Rogers Communications yesterday announced that Blue Jays President & CEO Paul Beeston has signed a contract extension through the '15 season and will retire at the conclusion of the campaign (Rogers). In Toronto, Brendan Kennedy notes Beeston's status had been "up in the air since early December following reports that Rogers, the team’s owner, had been pursuing a replacement," namely White Sox Exec VP Ken Williams and Orioles Exec VP/Baseball Operations Dan Duquette. The Blue Jays were "engaged in negotiations with Baltimore regarding Duquette, but reportedly walked away this past weekend." Rogers has been "widely criticized throughout the weeks-long saga not only for their perceived ill-treatment of Beeston, their long-serving president, but also for the indiscreet -- and perhaps rule-breaking -- way in which they went about their head-hunting" (TORONTO STAR, 1/27). SPORTSNET.ca's Shi Davidi wrote Beeston's extension is a "short-term fix, one that provides stability and closure after nearly two months of lingering uncertainty." However, it leaves "unresolved all the big-picture issues facing the Blue Jays." Davidi: "Major strategic decisions may be needed as soon as this summer if the club falters badly, and having a president and CEO on a farewell tour plus a general manager in the final year of his contract isn’t ideal for that. You’d want the person who implements the club’s next long-term plan to be part of developing it strategically, too" (SPORTSNET.ca, 1/26).
