9:00am: The Blue Jays officially announced Montoyo’s extension.
7:35am: The Blue Jays have agreed to a contract extension with manager Charlie Montoyo, reports Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter). Montoyo, who’d been set to enter the final season of his contract, is now signed through the 2023 season on a contract that also gives the Jays club options for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Montoyo, 56, is entering his fourth season as the Blue Jays’ skipper. The former Rays bench coach replaced John Gibbons, who’d managed the Jays for six seasons (2013-18) in his second stint with the team. Montoyo inherited a Jays roster that was still in the finishing stages of a rebuild and posted the type of record one would expect from such a club (67-95), but the Jays have enjoyed winning a pair of winning seasons in Montoyo’s second and third years at the helm. The 2020 Jays reached the playoffs in 2020’s expanded 16-team field but did not advance beyond the first round of play.
Expectations for the Jays are wildly different now than when Montoyo was first hired. No longer are the Jays viewed as an up-and-coming postseason darkhorse. Fresh off a 91-win season, the Jays are buoyed by an explosive core featuring young stars like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Alek Manoah, in addition to veteran acquisitions such as George Springer, Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Matt Chapman (among others). The Blue Jays are clear-cut postseason contenders in a stacked American League East, and anything shy of a postseason berth will be seen as a disappointment — particularly in light of the expansion from a 10-team field to a 12-team field (which would’ve been enough for the ’21 Jays to get into the playoffs).
I like puppies
Attaboy Chuck!
We’d like to know your view on kittens too.
World Championship or bust for the next few years. Look for a 100+ win season this year.
Is you manage a team and want an extension then make sure you manage a good team.
I don’t think he’ll survive the season
If the jays want to win a World Series they’ll need a manager who knows how to use his pitching staff
While I agree, it didn’t matter which manager they had during the early months of last season. That bullpen was atrocious until they made their mid season pickups.
Yes and no.
It was tire fire after a few key injuries and would have been difficult for anyone to manage but there were multiple weeks that Romano pitched just once because it wasn’t a ‘save situation’.
Also a few times he would bring in someone who was known to be having struggles (Chatwood, dolis) and not have anyone else warming up behind them.
Wondering what your overall take is on this, Dusty. I think it’s a pretty good move on the Jay’s part. But then, I only see Toronto play 19 games/year.
I’m indifferent. I think most managers even out and are neutral to their teams overall performance. I’d put CM in that camp, I don’t think he’s an exceptional manager but the team should be able to win despite him.
It’s just a one year extension so it’s not a ton of faith from HO
Reasonable take is reasonable take. Merci.
Everyone likes to jump on that chatwood decision. But there was no one else to run out there. Chatwood had pitched well then forgot how to pitch. Had to see if he could find it again.
@jdgoat agree man … Put in guys and they’d throw the game away. I’m not blaming the manager for that.
So a 1 year extension?
Not the greatest show of confidence is it? It sure seems like they’ve been grooming Schneider.
Okay… I get it, he’s a great guy, fantastic clubhouse presence.
But I don’t trust his bullpen management one iota. If you leave in Chatwood to walk 5 in a row with nobody warming up then I’m going to have a difficult time defending you.
That loss cost them a playoff spot.
One thing I’ve learned watching baseball for 40+ years is that even the best managers often are disliked by the home fans. That’s because we watch almost every game and we see the warts. And one of the hardest things for a manager is managing the pitching staff and especially the bullpen. I’m not in a position to say you’re right or wrong about Montoyo, just pointing out an observation.
Objectively he isn’t a terrible manager, he just sometimes makes some questionable decisions.
But don’t they all?
All of the decisions that go right are overlooked, whereas all the decisions that go poorly are magnified.
Fans remember Chatwood. Fans don’t remember the guys who thrived because of Montoyo showing confidence in them through a blip. They’re humans, and the psychology of getting the most out of them can win you more games in a 162 game season than being 100% game-probabilities-driven.
Great day to extend a fool
Your contract as a temp worker got extended for 3 months today? Congratulations. Your parents are so proud.
This is an L unless he stops giving guys the green light to bunt with two strikes. Makes me want to claw my eyes out.
This year, the Blue Jays will win the AL East with a 105-57 record, beat the Red Sox in 4 games in the ALDS, beat the White Sox in 7 games in the ALCS and lose to the Mets in 6 games in the World Series.
The Mets? Hahaha
Haha…my morning laugh.
ALE will be the hamburger hill of baseball this year. I don’t see 105 wins for anyone.
Short leash for Charlie.. they know this can go south quick and may need to insert a veteran skipper
How many teams last season had a veteran skipper and missed the playoffs or did not get out of the wild card? O’s, White Sox, Guardians, Mariners, Angels have a veteran skipper, how did it work out for them?
