Jays seek to replace CEO Beeston

The Toronto Blue Jays' ownership is actively seeking a replacement for Paul Beeston, the team's longtime president and chief executive officer, and sources say their search has progressed to the point where it is identifying possible replacements and reaching out to other teams in cases where they need permission to talk to targets.

One of the candidates who has been discussed internally is Dan Duquette, currently the general manager of the Baltimore Orioles, who won the American League East division title last fall. Duquette was the general manager of the Montreal Expos earlier in his career.

Duquette is very highly valued by the Orioles, and given that he's under contract through 2018, Baltimore would undoubtedly ask for enormous compensation, if it even considered letting him go.

The Blue Jays have also discussed Ken Williams, the executive vice president of theChicago White Sox.

There's has been speculation Beeston might retire at the end of this year.

Beeston, 69, was the first employee of the Blue Jays, in 1976, and became the team's president and chief operating officer in 1989. He moved to the commissioner's office in 1997, and returned to the Blue Jays in 2009.

Sources say that the Blue Jays' ownership was not pleased with some of Beeston's actions during the search for a replacement for commissioner Bud Selig.