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The Toronto Blue Jays have expressed interest in Mike Rizzo, the Washington Nationals president of baseball operations and general manager, as a candidate to replace Paul Beeston as team president and CEO, two industry sources told ESPN.com. Rizzo joins Baltimore's Dan Duquette, Minnesota's Terry Ryan and Kenny Williams of the Chicago White Sox as the latest baseball executive to be mentioned as a possibility to succeed Beeston, whose future with the Toronto organization has been shrouded in mystery of late. Rizzo could not be reached for comment Saturday. ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported last week that the Blue Jays are actively seeking a replacement for Beeston, and said their search has progressed to the point where they have begun reaching out to other clubs for permission to interview potential candidates. The Toronto Sun subsequently reported that Rogers Communications plans to bring back Beeston in his current role in 2015. But no announcement has been made, and there has been speculation that Beeston might retire at the end of this year. Sources told Olney that Toronto ownership was not pleased with some of Beeston's actions during the search for a replacement for commissioner Bud Selig. All three executives previously mentioned in conjunction with the Toronto job have either bowed out or been denied permission to interview with the Blue Jays. Orioles principal owner Peter Angelos told The Baltimore Sun that he is "very pleased with" the job Duquette has done as the team's executive vice president of baseball operations and expects him to remain with the club through the end of his contract in 2018. "We signed him," Angelos told the Sun. "He has a commitment for four more years, and he has done quite a job for us. We are very pleased with his performance, and we expect him to satisfy his contract. We not only want him to, but we expect him to.'' Ryan said he has no interest in leaving his job as general manager in Minnesota, and Williams will stay in his role as White Sox executive vice president after the team declined to give the Blue Jays permission to speak to him. "This is not the right time for the White Sox to even consider granting permission like this, as our focus is on putting our team together for 2015," White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement last week. Rizzo, who turns 54 Sunday, is in his 32nd year of professional baseball. He joined the Washington organization from the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006 and took over as the Nationals GM in 2009.
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