TORONTO – There were no shocking revelations to be found in Mark Shapiro’s 17-minute conversation with reporters Wednesday afternoon, but the session was nonetheless significant.
This availability marked the first time since spring training that the Blue Jays’ team president and CEO had weighed in publicly on the state of the organization, and even if no breaking news emerged, Shapiro’s comments tend to offer hints at what’s coming next.
For instance: when asked about Ross Atkins, Shapiro stressed the importance of organizational stability. When the possibility of major extensions came up, Shapiro said it’s easier to build sustainable winners with elite players in place long-term. And as for the 2025 season, the Blue Jays want to win and don’t anticipate a major reduction in payroll.
That’s a high-level look at some of the most significant topics Shapiro addressed Wednesday, but given the importance of each area, it’s worth taking a closer look at what he said and what it might mean going forward. Starting with the front office, let’s do just that:
Topic: GM Ross Atkins
Shapiro, when asked about the front office’s work:
“I mean, evaluations are fluid. I think the most important part of (evaluations) is using them to get better. And that’s what I think the focus of my conversations with Ross and with our baseball operations (people) are (about) what can we learn about the way we put a team together? How can we be better moving forward?”
Shapiro, when asked if Atkins will be the GM in 2025:
“I very rarely am unequivocal about anything. Commenting on job status during the season – throughout my entire career, when I’ve been asked about those things, it’s not something I have (done) or will ever do. That being said, contextually, I’m a huge believer in stability and continuity and that those are competitive advantages, in professional sports. Reacting, and change don’t necessarily mean improvement. So we need to be better. We have to be better. And again, stability and continuity and making adjustments are where I’m focused right now.”
Interpretation: On the one hand, it’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of Atkins to say “evaluations are fluid” or to decline to address his job status specifically. Like anyone in the organization, Atkins is subject to evaluation. These comments certainly don’t close the door on a leadership change after the 2024 season.
At the same time, the comments don’t necessarily spell trouble for Atkins, either. A central theme to Shapiro’s comments Wednesday was stability and the value it can bring to an organization. Change for the sake of change won’t be the move here, nor will Shapiro upend the current structure to appease media or fans.
“Be certain you can be better if you make a change,” Shapiro said.
Internally, Shapiro likely has a process for evaluating the job done by Atkins, who’s under contract through 2026. This year has obviously not gone well, but Shapiro’s sure to zoom out further and take a broader look at Atkins’ work, including his successes. What conclusion that leads to is still somewhat uncertain until Shapiro says unequivocally that Atkins is coming back.
Topic: Possible extensions for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and/or Bo Bichette
Shapiro:
“I’m not going to comment on those guys specifically, but it’s certainly easier to build a sustainable championship team with talent like that in place for extended periods of time.”
Interpretation: There’s zero downside in saying this for Shapiro because it’s a) true b) what fans want to hear and c) the kind of message that’s likely to land well enough with players. And what’s the alternative? There would truly be zero benefit to closing off this possibility.
So, yes, the organization’s top decision makers still have interest in exploring possible extensions, but nothing about these comments changes the apparent likelihood of a long-term deal. Both Guerrero Jr. and Bichette have expressed openness to potential extensions before, too, so we’re left in a kind of friendly stalemate.
For that to change, the Blue Jays would likely have to approach Guerrero Jr. or Bichette with a substantial, market value long-term offer. And if that’s something Shapiro plans to do, he’s not going to announce it publicly.
Topic: Whether the Blue Jays aim to contend in 2025
Shapiro:
“We believe that there’s enough talent in place to build a contending, championship caliber team next year. Had we not, we would have made a different set of decisions (at the deadline). So that being said, that work will need to be done to both make sure we continue to develop the players here, identify players that could possibly contribute (both) in our system and (ones) that aren’t here. And understand what to expect from our veteran players and then do a better job of putting all that together and supplementing externally. So there’s a lot of work still to be done before we can make definitive statements about ’25, but that intent is clear.”
Interpretation: This one appears pretty straightforward. While Shapiro acknowledges there’s lots of work to do, especially on the pitching side, the direction has seemingly been chosen. The Blue Jays want to contend next year, believe they can do so and plan to take steps to make that happen. Barring multiple major injuries and underperformances down the stretch, the expectation should be that the Blue Jays will gear up for 2025.
Topic: The Blue Jays’ ability to spend
Shapiro, on 2025 spending:
“Never do we commit payroll in August, but what I can say is whatever that payroll ends up being, I would not characterize there being any large-scale pullback on payroll.”
Interpretation: This is arguably the newsiest revelation of the day: not only do the Blue Jays want to win next year, they expect to have significant resources again. What that looks like isn’t yet clear – could there still be a small-scale pullback on payroll? – but based on this comment the Blue Jays will be able to make multiple legitimate free agent adds this winter.
Furthermore, Shapiro said “the relentless focus (driving the team’s eight summer trades) was infusing talent to our system.” They dipped “very slightly” under MLB’s competitive balance tax by making those deals, but that was done to improve the baseball team rather than the balance sheets, according to Shapiro. Plus, teams that don’t pay the CBT surrender fewer draft picks should they sign free agents who decline qualifying offers.
Bottom line, then, the Blue Jays appear to be on track to spend this winter. Now it’s a question of making better use of that spending power than they have in 2024.