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2016 Cleveland Indians

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Tito confirmed that he's got an out clause in the contract, should Shapiro leave for Toronto.
 
Tito confirmed that he's got an out clause in the contract, should Shapiro leave for Toronto.
What's the likelihood Shapiro and/or Tito leave? For what its worth, Tito denied wanting to move regardless of what Shapiro does.
 
Shapiro can only be considered 50-50.

Seems like the job is his if he wants it.
 
From Jon Heyman's "Inside Baseball" article today....

Should Indians president Mark Shapiro get the Jays president job, there's a possibility GM Chris Antonetti could be bumped up to president, and assistant GM Mike Chernoff to GM. Chernoff's received a lot of outside interest, which he has to this point turned down.

(My own comments: If this were to happen, I'd assume Antonetti would have more baseball input than Shapiro did as president. I've also heard Andrew Miller's name associated to the President's gig. He's Shapiro's understudy and a sharp business guy-- no baseball experience).

Mark Shapiro, the Indians' president, is believed to be the first choice at present to replace Paul Beeston as president of the Blue Jays, and assuming a deal can be struck, it is believed he will go to Toronto. The strong expectation around the game is that he will indeed make the move, although nothing seems to be set in stone to this point. Shapiro received permission from his current team to meet with the Jays, so under those conditions it doesn't seem likely he'd turn down the job. The well-respected Shapiro, 48, has been with the Indians 23 years, previously serving as GM, assistant GM and farm director. Beyond Toronto being a new challenge, perhaps Shapiro would like a chance with a higher payroll; the Blue Jays' payroll is about $130 million while the Indians are in the bottom third of the league at about $80 million. There is no word than anyone else is currently in the mix for the job. Over the winter, the Jays targeted Orioles GM Dan Duquette, who has done a terrific job in Baltimore, but Orioles owner Peter Angelos made the unusual call to deny the Jays permission to speak to Duquette. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com first reported that Shapiro is a "strong" candidate in Toronto. Shapiro declined to comment...
 
What happens with Antonetti is a lot more important than Francona IMO

Order of importance:

Antonetti (and our entire scouting organization)
Tito
Hot dog vendors
Shapiro

If Shapiro leaves, I'm sure we have other businessmen who can step in and do good things for the organization. The major problem with Shapiro leaving is wondering if anyone jumps ship with him.
 
So the guy who brought in all those people you mentioned is disposable but the guy who did that is... You sound like a young Art Modell. If this team ever turns the corner, it is because of the system and atmosphere that Shapiro built. But whatevs, yeah, he is just a hotdog vendor. Only in Cleveland...
 
So the guy who brought in all those people you mentioned is disposable but the guy who did that is... You sound like a young Art Modell. If this team ever turns the corner, it is because of the system and atmosphere that Shapiro built. But whatevs, yeah, he is just a hotdog vendor. Only in Cleveland...

There's a bit of hyperbole in my statement. I'd hope you could pick up on that.

But honestly, at this point, Shapiro isn't important to the organization. Antonetti has done great things as the GM, and it looks like he's finally fixed the terrible scouting and farm system Shapiro left us with.

As president, what do you think Shapiro still has to bring to the organization?
 
Shapiro was mentioned as a candidate for Commissioner and is now the top target of a well-respected organization with the resources to go after anyone for the position. Nobody is irreplacable but he'd absolutely be missed.

By the way, Tito is by far the most important piece in all of this.
 
Shapiro was mentioned as a candidate for Commissioner and is now the top target of a well-respected organization with the resources to go after anyone for the position. Nobody is irreplacable but he'd absolutely be missed.

By the way, Tito is by far the most important piece in all of this.

I feel that Shapiro has done exactly what you want to do at any position--leave the team/group/organization set up so that you're able to leave. He achieved that, and is now a target for others. He won't be missed to dearly because he has set us up to succeed without him.

Antonetti and our scouts are more important than Francona, and I'm not sure it's close. Why do you feel Tito is so important than the rest of our system?
 
I feel that Shapiro has done exactly what you want to do at any position--leave the team/group/organization set up so that you're able to leave. He achieved that, and is now a target for others. He won't be missed to dearly because he has set us up to succeed without him.

Antonetti and our scouts are more important than Francona, and I'm not sure it's close. Why do you feel Tito is so important than the rest of our system?

Because we're never going to have a team full of all-stars, so we need a manager like Tito who gets the very most of out his players. Because we have a young team that needs a guy like Tito to guide them in the right direction as they develop. Because he's the only guy the Indians are going to get that has experience winning a World Series title. Because he's probably the best manager the Indians have had in the last 50 years.
 

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