Mark Shapiro gets a five year extension
The Blue Jays president and CEO is here for the long haul
This one goes out to all the haters. After two months of virtual inactivity, the Toronto Blue Jays have finally actually signed someone to a multi-year contract! It’s good news, though it probably won’t be greeted as such by a sizeable number of fans, because of the name of the person on the contract: president and CEO Mark Shapiro.
I would joke here that Rogers probably should have waited at least a few more hours on this one — at least until a little closer to tonight’s return of the NHL was able to better suck up all the air in the local sports media bubble — but I actually don’t know how strong the animosity for the Jays’ front office is anymore.
Sure, there will always be the “Woe is me!” types who have convinced themselves, despite plenty of contradictory evidence, that Shapiro’s Jays are always only spinning their wheels. But despite the fact that three of the last four Blue Jays seasons have been dismal, we’re still talking about a front office that has helmed the team to two playoff appearances in five years (yes, 2016 counts), with a whole lot of light now bursting through the end of the tunnel.
Frankly, based on the replies to the tweet above, the move is going over relatively well.
As it should.
Shapiro may have offended our sensibilities by coming in after the magic of 2015 and viewing the job Alex Anthopoulos had done like a baseball executive and not a fan. He may have torn apart much of the beautiful yet aging roster that was left to him, and let the team linger halfway between contention and a rebuild for a season too long. He may have helped usher in MLB’s era of increasing unaffordability in this market. He may also have thought Kendrys Morales was a better option than Edwin Encarnación, and that Josh Donaldson was better off traded for peanuts than extended. But that’s all in the past now. And the present looks a hell of a lot rosier.
Shapiro and his charges have basically done exactly what they set out to do when they arrived — though delayed slightly by the nuisance of having a roster good enough to compete in those first two years. The Jays’ big league roster is brimming with young talent. The farm system is in excellent shape. The club has enough payroll flexibility going forward that they can be serious players for top free agents, and enough future potential to keep those guys interested. (Whether or not they’ll be able to execute deals at the very top of the market is another matter — and a subject of much consternation of fans who seem to have gotten the bright idea that sour-assed dismissiveness is a substitute having a personality — but plenty of very realistic paths to significant improvement this winter lay in front of them, and it’s only a matter of time before they take one.)
It’s also a positive in the sense that upheaval at the executive level at this stage could have been really disruptive. And that it gives Shapiro, who was the club president in Cleveland when Progressive Field was extensively renovated in 2014 and 2015, a chance to still leave his mark on the SkyDome, or whatever adjacent ballpark ultimately takes its place.
Speaking of SkyDome, Shapiro is likely not the type to still call the stadium by its former name. As we can see from his comments in the wake of today’s announcement, he is very much on team Rogers.
Via a tweet from Shi Davidi, here’s what he said:
"From a personal and professional standpoint, I am thrilled to continue being a Toronto Blue Jay. I am fortunate to work with exceptional people and am proud of the progress we have made together, to build a culture, community, and clubhouse that our incredible fans can cheer on. Living in Toronto and Canada has been life changing for me and my family and I am excited to experience the feeling of winning a championship with this city and country. I would like to thank Edward Rogers, the Rogers family, and the Rogers executive leadership team for their support and commitment over the past five years and in the years to come."
It’s certainly not surprising to see all those Rogerses begin thanked, but it’s definitely interesting how Edward Rogers, in particular, is at the front of the line. Yes, he is the chairman of the club, but he had been in the background for years before Shapiro arrived. The feeling I get is that his stature within the organization has only grown in recent years, and with it, perhaps, his ability to provide the club a little more financial leeway from the suits that run his late father’s company.
I’m not exactly pro-billionaire, but for fans of the team, a little more of Edward’s hand in the business, as long as Shapiro remains the gatekeeper between him and baseball operations, can only be a good thing. I mean, just look at what’s going on with the Mets now that a billionaire with a thirst for victory is in charge.
Also interesting about Shapiro’s statement are his comments about building a “clubhouse that our incredible fans can cheer on.”
Shapiro hasn’t been shy about how a city like Toronto and a country like Canada — “life changing” places, he says — suit his personal politics. Maybe I’m just wishcasting here, but combine those two parts of his statement and I’m almost tempted to read it as a rejection of the possibility of the Jays adding someone like Trevor Bauer and asking fans to cheer for him.
Of course, the fact that Bauer even seems like a realistic option is a testament to the work Shapiro has done over his five years in charge. No matter what you thought of him at first, or how much of a slog it was from 2017 through 2019, you can’t say that this extension isn’t well deserved. So, congrats, Mark! Now go sign George Springer.
Top image: Screengrab via YouTube/CTV
Good stuff and hot on the heels of the announcement.