Rumors: Blue Jays looking at possible replacements for Paul Beeston

There is no denying the legacy that Paul Beeston has as an employee of the Toronto Blue Jays. Since becoming the team’s first employee of the team in 1976, Beeston has been a part of building a team that has won two World Series Championships and become a national source of pride in the process.

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But like all legacies, they eventually have to become a thing of the past. For Paul Beeston, that time may be soon approaching.

According to multiple reports, the first being from ESPN’a Buster Olney and then confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Toronto Blue Jays are beginning the process of finding a replacement for Paul Beeston, who has served as the team’s president and CEO since returning to Toronto in 2008. He also held the same role during the team’s glory days of 1989-1997 before leaving for a role as President of Major League Baseball from 1997-2002.

Dan Duquette is apparently all the rage these days, after being resurrected from the Major League Baseball graveyard to become the General Manager of the Baltimore Orioles prior to the 2012 season. Duquette captured the Sporting News Executive of the Year award in 2014, after helping build an Orioles team that captured the American League East title this past season. It was the second playoff appearance for the Orioles in the three years under Duquette.

However, while many jumped the shark and thought this meant Duquette was coming to Toronto, Olney was quick to put out the fire a bit. Noting that it is still early in the process, Olney also notes that Kenny Williams of the Chicago White Sox is also being considered.

However, as Ken Rosenthal also notes, the White Sox are not enamored with the thought of giving Williams permission to seek such a role, despite it being a promotion.

Williams had a reputation as a free dealer when he served as the GM of the White Sox from 2000-2012, before being promoted to Executive Vice President of the team. With that in mind, Williams may not be the optimal choice for the role with the Blue Jays, as his efforts in Chicago would seem to clash with the philosophies of current Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos.

As Olney notes in his write-up of the news, there has been speculation of Beeston retiring at the end of the season. That was certainly the writing we saw on the wall after the season, when there were numerous conversations about Beeston’s lack of a contract for the 2015 season. However, that was put to bed when the Blue Jays and Beeston agreed on an extension for this coming season.

The Blue Jays do not seem to have any clear internal options to replace Beeston. Alex Anthopoulos currently serves as the Senior Vice President, Baseball Operations, but his fate is also seemingly tied into the success of the club in 2015.