Unless you have been sleeping until football season starts, the rumors of Indians president Mark Shapiro becoming the President of the Toronto Blue Jays have been hot the past week. A shock to some, it was only a matter of time before one of the most sought-after executives left Cleveland to pursue another opportunity.
On Sunday night, those rumors became true as news broke that Shapiro will indeed take the same role with the Blue Jays.
The Jays, who are currently leading the American League East, recruited Shapiro because of his background in the game which includes extensive experience on both the business and baseball side. This was an important factor for the Jays as they are currently spearheading a major renovation project to the Rogers Centre within the next five seasons- something Shapiro is familiar with overseeing the Progressive Field efforts.
It sounds that Shapiro will have complete control over all aspects of the organization as the Jays are owned by Rogers Communications, a hands-off entity.
The best comparison to the role he will have is what former Super Bowl winning head-coach Mike Holmgren had with the Cleveland Browns- complete control over both the business and baseball side of the club. If you remember, the Browns owner, Randy Lerner, lived in England and was not involved with the day-to-day operations of the football team. Lerner wanted a credible football executive to run the operations and Holmgren, who was both a GM and head-coach, had quite the resume.
The Indians are being left in good hands. The organization is stable and the core group of players are already in place to make a playoff push this season and in the future.
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