Blue Jays: Charlie Montoyo and the coaching staff are safe for next year

The Toronto Blue Jays are currently in offseason mode after their campaign came to an end this past weekend. While free agency is still a few weeks away until after the World Series comes to a close, there are a few housekeeping duties that the front office has decided to take care of before the excitement begins.

During his remarks yesterday to the media, Ross Atkins confirmed that the Blue Jays coaching staff will be invited back next season, with Kaitlyn McGrath reporting that some of the coaches may have some minor job title tweaks but are still in the fold.

That means that pitching coach Pete Walker, bench coach Dave Hudgens, hitting coach Guillermo Martinez, major league coach John Schneider, and bullpen coach Matt Buschmann are all safe for next season with Mark Budzinski and Luis Rivera also returning back to the club if they so choose.

I would think that the Jays may give Schneider an increased role on the roster given his current title is a bit wishy-washy as well in that I truly believe he is future manager material, whether on the Blue Jays or another organization in the next few years.

Ross Atkins announced that manager Charlie Montoyo and the rest of the Blue Jays coaching staff will be back next season.

The biggest question mark would be if manager Charlie Montoyo would be brought back and yesterday’s announcement confirms that the Puerto Rican product will return to the helm for a fourth season.

This is pretty big news for the Blue Jays, as one may usually see a few personale be switched up between seasons, especially if the club struggled in certain areas. While the Jays did play well, there were a few questionable decisions that Montoyo made this season that left fans pretty upset and also affected the outcome of the game, leaving a bit of a door open for a potential replacement scenario.

I personally have been critical of Montoyo and his decision-making in the past, and while some fans may be quick to blame him for different reasons this past season, his personal character and rapport with the players is top-notch and obviously impressed Ross Atkins and co. Clubhouse atmosphere is obviously important for the overall dynamic as a whole but part of me did think that the Blue Jays may switch him out for someone else after missing the playoffs this season.

He guided the Blue Jays through some rough waters back during the rebuilding phase a few years ago and I was wondering if the front office was going to keep him as the captain of this ship or if they were going to look for one with more experience, especially with a team that is knocking on the playoff doors and looks poised to do it over the next few years.

One thing I was critical about this season is what seemed to be the lack of intensity from Montoyo in the dugout, which was evident during the Brandon Hyde/Robbie Ray incident where he stood by with his arms crossed and did nothing. I hope he can find another notch somewhere because a playoff team needs a little fire every now and then and somebody with a “let it be” type of approach does not cut it when every game matters, as evident by the Blue Jays missing out on the playoffs by just one game.

Whether you agree with the decision or not, Montoyo returns to the club as the manager next year and he will have his merry band of misfits with him by his side.

The question is, are some of the players he had to work with like Marcus Semien and Robbie Ray going to be on the Blue Jays next year as well?