Blue Jays' Shapiro reflects on disappointing 2024: 'Need to get better'
Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro spoke with reporters Wednesday, addressing several topics amid the team's underwhelming 2024 campaign.
The disappointing season
After three postseason trips in four years, the Blue Jays entered the 2024 season with high expectations and were looking for a breakthrough in October. However, things haven't gone according to plan, with the club sitting in last place in the AL East.
"In the nine seasons I've been through, this is the biggest disconnect in terms of expectations. ... We need to learn, we need to get better from it," Shapiro said.
Atkins' future
Ross Atkins has been general manager since 2016, and although Shapiro didn't outright commit to him returning in 2024, he continued pushing for stability.
"I very rarely am unequivocal about anything. Commenting on job status during the season is not something I've done or will do," Shapiro said. "That being said, contextually, I'm a big believer in continuity and stability and think those are competitive advantages. The focus of my conversations with Ross is what can we learn about how we put the team together."
Trade-deadline strategy
The Blue Jays' underperformance forced the front office into sell mode. Toronto traded a number of veteran impending free agents at the deadline to infuse young talent into a farm system ranking in the league's bottom third.
"We had an open mind going into the deadline. That was evidenced by the (Isiah Kiner-Falefa) and Nate Pearson trades. We were open to trading players that had control beyond this year. But ultimately, we believe in the players that we have, and we believe in the foundation between the young players that have transitioned, the players we acquired, and the veteran players we have in place. Now, we need to evaluate and make sure we have a core in place that's championship-caliber, contending-caliber for next season and then supplement where we need to supplement."
Whether the team will contend in 2025
Despite stumbling through the most disappointing campaign in several years, Shapiro said there's still a strong belief the team has the pieces to be back in playoff contention as soon as next season.
"The decisions coming out of the deadline are representative that we believe there's enough talent in place to build a championship-caliber team next year. A lot of work still to be done (but) that intent is clear," he said.
Shapiro added that the Blue Jays don't expect any "large-scale pullback" regarding payroll commitments next season. Toronto has the ninth-highest payroll in baseball at $217.5 million.
Guerrero's and Bichette's long-term futures
Shapiro refused to comment on contract extensions for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. However, he said: "It's certainly easier to build a sustainable, championship team with talent like that in place for extended periods."
Guerrero and Bichette remain under club control for one more season and are scheduled to reach free agency at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign.