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One of the most popular managers in Blue Jays history is close to returning to baseball’s big leagues.

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John Gibbons, who led the team to back-to-back ALCS appearances in 2015 and 2016 will reportedly be hired as the bench coach of the New York Mets, the team he played for in his big-league career.

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According to a report by the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, the Mets intend to hire the man Jays fans knew endearingly as “Gibby” to be the team’s bench coach under new manager Carlos Mendoza.

Gibbons, who was replaced by Charlie Montoyo after the 2018 season, had two stints managing the Jays – from 2004 to 2008 and then from 2013-2018.

It was that second tour of Canadian duty that Gibbons became wildly popular, however as the team ended a 22-year post-season drought with those dynamic teams of 2015 and 2016.

An old-school players manager, Gibbons was the perfect personality to guide a team of big personalities and even larger talent including Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Edwin Encarnacion and others. His sharp wit was matched by his savvy, however, especially with a veteran group.

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Under Gibbons’ guidance, that latter group of Jays won the AL East in 2015 only to lose the ALCS to the Kansas City Royals. During his 11 seasons managing the Jays, Gibbons had a record of 793-789, though especially in his first run in Toronto he didn’t have much to work with.

As the rebuild under current general manager Ross Atkins took its toll on all involved with the team, things started to sour for Gibbons by early in 2018. It was time for the team to move on, a process that wasn’t always pretty as Gibbons detailed in his book, Gibby, Tales of a Baseball Lifer.

“In 2017, the master plan was beginning to happen,” Gibbons wrote in his book. “When you come off back-to-back final fours and you don’t make impact moves, the writing’s on the wall. We all knew what was happening.

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“I get along with everybody for the most part. But I’m probably a little more opinionated than (current Jays management) anticipated, or maybe than they liked. But they took care of me. I can’t complain about that. They let me do my job.”

The 61-year-old’s abbreviated playing career included brief stints with the Mets in 1984 and 1986. Returning to the franchise will be a welcome development for Gibbons, whose popular podcast has had a heavy focus on the Jays.

His return to MLB will also afford another trip back to Toronto. The Mets are scheduled to face the Jays at the Rogers Centre from Sept. 9-11.

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