Just in time for Major League Baseball’s annual winter meetings, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro has hired his new general manager, poaching Ross Atkins from the Cleveland Indians.

The 42-year-old North Carolina native becomes the seventh GM in Jays’ history, replacing Alex Anthopoulos, who opted to walk away at the end of this past season rather than work with less autonomy under a new boss.

But that should pose no problem for Atkins, Cleveland’s vice-president of player personnel, who has spent his entire professional career with the Indians, most of it working under Shapiro.

Atkins was actually drafted by the organization in 1995 as a pitcher out of Wake Forest University. But after five middling seasons in Cleveland’s minor-league system — he never made it above Double-A — he transitioned into player development. Under the supervision of Shapiro, who was Cleveland’s general manager from 2001 to 2010, Atkins climbed the organizational ranks to eventually become head of the farm system, which he ran from 2007 until last season, when he earned his promotion to vice-president.

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Fluent in Spanish, Atkins was also director of Cleveland’s Latin American operations from 2004 to 2006, and the assistant farm director under John Farrell — the former Jays manager — from 2001 to 2003.

Tony LaCava, the Jays’ longtime assistant GM who has been serving as interim GM since Anthopoulos’s abrupt departure, was a finalist for the job. The 54-year-old, who has been with the Jays for 13 years and served as the top lieutenant to both Anthopoulos and J.P. Ricciardi, will return to his previous role as assistant GM. He also receives a title promotion to senior vice-president of baseball operations.

Atkins, who also interviewed for the L.A. Angels and Philadelphia Phillies GM vacancies this year, is a first-time GM, but he will not be the one making the final call on baseball decisions, as Anthopoulos did.

The hiring of Shapiro as president of both baseball and business operations signaled a shift by the Jays in how their front office operates, but it follows a growing trend across the industry. Under Paul Beeston and previous team presidents, the GM was given full rein in baseball operations, while the president ran the business side and served as a conduit between the front office and ownership.

But increasingly, front-office executives with GM experience, like Shapiro, are hiring GMs who function, in many ways, like an assistant would in the old model.

Billy Beane in Oakland, Andrew Friedman with the Dodgers and Theo Epstein of the Cubs are all examples of former GMs who have recently risen to the role of president, while still maintaining control over baseball decisions. The shift is a reflection of the greater value placed on top executives and the expansion of front offices across the game.

Taking on a greater role was part of what attracted Shapiro — who replaced Beeston last month after spending 24 years in Cleveland — to Toronto. He had largely relinquished baseball decision-making duties as president in Cleveland.

While the Indians lost more games than they won and made the playoffs just three times in the 15 years that Shapiro was president or GM, the organization is highly regarded for its development of homegrown players, for which Atkins would have played a key role. The likes of Jason Kipnis, Danny Salazar and this year’s runner-up for American League rookie of the year, Francisco Lindor, were all drafted and developed by the organization; while other franchise cornerstones such as Michael Brantley and Corey Kluber were acquired as minor-league prospects but emerged as stars after they arrived in Cleveland.

Yan Gomes, for instance, was considered a backup utility player in Toronto — at best — and was the secondary piece in a trade for reliever Esmil Rogers. But in Cleveland he has glimpsed the potential of a front-line catcher.

Atkins, who will be formally introduced at a news conference on Friday, has been viewed across the industry as a rising front-office star, known as a skilled evaluator and good communicator.

Meet the new GM

ROSS ATKINS

Age: 42

Born: Greensboro, N.C.

RESUME

Has worked for the Cleveland Indians for the last 15 years.

In 2014, he was named vice-president of player personnel after running the organization’s farm system for seven years.

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Director of Cleveland’s Latin American operations from 2004-06 and director of player development — working under former Jays manager John Farrell — prior to that.

An accomplished college pitcher, he was selected out of Wake Forest by Cleveland in the 38th round of the 1995 amateur draft.

Played five seasons in the Indians system, compiling a 37-32 record and 4.13 ERA as a starter and reliever. He never rose above Double-A.

When his playing career ended, Atkins became a pitching coach in the low minors before transitioning into player development.

Married with two daughters.

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