The Blue Jays announced this morning that they’ve signed GM Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider to contract extensions. Both were entering the final seasons of their current contracts, but Atkins has re-upped on a five-year deal that will take him through the 2031 season while Schneider will return on a two-year deal that lasts through the 2028 campaign.
The news is hardly surprising following Toronto’s impressive run in the playoffs last year, where they secured the AL pennant and came just shy of besting the Dodgers in seven games during the World Series. While Toronto ultimately lost Game Seven of that series, it’s easy to see that ownership is pleased with the club’s performance. Not only was the team green-lit to acquire Dylan Cease and pursue other big names on the free agent market like Kyle Tucker this winter, but Blue Jays chairman Edward Rogers also decided to give team president and CEO Mark Shapiro a five-year contract extension back in December that runs through 2030. Once Shapiro received an extension, both Atkins and Schneider were widely assumed to eventually follow suit around the league.
Atkins joined the Jays prior to the 2016 season, and he’s overseen the beginning of the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. era in Toronto. While Guerrero signed with the organization as an international amateur a few months before Atkins and Shapiro arrived, every professional game he’s played during his career has been with them at the helm of the club. Guerrero has been the face of Toronto’s return to relevance after a rebuilding period early in Atkins’s tenure with the organization, from the second year of his career in 2020 onward the Jays have made the postseason four times in six years with a 472-398 record overall. That’s roughly an 88-win pace over the last six years, and under Schneider’s leadership over the past three years they’ve gone 257-229 they’ve managed a roughly 86-win pace with two playoff berths.
It may have seemed to be a no-brainer that the club would decide to keep the good times rolling with their current group after this year’s run to the World Series, but that was hardly a guarantee this time last year. One year ago, Guerrero had not yet signed an extension, the club had whiffed on both Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in free agency during back-to-back offseasons, and the Jays were coming off a deeply disappointing 88-loss season that saw the club sell at the trade deadline and called their longer-term viability as a contender into question. It’s fortunate that the organization’s banner year in 2025 answered those questions, because it’s not hard to imagine another poor performance on the field from the club last year ending in changes to the front office and dugout rather than contract extensions for the organization’s leadership.
As Atkins, Schneider, and Shapiro head into the 2026 season and look ahead to at least a few more years running the Blue Jays together, long-term deals for Guerrero, Cease, Alejandro Kirk, and Andres Gimenez figure to make them all staples of the organization going forward. Other pieces under long-term control include Trey Yesavage, Anthony Santander, Kazuma Okamoto, Louis Varland, and a collection of young hitting talent headlined by Addison Barger. It’s a solid group overall, though the next few years will also see the team contend with the impending free agencies of George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and other key members of the roster who will need to be replaced.
Well deserved!
Yup. A year ago I think most fans, including myself, would be very mad at the Atkins extension but baring his Santander contract which at the time and even with hindsight was a necessary signing Ross has been really good. Just weird how it took them 10 years to get pitching depth. Went from this guy cant draft or sign the right guys then they did the 24 sell off and since then jays have some of the best depth in the league
The only real surprise is this didn’t happen earlier in the offseason.
Once Shapiro got his extension the other two getting theirs was inevitable.
I’m old enough to remember when almost everyone on this site wanted atkin’s and Shapiro’s heads on a platter… lol
You’re one year old?
Been going on for much longer than a year.
Agreed. Jays fans wanted Atkins and Shapiro gone for many years. They had series of very poor drafts and some uninspired moves like Montoya as manager.
It tuned before last year though. Shapiro did the massive renos in Dunedin and in Toronto and convinced ownership to spend. The organization was shooting to be one of the top ones in development.
For Atkins the 2024 sell off had some good moves, the drafts were better, and bringing in Lukes and Clement for essentially nothing was shrewd.
And although we didn’t know it, bringing in the new hitting coaches (thanks to the Twins!) turned around the offense.
I think Atkins has become better at his job. Maybe it’s just luck. But it seems the Jays have a plan.
lol
And Schneider too to and extent. But hey doing well fixes that. Mostly.
It’s bc we had AA who has accomplished more than Atkins. Vladdy is still an AA signing.
This is not correct. Say what you will about who built what. During Atkins tenure the jays have made the playoffs 5 out of 10 years. AA made the playoffs 1 time.
AA was hot garbage. This fanbase wanted him fired for years. He went all in , in 2015 and it was fun to watch but when he left he had the oldest roster in MLB and a terrible farm.
None of that is true, no one wanted AA fired.
