Thirteen years have passed since the Toronto Blue Jays shafted Dave Stewart. The team’s assistant general manager for three years, Stewart received little consideration in 2001 when the Blue Jays sought a new general manager.

The job went to J.P. Ricciardi, whose sales pitch to the team’s president was “I can do more for less.” Eight years later the Blue Jays were looking for another new general manager because Ricciardi had done less for more.

After a 12-year run as a player agent, representing Matt Kemp and Chad Billingsley among others, Stewart is a candidate for …

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Unlike many of his prospect predecessors, Derek Jeter was never in danger of having the New York Yankees trade him for a veteran player when he was ready to take a spot in the Yankees’ lineup. He was, however, in danger of losing his spot before he claimed it.

Gene Michael, who had just stepped down as the team’s general manager, related the story last Thursday in recalling his impressions of a shortstop who in the past two decades has earned a place in the pantheon of the greatest players who have worn the Yankees’ uniform.

Having experienced the modus operandi of George Steinbrenner from the day in 1973 that he became the team’s principal owner, I asked Michael if Steinbrenner ever wanted to trade Jeter …

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Pat Gillick has been trying to retire for 20 years — or so it would seem — but Major League Baseball teams don’t want to let him. The Hall of Fame executive might not have meant it every time he left a job with the announcement that he was retiring, but I don’t think he planned to be working on a daily basis at his age, which happens to be 77.

Gillick was a natural when the Philadelphia Phillies needed a temporary replacement for David Montgomery, the team’s managing partner, president and chief executive officer, who needed additional time to recover completely from surgery for jaw cancer.

Gillick has been the club’s senior adviser to Montgomery and general manager Ruben Amaro since he retired as general manager following the 2008 season, the year the Phillies won the World Series. Last week he agreed to …

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