John Gibbons will be welcomed back for a third consecutive season as Blue Jays manager in 2015, people familiar with the situation say.Team higher-ups are said to be planning for next season without even a thought they might consider changing managers, and it is said that unless something crazy and unforeseen happens, Gibbons will ba back with two more years in hand. Gibbons' contract is purposely set up whereby a year is added every Jan. 1 so that he's never a lame duck, so he'll be under contract through 2016. 
While Toronto has dropped seven of its past nine games to go on "life support" in the race to borrow a phrase from MLB.com, the Jays were almost universally picked to finish last in the AL East and instead appear likely to finish with a winning record (they are 79-77). Team higher-ups are said to like Gibbons and are especially pleased with his in-game managing, which they view as excellent.There never seemed to be a great likelihood Gibbbons was in trouble, which was why he was even included here on the recent list of managerial situations, but there's been some speculative Internet chatter.Team management believes the culprits for a so-so last few months that basically ended Toronto's playoff hopes to be the bullpen woes and a spate if injuries to middle-of-the order bats Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie, and more recently, Melky Cabrera. Toronto people don't talk about the team's finances, but other teams suggest it had no extra money to add players at the deadline, limiting it to minimal acquisitions such as Danny Valencia and Nolan Reimold.Gibbons was a surprise hire when he we brought back. He had managed the Jays from 2004-08 but has been better in his second go-round.
While Toronto has dropped seven of its past nine games to go on "life support" in the race to borrow a phrase from MLB.com, the Jays were almost universally picked to finish last in the AL East and instead appear likely to finish with a winning record (they are 79-77). Team higher-ups are said to like Gibbons and are especially pleased with his in-game managing, which they view as excellent.There never seemed to be a great likelihood Gibbbons was in trouble, which was why he was even included here on the recent list of managerial situations, but there's been some speculative Internet chatter.Team management believes the culprits for a so-so last few months that basically ended Toronto's playoff hopes to be the bullpen woes and a spate if injuries to middle-of-the order bats Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Lind and Brett Lawrie, and more recently, Melky Cabrera. Toronto people don't talk about the team's finances, but other teams suggest it had no extra money to add players at the deadline, limiting it to minimal acquisitions such as Danny Valencia and Nolan Reimold.Gibbons was a surprise hire when he we brought back. He had managed the Jays from 2004-08 but has been better in his second go-round.
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