Though incoming Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro is expected to hire a general manager to replace Alex Anthopoulos, who unexpectedly resigned Thursday, the longtime Cleveland Indians executive will have the final say over baseball decisions in Toronto, according to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi.

Anthopoulos, whose flurry of moves ahead of the trade deadline propelled the Blue Jays to their first playoff appearances since 1993, didn't divulge his reasons for leaving, but it was forthcoming changes to the front-office dynamic that reportedly compelled him to turn down the club's five-year extension offer.

"I just didn’t feel like this was the right fit for me going forward," Anthopoulos told reporters Thursday. "Not an easy (decision). Obviously everyone knows how I feel about the organization, the city, the country."

He added that Shapiro, who won't officially take over as president and CEO until Monday, "was sincere in wanting me back."

Now, though, Shapiro's focus will shift to finding someone to replace Anthopoulos in handling the day-to-day operations of the club. Shapiro, the Indians' general manager from 2001 to 2010, will likely consider candidates from his former club, but it's unlikely Cleveland will allow more than one or two employees to join him in Toronto, adds Morosi.

Though some of Cleveland's top executives could emerge as top candidates, Tony LaCava, who has served as Toronto's assistant general manager since 2007, already has a working relationship with Shapiro. In 2002, LaCava joined the Indians as a national crosschecker, working as one of Shapiro's top scouts for the summer before joining the Blue Jays.