest of the NL postseason contenders all have big question marks at the end of the game or with the bridge to get from their starter to the closer. Of course, any pitcher can get hot and change that. This is why the Brewers are a scary team in the NL and a sleeper to go all the way to the World Series.  

- We will unlikely see “openers” (relievers who open a game) used in the 2018 postseason, but there’s little doubt that bullpens will make or break each playoff series.