The Toronto Blue Jays fired General Manager J.P. Ricciardi Saturday, ending an eight-year tenure.

He was replaced by Assistant GM Alexander Anthopoulos.

Toronto has not made the playoffs since 1993, and had just four winning seasons with Ricciardi in the post.

The Blue Jays entered the final two games this season Saturday with a 75-85 record, 27 games back of the American League East champion New York Yankees.

"This was a tough decision and a difficult one for me personally, as I have enjoyed J.P.' friendship and his perspective on the game," Paul Beeston, the club's acting president and chief executive officer, said in a release on the team's Web site. "J.P. has put an incredible amount of effort into improving the team and has brought along a number of great young players. However, I feel that it is time for a change, and accordingly we have decided to move on."