UPDATE: Mark Shapiro confirmed Tony LaCava will become the team's interim general manager during today's press conference, according to Joey Nowak of MLB.com.

The new team president said he does not have a timetable to decide on a permanent GM.

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Over the weekend rumors suggested the Toronto Blue Jays were going to promote assistant general manager Tony LaCava to GM following the departure of Alex Anthopoulos.

It appears as if that will be the case when team president Mark Shapiro addresses the media this afternoon as the MLB offseason is now underway.

"Tony LaCava will replace Alex Anthopoulos as the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager, at least on an interim basis, sources tell Sportsnet's Jeff Blair and Shi Davidi," writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.

Anthopoulos rejected a five-year contract to remain GM of the Blue Jays because it's believed Shapiro will have final say over player personnel decisions, which Anthopoulos was likely unwilling to relinquish. Rumors indicated the arrival of Shapiro was the reason for Anthopoulos' departure. LaCava, 54, has been Anthopoulos' right-hand man since he took over after the 2009 season (he was named assistant GM in 2007).

"LaCava joined the Blue Jays in October of 2002 as an assistant to GM J.P. Ricciardi after spending the 2002 season with the Cleveland Indians as a national crosschecker. At the time Shapiro was Cleveland's GM," Nicholson-Smith added.

The longtime front office executive was garnering interest from other teams when there were GM vacancies across the MLB over the last couple of months, but he ended up remaining in Toronto.

Stay tuned for an official announcement from Shapiro around 2 p.m. ET.

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