Toronto as a potential host city<\/a> for a future Midsummer Classic. The Jays have requested to host the event, Shapiro confirmed Tuesday.<\/p>\nBlue Jays business operations executive Marnie Starkman travelled to this year\u2019s All-Star Game in Atlanta to observe the event and talk with the commissioner\u2019s office. The Philadelphia Phillies are set to host the 2026 game, and the Cubs were recently announced as 2027 hosts. But 2028 and beyond remain open, with a decision expected soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the feedback we\u2019re getting is positive,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cAnd I would hope that within the next six to eight months that there\u2019s clarity on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shapiro hopes to return<\/p>\n
This year hasn\u2019t been particularly kind to the leaders of Toronto\u2019s premier sports franchises. The Maple Leafs announced that team president Brendan Shanahan\u2019s contract would not be renewed in May. A month later, the Raptors parted ways with Masai Ujiri after 12 seasons. Shapiro is nearing the end of his current contract as Jays president and CEO, which is set to expire later this year.<\/p>\n
Though Shapiro declined to answer if he is actively negotiating with ownership on an extension, the president made his position clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to remain here,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cAnd I can also say that both Edward (Rogers) and Tony (Staffieri) have been reciprocal in that desire.\u201d<\/p>\n
In his 10th season leading the Jays, Shapiro has overseen major renovations at Rogers Centre and the team\u2019s player development complex in Florida. However, since making the American League Championship Series in his first season (2016), the team has yet to win a playoff game. Entering Tuesday\u2019s contest with 98.2 percent playoff odds, the Jays should have a chance to change that in October.<\/p>\n
Other potential contract extensions<\/p>\n
Shapiro isn\u2019t the only one in a contract year. Manager John Schneider\u2019s deal expires at the end of the season. Though Shapiro declined to comment on a managerial extension, deferring the question to general manager Ross Atkins, he raved about Schneider\u2019s improvements utilizing information and leading the club\u2019s big-league staff and players.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019ve seen in Schneids is just a guy who keeps getting better,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cI think that\u2019s in his nature.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under Schneider, the Jays are 278-239 and on pace to make the postseason for a third time in four years. He\u2019s in contention to win the 2025 American League Manager of the Year award and could be a candidate for other jobs this offseason, if the Jays decline to extend. Due to midseason firings, there could be at least four open managerial spots this winter.<\/p>\n
But Schneider has only coached in the Jays organization, starting as a low-level catching instructor in 2008. For a position like manager that\u2019s so predicated on relationships and organizational trust, he\u2019s likely more valuable to the Jays than any other franchise.<\/p>\n
On the active roster, the Jays have at least five pending free agents. None is more important than Bo Bichette, who\u2019s on pace to lead the AL in hits for a third time. Shapiro acknowledged interest in retaining Bichette but largely danced around the question of the shortstop\u2019s future in Toronto, noting a late-season pennant race isn\u2019t the time to negotiate major deals. The Jays rarely sign extensions in the middle of seasons, though Vladimir Guerrero Jr.\u2019s $500 million contract earlier this year was a notable exception.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m confident that, at the right time, we\u2019ll make an effort to (keep Bichette),\u201d Shapiro said.<\/p>\n
The renovations aren\u2019t over<\/p>\n
After dumping nearly a half-billion dollars into Rogers Centre and Florida complex projects over the past decade, the Jays\u2019 renovations aren\u2019t entirely complete. They\u2019ll add another club in the 200 level behind home plate this offseason, Shapiro said, and other long-term stadium construction projects are in the works.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing as grand or as big as anything we\u2019ve done,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cBut there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another major business project Shapiro could oversee, if extended, is the club\u2019s 50th anniversary season next year. There\u2019s certainly room for more names on Toronto\u2019s Level of Excellence or the first non-owner statue outside Rogers Centre, but Shapiro didn\u2019t reveal any anniversary plans.<\/p>\n
(Photo of Mark Shapiro: Nathan Denette \/ The Canadian Press via the Associated Press)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro leaned against the dugout railing, sliding in front of cameras…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":143347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[1266,62,1290,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-143346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-mlb","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-toronto-blue-jays","11":"tag-united-states","12":"tag-unitedstates","13":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115023513619728353","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}