Blue Jays Change Policy, Won’t Allow Manager John Farrell to Leave for Lateral Move With Red Sox

Previously, if you no longer wanted to be a part of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, you were free to leave. With manager John Farrell's name being hotly discussed as a potential candidate to fill the vacancy in Boston, the club is changing its rules.

Blue Jays president Paul Beeston and general manager Alex Anthopoulos issued a joint statement that made it clear that the club will not allow anyone to leave the organization for the same job on another team.

"Due to the distraction caused by media speculation regarding our employee permission policy, the Toronto Blue Jays have amended their policy and will not grant permission for lateral moves," they said.

Farrell was looked at as a potential Terry Francona replacement in Boston because he worked as the Red Sox' pitching coach from 2006-10. In his one year as manager of the Blue Jays, he led the team to an 81-81 record overall and an 8-10 record against Boston.

Discussion of the Blue Jays' policy regarding allowing members of the organization to leave freely began spreading Monday, so the team worked quickly to put an end to such talk.