Good news for Blue Jays managers Ross Atkins and John Schneider
Both have signed contract extensions with the team
After narrowly losing the World Series title, the Blue Jays are doubling down on a formula that works by extending the contracts of general manager Ross Atkins and manager John Schneider.
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Both had deals set to expire one year from now. With the extensions announced this morning, Schneider will remain with the team for another two years, and Atkins another five.
Both Schneider and Atkins are long-time stalwarts of the team and have seen it grow into the true contender it is today. Schneider was originally drafted as a player for the Blue Jays in 2001 and rejoined the team as a coach after retiring from play in 2007. After several years coaching in the minor leagues, he became the team’s bench coach in 2022 and was promoted to manager that same year.
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Atkins has been the Jays’ general manager since December 2015, meaning he’s been on hand for the past decade of development for the team. Also on board is president and CEO Mark Shapiro, who signed a five-year contract extension of his own in December.
All of this amounts to an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach for the Jays. The trio of Shapiro, Schneider and Atkins brought the Jays within inches of the World Series title last year. The coming seasons will show if that recipe still delivers.
Anthony Milton is a freelance journalist based in Toronto specializing in long-form magazine writing. He previously worked as an assistant editor at Toronto Life, where he launched the Front Row newsletter. He regularly contributes all sorts of stories to the magazine, including deep dives on sports, business and housing as well as short-form commentary on our ever-changing city, from its obsession with cherry blossoms to its maddening NIMBYism. His work has also appeared in Maclean’s, Ricochet, TVO, the Trillium and more.
