Blue Jays considering John McDonald, Eric Wedge, others for manager

The Toronto Blue Jays are conducting a wide search for their future manager, considering Eric Wedge, former player John McDonald, Stubby Clapp, David Bell, Sandy Alomar Jr., and more, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

The list that Rosenthal offered is not comprehensive, and a few names on the list are also receiving recognition from other teams’ managerial openings. Notably, Bell, as the San Francisco Giants’ farm director, is “getting a lot of attention around the game,” Rosenthal reports. He’s a possible long-term replacement for Bruce Bochy, or with the Cincinnati Reds.

With the exception of Clapp, all candidates that Rosenthal listed have a link to Toronto or Cleveland, where Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins worked before coming to the Blue Jays. Wedge, a player development advisor for Toronto since 2016, managed Cleveland from 2002 to 2009, winning the AL Manager of the Year award in 2007.

When hired, there was speculation that he was brought on board as a future replacement to John Gibbons.

After months of rumours, Gibbons and the Blue Jays announced they would part ways with days left in the 2018 season. Gibbons managed the Blue Jays over parts of 11 seasons, becoming the second-longest tenured Toronto manager by games, behind only Cito Gaston.

McDonald, also mentioned by Rosenthal, played with the Blue Jays from 2005 to 2011 and is remembered for hitting a home run on Father’s Day in his first game after the death of his father.