The fruits of his labor clear, Shapiro steadfast: 'I want to remain here'

TORONTO -- Turn back the clock four months, and you’ll find the narrative around the Blue Jays in a much different place.

This club went from a “last chance” team to an American League juggernaut, its competitive window extended for as long as Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s extension runs. Everything clicked, Rogers Centre filled up and the conversations changed in a hurry. This level of on-field success was the one thing missing from Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro’s legacy in Toronto, but this may not be his last chance either.

Currently in his final contract year, Shapiro is categorical about wanting to stay with the club. He said as much in his media availability ahead of Tuesday’s 5-1 win against the Cubs at Rogers Centre. No specifics on extension talks with Rogers ownership were shared, but a first-place stretch and a strong playoff push should only help Shapiro’s case.

“It's not appropriate for me to comment beyond the fact that I want to remain here,” said Shapiro. “And I can also say that both Edward [Rogers, executive chair] and Tony [Staffieri, CEO] have been reciprocal in that desire.”

This goes way beyond the Blue Jays’ hot stretch, though.

Through Shapiro’s 10-year tenure, the front office and ownership group have fostered a close relationship as the Blue Jays’ president orchestrated two major renovation projects -- first to the player development complex in Dunedin, Fla., and later to Rogers Centre -- and worked to assemble a winning team alongside general manager Ross Atkins.

That in itself is unique, having a front-office head with a hand in both the business and the baseball side. Shapiro also got financial support on both ends, completing the lofty renovations and sporting one of the highest payrolls in the league for the past handful of years -- in addition to the historic $500 million extension handed to Guerrero in April.

Playoff wins are still elusive, but those perceptions have changed remarkably from the start of the season to now. This team feels different from the ones that quickly exited the AL Wild Card Series in 2020, '22 and '23.

“We’ve established our brand of baseball that is rooted and founded in the toughness and the cohesiveness of our players,” said Shapiro. “ … Tough to strike out, playing good defense -- which has been a trademark over the last few years, not just this year -- really putting the pressure on the other team. That identity is married to the culture and the values that our players bring to the field every day.

“We’ve got great players, but our results have not been driven by individual players. It’s really been driven by collective efforts. It’s taken a while to kind of form that as a team identity, but we’ve seen it through the toughest times this year when we’ve bounced back, like Sunday, and throughout the year, when we’ve hit rough patches or lost players that were important and key for periods of time.”

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Shapiro doesn’t point to one factor to determine what’s changed for a Blue Jays team that finished 2024 in the basement of the AL East. It’s the collective growth that stands out, with the emergence of players like Addison Barger, Ernie Clement and Mason Fluharty as well as bounceback years for George Springer and Alejandro Kirk.

“I find a lot of joy in watching this team play because of the way they play,” said Shapiro. “I appreciate tough at-bats. Love that style of baseball. I think that translates well. We need to, certainly, play our best to beat the best, and we haven't always done that, but playing our best at the right time is what's going to be most important.”

There’s still plenty of uncertainty in the future, of course. On the baseball side, perhaps the biggest one is the fate of Bo Bichette, who’s set for free agency at the end of this season. On the business side, a couple of “capital projects” around the ballpark as well as commemorations for the Blue Jays’ 50th season next year were topics Shapiro mentioned on Tuesday.

That’s the beauty of winning now, though. It makes it that much more exciting to think about the future.

“I've never been a ‘grass is greener’ guy,” said Shapiro. “Twenty-four years in one place in Cleveland and 10 years here now. So it is the appreciation for what I have and the people that I get to work with every day, and the city that I work in, the country that I live in. Those things are drivers for me to remain here.”