Blue Jays fire Ricciardi
The Toronto Blue Jays fired general manager J.P. Ricciardi on Saturday, ending an eight-year tenure marked by an inability to get past the Yankees and Red Sox and into the playoffs.
“This was a tough decision and a difficult one for me personally as I have enjoyed J.P.’s friendship and his perspective on the game,” said Paul Beeston, Toronto’s acting president and CEO.
“J.P. has put an incredible amount of effort into improving the team and he has brought along a number of great young players,” Beeston said. “However, I feel that it is time for a change and accordingly we have decided to move on.”
Ricciardi, who joined the Blue Jays in 2001, had one year left on his contract.
The Blue Jays (75-86) are finishing off a mediocre season in Baltimore, with the team embroiled in locker-room unrest with manager Cito Gaston.
The Blue Jays said assistant general manager Alexander Anthopoulos will assume Ricciardi’s duties until a permanent replacement is found.
Ricciardi’s firing was widely expected. He had been criticized for poor free-agent signings and off-field missteps.
The team posted four winning seasons and four losing ones under Ricciardi, never making the playoffs.
Toronto last made the playoffs in 1993, when the team won its second consecutive World Series title.
Towers surprised
Kevin Towers, a gunslinger if ever there was one, marveled at how he always managed to stay one step ahead of the posse.
“Today they got me,” Towers said about getting fired by Jeff Moorad, who has been vice chairman and CEO since late March, when his ownership group took over 35 percent of the team from John Moores.
At 14 seasons, Towers was the longest-tenured GM with the same team in the big leagues.
After Towers took over as GM, the Padres won four N.L. West titles and made it to the 1998 World Series, where they were swept by the Yankees.
Towers said he was stunned.
“We really didn’t get into any details. I speculated more than anything that it was more about just their own guy,” Towers said.