It looks like Mark Shapiro and the Blue Jays have agreed on a new contract
By Cam Lewis
3 years agoI don’t think should really come as a surprise, but it looks like the Blue Jays have come to an agreement with Mark Shapiro to remain as the organization’s President and CEO.
Shapiro, of course, joined the organization after the 2015 season on a five-year contract, replacing Paul Beeston. That contract came to an end after this year’s World Series and it always appeared as though the two sides had a mutual interest in carrying on.
I think the fact there was virtually zero talk about a new contract gave an indication that something was going to get done. If there was turmoil or a poor relationship between the two sides and it looked like a deal wasn’t going to get done, we probably would have heard about it. If all things are going well, it’s business as usual.
Anyways, the report of Shapiro apparently having a new deal comes from Ken Rosenthal over at The Athletic. Rosenthal did a post about the New York Mets seeking a new leader for their front office as new owner Steve Cohen let go of the current group who had been working under the Wilpon family.
Rosenthal mentions Shapiro as the ideal, process-oriented leader than Cohen would love to have for the Mets, but notes that Shapiro relishes his opportunity in Toronto and that he and the Blue Jays had agreed to a new contract of an unknown length…
One rival exec views Shapiro as precisely the type of process-oriented leader who might appeal to the Mets, but don’t count on such a move happening. Working under Alderson would be a step down for Shapiro, who enjoys rare autonomy under the Rogers Communication ownership, and even represents the team at owners’ meetings.Shapiro, 53, relishes his opportunity to impact the game from a global perspective, an opportunity virtually no other team can offer. His original five-year contract expired at the end of the 2020 season, but evidently he agreed to an extension of unknown length. The Jays are on the rise, and Shapiro wants to see the job through.
Again, there’s really no surprise here. Shapiro led the Blue Jays through a difficult rebuild and now the team appears to be in a really good spot with a long contention window on the horizon. It would be bizarre for Shapiro to grind through gutting a team, having the fans dislike him for it, and then peace out as soon as things were starting to go well.
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