Blue Jays Executive Makes His Stance Clear On Potential Contract Extension
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There aren't many things to complain about when it comes to the Toronto Blue Jays right now.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is locked up to a long-term deal. The team is the owner of the best record in the American League and also has a 4.5-game lead in their division. Manager John Schneider appears to be the right man for the job after all and general manager Ross Atkins put together a solid trade deadline to help them go after a World Series title.
Things look bright when it comes to the future of the Blue Jays.
However, there is still one thing out there that could change the outlook of this franchise going forward: if current president and CEO Mark Shapiro leaves at the end of the season.
Hired at the end of the 2015 campaign, he played an instrumental part in updating the Rogers Centre.
Instead of treating it like a multipurpose event center, Shapiro opted to turn the aging venue into a more modern, baseball-only stadium. He also upgraded the team's spring training complex down in Florida.
While those certainly help the fanbase's gameday experience, where most of the criticism of Shapiro comes from is the lack of success the Blue Jays have had on the field under his watch.
He took over a team that, in 2015, broke their 22-year playoff drought. In subsequent seasons, they have made the playoffs four times but have only one series win -- 2016 where they defeated the top-ranked Texas Rangers after winning the Wild Card game.
Despite the shaky history, Shapiro doesn't want to go anywhere.
What did Mark Shapiro say about possible contract extension?
"It’s not appropriate for me to comment beyond the fact that ... I want to remain here and I can also say that both Edward (Rogers) and Tony (Staffieri) have been reciprocal in that desire," he said, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.
Blue Jays prez/CEO Mark Shapiro, whose contract expires after season, on his future: “It’s not appropriate for me to comment beyond the fact that…I want to remain here and I can also say that both Edward (Rogers) and Tony (Staffieri) have been reciprocal in that desire.”
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) August 12, 2025
Deciding to let him walk would be an interesting decision.
Schneider's contract also expires at the end of this season, while Atkins -- who was hired by Shapiro into the GM role -- has one year left on his.
It stands to reason that if Shapiro isn't retained, the futures of Schneider and Atkins are murky too.
The success Toronto has had on the field thus far is a good sign, especially now that Guerrero is secured with a long-term contract to build around going forward.
There will still be some other things to sort out -- like whether or not Bo Bichette will be back in 2026 and beyond -- but the decisions on who is calling the shots for the Blue Jays has to be figured out before everything else.
