Indians Ross Atkins a Finalist for Vacant Blue Jays GM Job

The Indians already lost Mark Shapiro to the Blue Jays, and now could be on the verge of losing another from the front office.

John Heyman of CBSSports.com reported Sunday that Ross Atkins, vice president of player personnel for the Indians, is a finalist for the general manager job for the Jays.

Tony LaCava, who was named Toronto’s interim GM by new Shapiro in November is the other finalst for the position.

Shapiro took the CEO job for the Jays after the 2015 Indians season ended.

Heyman reports that a decision on the new Jays GM could be made before the start of the MLB Winter Meetings, which kicksoff next week in Nashville, Tennessee.

Former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos resigned the position in late October, and Atkins’ name has been in the mix since that time.

It would make sense for Atkins to be up for the position because of his strong relationship with Shapiro, who he worked with for 20 seasons in Cleveland, five as a minor league pitcher and the last 15 in the front office.

The Toronto job wasn’t the only one that Atkins has shown interest in, he also interviewed for the vacant GM jobs with the Angels and Phillies after the conclusion of this past season.