Will the Blue Jays be searching for a new President in 2026?

For the last ten years, Mark Shapiro has been the man in charge for the Toronto Blue Jays. As team President, Shapiro has mostly been responsible for the success - and the lack there of at times - for the Blue Jays since the end of 2015. The 58 year old signed a five-year extension in January of 2021 and he was recently asked about his future with that extension coming to an end.

"When I think about alternatives, I've never been a grass is greener guy," he said to reporters during a pre-game chat on Tuesday. "Twenty-four years in one place in Cleveland and 10 years here now. So it's the appreciation for what I have and the people that I get to work with every day, the city that I work in and the country that I live in, those things are drivers for me to remain here."

Will the Blue Jays be searching for a new President in 2026?

That's all well and good, but there has to be mutual feelings on both sides. When asked about extension talks, Shapiro replied, "I think (it's) not appropriate for me to comment beyond the fact that what I just said is I want to remain here," Shapiro said. "And I can also say that both (Rogers executive chair) Edward (Rogers) and (Rogers president/CEO) Tony (Staffieri) have been reciprocal in that desire."

Those are some pretty confident words from Shapiro, which likely means an extension is coming. But whether it's warranted or not is up for debate. There has been just as much good about the Toronto Blue Jays as a franchise over the last ten years as there has been bad.

The headline on the resume would be the stadium renovations. It was a lengthy process that played out in several phases, with more upgrades expected to be made to some fan viewing areas during the upcoming offseason.

The renos have been a tremendous marketing tool, attracting over 2.6 million fans in 2022 and 2024 with over 3 million fans coming to Rogers Centre in 2023. The reconfigurations have allowed fans to get closer to the action, especially in the bullpens, as well as upgrade the sightlines in several sections.

Meantime, it's given the actual on-field product a different, more exciting feel. Lowering the wall in centre field gives outfielders a chance to make more highlight reel plays - something that came to fruition early on at the Dome after the renovations.

However, the overall results of the team on the field have been mostly underwhelming, with a few bright spots thrown into the mix. Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins got off to a good start by crafting a team in 2016 that went all the way to the ALCS. While it was largely built by previous GM Alex Anthopolous, Shapiro allowed Atkins to have the green light to make several deals and signings that helped the Blue Jays win a Wild Card game and a second straight ALDS against the Rangers.

That's been the extent of their playoff success. They have yet to win a division title. They have yet to win a single playoff game, let alone a playoff series. They have been swept in the first round three times, once in the COVID shortened season in 2020 and back-to-back playoff sweeps in the Wild Card round in 2022 and 2023.

Shapiro has had three different Managers employed under his watch, and the team has had very little success, until recently, with converting players they have drafted into useful big league assets.

With all of that in mind, does Shapiro deserve an extension? That will be up to the discretion of the higher ups at Rogers and if it hadn't been for a franchise record setting contract extension to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and several unforeseen and unexpected performances by this 2025 Blue Jays squad, there's a very real chance that both Shapiro and Atkins would have already been shown the door.

Right now in August of 2025, it feels like extending Shapiro is the likely, and best move, for the franchise.
Despite that lack of playoff success, the Blue Jays have been a profitable franchise and that's really Shapiro's main goal and focus in his role. But when you zoom out and try to encapsulate how successful the team has been on the field during his tenure, you may be left searching for a tandem that could bring some more quality results.