The Toronto Blue Jays have found a replacement for CEO/team president Paul Beeston after the 2015 MLB season. They're set to announce the hiring of a two-time Sporting News Executive of the Year.
Cleveland Indians' president Mark Shapiro will succeed Beeston after the 2015 season, according to The Associated Press. Shapiro and Indians' owner Paul Dolan released statements regarding the news. The Blue Jays have confirmed the move, but will wait until after the season to have a press conference or release a statement from Shapiro to avoid any distractions as the club hopes to make the postseason for the first time in 21 years.
Shapiro served as the Indians' director of player development from 1993-1998, assistant general manager from 1999-2000, general manager from 2002-2010 and team president from 2011-2015.
Here's his statement regarding his career transition:
"Through my twenty-four years as part of the Cleveland Indians, I have developed a deep emotional and civic attachment to the Indians organization and the Cleveland community. The root of those ties is in the personal relationships that my family and I have built. While weighing those bonds carefully and seriously, I feel the unique and compelling nature of the Blue Jays President/CEO position warranted my consideration. This position represents a unique opportunity for me and one that I felt was the right new challenge to undertake. With mixed emotions, I will assume the Toronto Blue Jays CEO position upon the conclusion of the 2015 season. As the Indians organization moves forward, I am confident the current leadership represents a strong foundation to field a championship caliber team moving forward. The relationships we have enjoyed here will be lifelong bonds and will ensure that I will always be a fan of the city of Cleveland and the Cleveland Indians organization."
Here's Dolan's statement:
"Given the person that Mark is, the significant leadership and values that he has brought to the organization and with everything he has helped us accomplish, it will be extremely difficult to see him leave. However, I hope that this new challenge brings happiness and fulfillment for Mark and his family. As we move forward, I will not be seeking an external replacement for Mark and will continue to rely on the existing strong leadership group to guide us forward. Mark and I are confident that moving forward through this transition, we have a very strong foundation in place to build championship level success on and off the field."
And here's the statement from the Blue Jays:
"Mark is a seasoned baseball veteran, whose leadership, drive for excellence, and commitment to all aspects of the game is impressive," Blue Jays chairman Edward Rogers said. "We have confidence that he is the right person to lead the Toronto Blue Jays into the future and build upon the franchise's legacy."
The Indians will hold a press conference at 1 p.m. ET on Monday to address Shapiro's decision to move on and how the team will fill the void in the front office.
For now, Dolan is expected to assume Shapiro's duties as the team searches for a replacement, according to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Speculation regarding Shapiro heading to Toronto really heated up earlier this month. Baltimore Orioles' general manager Dan Duquette was the frontrunner for the position this past offseason, but the two sides couldn't come to an agreement.
It'll be interesting to see how Shapiro handles the future employment of Blue Jays' general manager Alex Anthopoulos, whose contract expires after this season. The 38-year-old has made a strong case for re-signing a long-term deal with Toronto after his trade deadline moves that netted the club Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, Mark Lowe, LaTroy Hawkins and Ben Revere.
The Blue Jays lead the New York Yankees by 1.5 games in the AL East and continue to make organizational changes after having one of the most active/successful series of non-waiver trade deadline transactions in MLB history.
