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Jays keep Gaston for 2010 and beyond.
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The Jays have announced that Cito Gaston will be
back as manager in 2010, and then begin a four year
consulting contract starting in 2011. (AP Photo/
Gail Burton)
The busy off season continues in Toronto, as the Jays announced Friday that manager Cito Gaston will be back for the 2010 season, and then retire as bench boss in time for the 2011 season when he will start a four year consulting contract. The club also announced the resignation of five year pitching coach Brad Arnsberg, who will be taking the same position with the Houston Astros with bullpen coach Bruce Walton moving into the role. Other staff moves include hitting coach Gene Tenace's retirement, with first-base coach Dwayne Murphy replacing the ex-Oakland skipper, Nick Leyva moving to bench coach, and Omar Malave and Brian Butterfield taking the first and third base coaching positions respectively.
The move to keep Gaston on the bench for the upcoming season comes as a bit of a surprise to the Jays faithful. After a scorching 27-14 start to the season, the club fell hard, playing less than .400 ball the rest of the way. Rumors started to circulate in early September of unrest in the clubhouse, with a finger squarely pointed at Cito as begin the culprit. Though Roy Halladay and Vernon Wells came to the side of their manager, the 48-73 finish left Toronto fans believing that their may be some truth to the stories found in the local news rags.
Gaston's second tour of duty as manager of the club has not been as successful as his first. Originally named bench boss in the early stages of 1989, replacing Jimmy Williams, Gaston lead the club for almost nine seasons, winning two World Series rings along the way. Re-installed in June of 2008 to replace the much maligned John Gibbons, it looked as though he would bring back the magic of the early '90's to Jays fans, finishing the 2008 season with a record of 51-37 under his tutelage. 2009 did not prove to bring the same hope and excitement as the end of the previous season, with the Jays out of contention by mid-July.
Cito's consulting contract will see him involved in many areas, including scouting, spring training and minor league operations. It seems a fitting and honorable position for Toronto's most successful manager to have the opportunity to retire into.
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