Report: Signs point to John Schneider returning as Blue Jays manager in 2025
Photo credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
By Thomas Hall
Sep 27, 2024, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 27, 2024, 11:27 EDT
Though the Toronto Blue Jays haven’t made an official announcement, chances are John Schneider will return for a fourth season as manager of the franchise next season.
Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi recently sat down with the Blue Jays skipper to discuss various topics, including his future with the organization, considering his current contract expires after the 2025 campaign. Of course, that’s also true for president and CEO Mark Shapiro along with cornerstones Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.
Schneider didn’t confirm whether or not he’s been informed by management if he’ll be back in ’25, but most signs suggest that’ll come to fruition before the club reports for spring training in five months, according to Davidi.
“Things are normal,” Schneider said. “This time of year those conversations happen and those conversations have started to happen. I’ll keep them private. But we are looking forward to next year, and I think that we’ve got a good head start on it. I am under contract and I’m thrilled to continue to lead this team. Those conversations, I’ll keep private for now.”
The 44-year-old manager took over on an interim basis midway through the 2022 season for Charlie Montoyo, who was fired less than four months after receiving a contract extension — which included an additional guaranteed year and a pair of team options — in the final season of his original deal.
Schneider led the Blue Jays to consecutive post-season appearances prior to this season, with the organization failing to win a single game during each of those runs to October. Toronto’s last playoff victory occurred during the ’16 ALCS against the then-Cleveland Indians, now Guardians.
That drought will extend beyond the current campaign as this team watches from afar this fall, missing the post-season for the second time in the last five seasons.
“The staff has been great and I always go back to the veteran players that are here and how they’ve helped keep things going in a positive direction,” Schneider said while reflecting on this season’s disappointments.“But it’s definitely different and it’s definitely difficult to not live up to the expectations that you had eight months ago. But you try to take positives out of each day, each series and kind focus on what we can be better at going forward.”
In two-and-a-half seasons at the helm, Schneider owns a 209-186 managerial record, but he’ll finish with a sub-.500 performance for the first time since replacing Montoyo in his second full season as the Blue Jays skipper. A year ago, he placed sixth in AL Manager of the Year voting behind Baltimore’s Brandon Hyde, who won the award with 27 first-place votes.
With Schneider likely to return, general manager Ross Atkins — whose contract runs through 2026 — can focus his efforts on roster construction for a team that underperformed significantly this season and sits last in the AL East at 74-85 with just three games remaining.
The Blue Jays will conclude a frustrating ’24 campaign with a weekend series at Rogers Centre versus the Miami Marlins starting Friday before embarking on another pivotal off-season.
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