Will Godfrey or Ricciardi Be Brought Back?

by Eli Greenspan on Sep 24, 2008 12:39 PM EDT

Blue Jays President Paul Godfrey's contract expires at the conclusion of this season and it is not yet clear whether or not the Jays will bring him back. Under Godgrey's watch, the Jays have suffered 9 straight seasons without a Play-Off birth, extending the streak to 15 years or 14 seasons. Every year under Godfrey's watch, there has been hype that the Jays could unseat the mighty Yankees or Red Sox and make the post-season but every year the same result happens, a disappointing 3rd or 4th place finish(except in 2006 when they finished 2nd) while being 10 or more games behind the Wild Card. Every year it's something different. In the early 2000's the Jays had Championship quality hitting but had AAA pitchers. When Gord Ash was let go and JP Ricciardi brought in, hope was restored but the same result happend. But instead of having the Championship hitting, the Jays now had a lack luster bullpen, an average rotation and a middle of the road line up. Fast forward a few years to 2008 and the Jays have one of the best rotations, the best bullpen but now have the most inconsistent line up in baseball(especially with RISP). So, over the course of Paul Godfrey's 9 year tenure, the Jays have 180'ed and can't seem to find the right mixture of quality hitters, starters and relievers that will let them contend for a Play-Off spot.

JP Ricciardi still has 2 years left on his contract extention from 2005 but has an opt-out clause that gives him the power to leave if Paul Godfrey is no longer President of the franchise. Ricciardi has been nothing short of a disappointment for the Jays as he's gone through 4 managers in his 7 year tenure (Carlos Tosca, Buck Martinez, John Gibbons and Cito Gaston). Fans don't trust him since he lied about the seriousness of BJ Ryan's injury in 2007 and he also lied about apologizing to Adam Dunn for publicly criticizing a player, who at the time, was hitting better then any Blue Jay(Ricciardi says he called Dunn personally and apologized but Dunn says he didn't). Many in the Greater Toronto Area believe that Ricciardi will be gone by October 31, 2008. Who would replace him though? The popular choice among fans is Cito Gasto, who many believe is owed the spot because of what happend in the mid-1990's. Oher options that could help the Jays in the front office include Cincinnati Reds Special Assistant Bill Bavasi(brother of ex-Jays GM Peter Bavasi), Yankees GM Brian Cashman, Mets MLB Scout Wayne Krivsky, former MLB Executive Of The Year Cam Bonifay or San Diego Padres Front Office Assistant Paul DePodesta.