In fairness, the Sox weren’t in the Wild Card. They lost the divisional series. Not saying they didn’t get steamrolled and I’m sure not defending TLR because I blame him in part for getting steamrolled, but get your facts straight.
General meaning of the post is spot on. Lots of “veteran” managers out there that would have loved to have had Charlie’s record last year. The overall contribution of managers to the success of baseball teams is overestimated in my mind.
Had a chance to meet him a couple of times years ago when he worked for the Rays in Durham; heck of a nice guy. As a manager? Kind of “meh”. He’s got the horses now, let’s see if he can bring them home.
Or they could win in spite of him. Truth be told, you never can be certain what impact a manager has on a long season.
I hope this doesn’t turn out to be Jimy WIlliams, part deux; a nice guy and knowledgeable manager who can’t “bring home the bacon”.
Good for the Blue Jays. Great org and going places this year. My pick to win the World Series
@yanks2323- I wish you we’re a betting man. Jays are not winning the World Series.
Oh where you at Cito Gaston?
I was thinking the same thing!
Fans hated Cito too and called for his firing pretty much every time he wasn’t hoisting a championship trophy (and even that didn’t stop some fans). Cito was accused of being a do-nothing manager who pretty much slept through the games and gave way too much leeway to players and had no clue how to manage a bullpen.
@Dunedino20306- yes, that’s who the Jays need to win a World Series.
So how tall is he now since being extended?
Takes away the “lame duck” status for this season while also not really committing to him beyond next season. I’m guessing Charlie will still be on the hot seat the next couple of seasons. Toronto has gone all in and deep postseason runs are going to be expected
Keep Gibby on speed dial, just in case.
I like what Shapiro and Atkins have done recently but extending Montoyo? Oh well he can always be fired.
Just think of Palacious in CF in a pivotable game and time or the Chatwood walking the entire batting order experiment. Geez, Montoyo hasn’t a clue about managing a pitching staff.
Montoyo cost them a playoff spot last year. Not a great decision by the BlueJays to extend him. Montoyo is not a championship caliber manager.
We missed by a game, but ill never believe it’s the managers fault for losing a game, regardless if it was the manager who made a move.
Whatever move he made, be it a pitching change, pinch hit, defensive substitute, reorder the lineup, move a guy up or down the lineup switch a LF to RF, it’s up to the players to execute.
The players have made it to MLB because they are the 1% of the 1% in their respective fields. They should be able to throw a strike, throw to 1st, hit 2nd or 7th, play RF and LF if asked.
I remember Semien throwing a game away at first in the 9th late in the summer
Teo running into an out late in a game that could have been tied
Late game OF miscues by I believe Palacios early on
Bullpen blowing a few games early, not just chatwood
We had Jake Lamb starting at 3B for over a week!!!
The Jays missing the playoffs by a game wasn’t because of Montoya and his inept decision making.
He didn’t ask Semien to spike the ball over to Vlad. He didn’t sign Chatwood, He HAS to use the players he’s given and hope they perform up to their capabilities.
The manager just fills out lineup cards and typically goes to the best available replacement player when one is required (pitcher batter or feilder) and 99% of the time it’s an obvious choice that any random Joe who has even mediocre baseball acumen can make. Until such time as injuries and fatigue make it so that 13th BP guy eventually needs to be used in a close game or a kid you didn’t really want in a close game gets his first MLB appearance
Is it Atkins fault Chatwood was on the team. Yes but given what we know about how difficult it is to attract players North of the border did he really have any choice?
Shapiro and Atkins are playing behind the 8ball
Montoya is playing behind the 8ball.
They are doing a great job with what they have. They should be applauded for the job they have done after what they inherited
Any failure at this point falls on the players. As currently constructed they have as good a chance as the other big boys to make a run.
This isn’t rocket science, See ball hit ball. See ball field ball, throw ball accurately, catch ball thrown to you. Play up to your potential or exceed it and ANYONE could manage the Jays to a WS.
You telling me Cito was some sort of baseball savant?
i love how unless you care about the blue jays, absolutely nobody knows who this is
Can you name all 30 managers ?
Probably not, so what’s your point really
Charlie seems like a really nice guy. I always enjoyed catching his post-game interviews when they played the Mariners. Always said something that cracked me up. Managers these days are mainly to help manage egos and clubhouse dynamics.
There were games last year I thought Charlie miss managed the Bull pin but really in the first half he didn’t really have a good bull pin. It wasn’t the second half of the season that they had gotten way better. The game that they lost was against the Yanks with Robbie Ray pitching and he gave up those Homeruns. if you watched closely to that game you would if seen that Ray was tipping his pitches and Brian Mc noticed and told Judge and there first baseman. The damage was done before Ray could fix the problem.
Errand boy is good for an extra 5 – 8 losses per year with a potential surprise to the upside.
He will costs us a WS.