The transition to a new year brought good news for Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, whose 2016 salary automatically became guaranteed Thursday with the passage of midnight and the arrival of 2015.
The Blue Jays announced at the end of the regular season that Gibbons would return in 2015. Under the terms of his contract, an additional option year kicks in as long as he is still employed by the club on Jan. 1.
As Toronto officials have explained in the past, the "rolling options" in Gibbons' contract ensure that he is always on a two-year deal and is never in a position where he's a "lame duck" manager.
Gibbons, 52, has guided the Blue Jays to a 462-472 record over parts of seven seasons. The Jays fired him as manager in June 2008, then re-hired him two years ago when John Farrell left Toronto to manage the Boston Red Sox.