The Toronto Blue Jays announced the hiring of former Boston Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington as their new vice president of baseball operations Wednesday.
Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet received word from the team. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet noted Cherington’s role will focus on player development.
Cherington, 42, had been out of Major League Baseball since resigning as the Boston Red Sox general manager in August 2015. His departure was part of an organizational shuffle that saw Dave Dombrowski take over Boston’s baseball operations.
The Red Sox won the 2013 World Series under Cherington’s watch but were in the midst of back-to-back last-place finishes when he resigned.
The team made the playoffs just once during his tenure. However, he acquired a majority of the young stars who are leading Boston’s playoff push in 2016.
“I don’t mind talking about my own shortcomings, my mistakes,” Cherington told the Boston Globe‘s Alex Speier. “I think there is plenty we did right over time. I don’t mind talking about the things that we didn’t or that I didn’t—even things I would do differently. In that sense, I’m fine being in the dunk tank.”
Cherington began his career in 1998 with a short scouting stint with the Cleveland Indians. He then spent more than a decade in the Red Sox organization, working his way up.
Cherington joins a Blue Jays front office that has seen its fair share of shuffling over the last year. Ross Atkins joined as the general manager in December following a lengthy stint with the Indians. He replaced Alex Anthopoulos, whom the team let go after a half-decade of up-and-down performances.
With the team sitting at 79-66 entering play Wednesday, it wouldn’t seem Atkins’ job is in jeopardy. But having two cooks in the kitchen could create an interesting dynamic. Even if Cherington’s job is mostly on the player-development side—where he has a strong resume—there’s always a risk in adding someone else with a World Series ring and GM experience.
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