Who is the best candidate to replace John Gibbons in Toronto?

2. John Schneider

Schneider just finished his first season managing Double-A New Hampshire in the Blue Jays’ organization, and he has a very solid record managing in the lower levels of Toronto’s organization over the last several years.

Schneider has worked with all of the Blue Jays top prospects, notably including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Danny Jansen, Cavan Biggio and Ryan Borucki. That will be a major point in his corner, along with a growing reputation as a player’s manager who pulls the right strings and being a young man at 38 years old.

If the Blue Jays want a fresh managerial voice, and it’s pretty clear they do, they don’t have to look any further than Schneider within their own organization. It’s possible he makes his way to the major league coaching staff in 2019 under a different manager, with some sort of “manager in-waiting layer added (as awkward as that could be).

Schneider may be a sought after candidate for other managerial openings this offseason, and his first MLB opportunity is probably on the horizon. The Blue Jays can’t let him get away without at least an interview to replace Gibbons.