The Blue Jays have had conversations with manager John Schneider about a contract extension, GM Ross Atkins confirmed at today’s end-of-season press conference (relayed by Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet). It seems likely that’ll get done at some point this offseason. For the moment, Atkins confirmed that the Jays have officially exercised their 2026 option on Schneider’s contract.
Schneider took over the position on an interim basis when Charlie Montoyo was fired halfway through the 2022 season. The Jays removed the interim tag and signed him to a three-year contract with an option over the offseason. The guaranteed portion of the deal expired at the end of this past season. The Jays weren’t going to make a managerial change on the heels of an American League title.
It was a formality that they’d exercise the option and entirely expected they’d open talks on a multi-year deal. Most teams prefer not to have their managers or top front office personnel working on expiring contracts. That’s especially true when the manager led the team tantalizingly close to a championship. The Jays pushed the Dodgers to the brink in Game 7 of the Fall Classic. They were a blown save and/or one timely hit away from their first title in more than 30 years.
As is the case with any manager, Schneider has made some decisions that came under fire with the fanbase. His handling of the pitching staff during the 2023 Wild Card series loss to the Twins was heavily criticized. One can quibble with how aggressively he pinch ran for many of his best hitters in Game 3 of this year’s World Series, which left the Jays with a mostly punchless lineup in a game that went 18 innings.
Still, the Jays have won just over 54% of their regular season games over three-plus years with Schneider at the helm. He has led the team to two postseason berths, an AL championship, and fostered what appears to be a close-knit clubhouse. That came into play when Shane Bieber exercised a below-market player option to give things another go in Toronto. The Jays’ offseason focus will be on getting a long-term deal done with Bo Bichette and further addressing the pitching staff.
There is no perfect manager and there will always be those opposed to keeping John Schneider around. The reality is that a short 8 months ago, this franchise was facing a bleak future outlook.
Fast forward to today and the course of the entire organization has done a complete 180. I’m not saying that is all thanks to JS, but he played a pivotal role in that turn around. He definitely deserves an extension and I’m sure he will receive one.
I’m so incredibly grateful for this magical Blue Jays season, even though it ended in pure, undeniable heartbreak. Here’s hoping that the sustained winner Shapiro previously promised is finally here. It’s a great time to be a Canadian baseball fan 😀
Amen.
Blue Jays were awesome. All beat up and took the superteam to the wire. Best baseball thing I’ve watched in a long while.
J@Yogajonny ohn Farrell also took the 2013 Red Sox to the World Series but that don’t mean he was a good manager.
Schneider has been the manager for three playoff runs not two.
I like Schneider, be interesting to see who the new bench coach is.
What a difference a few months makes. I remember earlier this season Blue Jays fans were calling for him to be fired. Look at things now.
I never thought he should be manager and I still believe he shouldn’t.
Sounds reasonable.
For eons the fan base was screaming for Shatkins and Schneid to be fired. Now they’re the best thing since sliced bread.
So it goes from the peanut gallery lol
I reckon the Jays should look to lock-in David Popkins while they are at it. Their offense has been miles better this year, and a lot of that has to do with getting rid of the old hitting coaches and bringing in Popkins and Lou Iannotti.
I’d rather sign Popkins to an extension
They can sign him to an extension as a thank you, but if the Jays are just under .500 in June of 2026 is his job not in-jeopardy? Or has he built up enough goodwill to run an entire season going 79-83 and still be the manager come 2027? If so, extend the man. For what it’s worth he’s helped lead this group pretty well.