Toronto Blue Jays sign manager John Gibbons to contract extension
MONTREAL — The Toronto Blue Jays rewarded manager John Gibbons for making back-to-back American League Championship Series appearances by extending his contract through the 2019 season with a club option for 2020 on Saturday.
Gibbons, who has spent parts of nine seasons as Toronto’s skipper, helped the franchise end a 22-year post-season drought in 2015. He guided the team back to the playoffs last year and his 644 wins as manager rank second on the all-time Blue Jays list behind Cito Gaston’s 894.
“As far as success on the field, ultimate goal is win a championship, and hopefully more than that,” said Gibbons ahead of Saturday’s exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Montreal. “We’ve come close to get to the World Series the last couple of years and that’s what you want to do.”
Catching Gaston’s franchise record for wins as a manager isn’t a priority for Gibbons, but now that he could be with the team for a few more seasons he’s turning his mind to it.