And the farm is still terrible and it’s been 10 years since he left so.
apparently, you didn’t watch the Jays in 2012 and 2013 when they were 16 and 14 games below .500. The fanbase was calling for his head. Everything i said above is true and you are in denial if you don’t think it was.
Actually the farm system was not that bad when AA left. If you look at the players that went on to become major league players that were either drafted or signed under AA’s regime vs. the current front office you would know what you said was BS. Also let’s not forget that AA setup Vladdy to sign as a Blue Jay and his staff that remained behind got it done NOT Shapiro. It was also remaining AA staff (who got fired later that year) that convinces Atkins to take Bichette, with their next pick, a couple of picks later, in the draft after he refused and took a player that lasted 2 years in the minors.
AA was handed a dumpster fire from JP.
The first few years were spent cleaning up the mess, including getting out from the Wells deal.
No one, especially not real fans, were asking for his head during those years, they understood the necessary steps back.
delusional
Let me guess, one of the “Shatkins” children?
yeah not how I remember it. Most were pissed we let AA go at the time.
lol one WS run and jays fans think they are the Astros, insufferable really.
This is an interesting take. Dustyslambchops, do you think Anthopoulos drafted and developed Barger and Yesavage?
You have 2 examples over hundreds of picks, you just proved my point.
Why don’t you mention Austin Martin? Brandon Berreira?
Or how about in ‘22 when they had the 2 picks before Roman anthony and took doughty and toman.
Alright Dusty, you win I guess.
Few wanted him fired especially when compared to Atkins. AA is a huge reason why the Jay’s became a much more competitive franchise
@ dusty Good examples among others. We all knew they would extend him but I’m lukewarm to it at best especially for 5 years.
He is no AA.
Also agree with you about AA inheriting the mess from JP. Fans knew it would take a bit of time to right those wrongs
el_ chapo _ I was one of them as a long time Bluejays fan had they not extended Vlad Jr both should have been fired I also wanted Springer gone as well but he carried the team most of the year and even had some memorable moments in the postseason
I think the Blue Jays got to the World Series DESPITE Ross Atkins. Listening to that guy try to articulate a thought is the most frustrating yet hilarious head-scratching moment you will ever have with a front office baseball executive. My belief is that Shapiro and others do all the heavy lifting because Atkins is only there because he failed his acting audition for a role on The Office. Actually he would be perfect on The Office.
Haha love it about the office
Rewarding performance, what a concept. Too bad two Canadian pilots are dead because of our own incompetence. A sad day.
what does that have to do with extending atkins and Schneider
Compare and contrast, it’s a basic tool of exposition.
Stop with politics on a sports site. I come here to get away from that stuff, as tragic as it may be.
It’s not politics.
Still has nothing to do with this whatsoever other than you wanting it to.
You have absolutely no idea what caused that accident. Blaming anyone without a proper investigation, which Kathryn Garcia is the person to ensure happens, is disgraceful.
Human error. Ok?
A miserable 60-something year old Red Sox fan bringing unnecessary politics on a baseball rumors site… Good old “whyhayzee”
What a terrible take
“Other pieces under long-term control include … Anthony Santander…”
Piece of what?
What a difference a year makes. This time last year Blue Jays fans wanted to beat these guys up and throw them in the river. They wanted them both gone like nobodys business. Now it’s extensions all around.
The fans didn’t sign the extensions I, as a Jays fan, assumed they would be gone if that ended up being the case I would have been indifferent, depending on who replaced them 😉
Just because they have been extended doesn’t mean they can’t be replaced at some point. I’m still not a fan of Adtkins however I do like the upgrades that Shapiro is responsible for.
– blue jays were 1 out from a world series
-this guy still doesnt like the GM
LOL
The Jays were actually inches from a World Series. If the runner who was tagged out at HP was faster to the plate BINGO!!
All IKF had to do was not slow himself down by sliding on a force play.
But the umpire picking off Bichette in game 3 was the real difference in the series.
@ Shark Mapiro, Adtkins has one good year out of the 10 that he’s been here & you’re lol cuz I don’t like him? Can’t wait to read your posts when the Jays tank this year. Typical message board troll.
Should change your name to neverlearnedhowtospellcorrectly
Same not big on Atkins or a lot of the moves he has been part of
John Scneider not bad. Now go out and lock up Daisy Duke.
The world does not want to see John Schneider in a pair of Daisy Dukes…
Or Daisy Duke in a pair of John Schneiders
5 more years of Atkins is a bit much, I haven’t really changed my opinion of him despite the run last year. Would have preferred a shorter extension
Shapiro has done a great job tho, the franchise as a business has never been as strong
Stop whining all the time
It probably just sounded like whining because you heard your own voice as you read it
Nah youre the same halfwit that used the classic, hilarious term “shatkins” all the time lol. Keep up the good work lol
He is trolling you Dusty he has done it to several posters in hopes of getting a response. Why people do this for thrills I will never understand.
Simping this much for a GM is sad behaviour. Seek employment
How long have you two fun boys been dating?
Let me ask you geniuses this: if the Jays win the world series last year then do Shapiro, Atkins and Schneider deserve the extensions? Yes, they do. They literally couldn’t have come closer with all signs pointing to continued contending seasons. How can you argue the guys who led the team off the field dont deserve an extension the likes of the players (vlad) who did it on the field?! Especially since they got the vlad deal done! Another, huge reason they deserve long term deals!
Is being gay an insult to you Shark? Interesting and telling of who you are as a person.
Atkins has been a GM for 10 years, he’s had multiple major mistakes and has one of the worst draft records during that period. The teams surprise performance last year and the fact that Shapiro got rogers to pony up 500m for Vlad doesn’t change Atkins overall shortcomings.
If we are talking about rewarding performance why were they not fired after finishing last in 2024 É
Ding ding dinggggg
Because they knew THAT was the one off and the team was a contender. Turns out 1 year later they were right.
Right…
Tons of people use the term Shatkins
The Jays are one of the most solid and well run organization in baseball (we don’t live in a vacuum ). Stability and rewarding relative success is so unsportsmanlike, where the « replace and rebuild » button is too often pressed. You have to remember that the Jays play in arguably the most competitive division and are disfavoured by the MLB ECONOMICALLY.
This all said by a Sox fan – respect to your team!
“disfavoured by the MLB ECONOMICALLY.” by having a Top 10 payroll?
I think what Frenchredsox meant was being dependent on the CAD/USD exchange rate. The biggest expenses (player salaries) are paid in USD but most revenue is in CAD. A weak Canadian dollar hurts revenue while inflating expenses.
Why? Schneider had one year, that IMO the Blue Jays were winning games inspite of their manager and lost the WS because of their manager, is not worthy of an extension until he proves last year was not just an aberration? So if he goes 10 and 32 to start the season or finishes the year with only 76 wins will everybody still think this is great? Not me. He is a minor league manager that should never been hired.
As for Atkins he is there until Shapiro is gone.
The players like him, I agree in general but what managers are good ? There isn’t a guarantee they would get anyone better, most managers are pretty meh now a days.
True to that Dusty. I just wasn’t a fan of the Schneider hire and the years of watching him bumble lineups and bad calls on in game stuff did nothing to make me a fan. But yes there is not really any great managers anymore and that might be because of to much front office input on every decision.
Don’t let results and facts get in the way of your awful, wrong opinion. Atkins deserved the extension and since it isn’t your money why are you penny pinching?
They signed the manager for 2 more years. Thats a drop in the bucket compared to a $300M payroll. Its not like they signed him for a decade.
There is no franchise in sports that would turf their coach/ manager after going to the finals and having a successful year
Honestly, get a life. Whining about this makes no sense.
I think it’s reasonable to not like a teams manager, why are you gating other people’s opinions?
Because he was literally an out away from the World Series last season.
Maybe watch a different team or sport
He finished last place the year before after back to back years of playoff failures.
By your definition of short term memory he should have already been fired right? That’s your logic.
You new fans are so cute.
I agree. Only a year removed from a brutal season where they generally all underperformed. A manager has to take some of the heat. Glad it wasn’t a 5 year extension like Atkins (who also should have only gotten a 2 or 3 year)
Let’s not forget that Shapiro and Atkins got the Vlad extension done so that right there is a very deserving reason to keep them long term. Rogers gave them his to do list and outside of win the world series they have checked every box. And, they have a team that may just well be good enough to win soon.
As for Schneider, vlad and the other top players like him and play hard for him. That’s more than enough to keep him for a couple more seasons.
Yes , had they done it years earlier ,when other MLB teams were signing young players early to buy out some free agent years, could have likely saved 100-200 million. They lost to Vlad in arbitration something like 3 years in a row so baseball metrics were obvious that he was worth big $$. No they waited until last minute.
Did a great job handling Bo as well …
Bang on! A year or two earlier would have saved a boat load of money. And ohhh that Santander contract.
Why only a two year extension? Give him the five instead. Dave Roberts of the Dodgers got a $32.4 million extension. Are we paying Schneider anything close to that?
Nope