Blue Jays CEO Shapiro gets 5-year extension

TORONTO -- Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro has signed a five-year contract extension, Rogers ownership announced Wednesday.

Shapiro joined the Blue Jays on Oct. 31, 2015, after 24 seasons with Cleveland, and will be entering his 30th season in baseball in ‘21. After taking over the club following a postseason appearance in '15 and returning to the playoffs in his first year in charge, Shapiro, along with general manager Ross Atkins and the front office, went through a multiyear rebuilding process that culminated with a return to the postseason in ‘20.

“From a personal and professional standpoint, I am thrilled to continue being a Toronto Blue Jay,” Shapiro said in a statement. “I am fortunate to work with exceptional people and am proud of the progress we have made together, to build a culture, community, and clubhouse that our incredible fans can cheer on. Living in Toronto and Canada has been life changing for me and my family and I am excited to experience the feeling of winning a championship with this city and country. I would like to thank Edward Rogers, the Rogers family, and the Rogers executive leadership team for their support and commitment over the past five years and in the years to come.”

Edward Rogers, chairman of Rogers Communications and the Toronto Blue Jays, also issued a statement of support.

“Mark’s leadership and commitment to excellence have been critical to the team’s growth and development,” Rogers said. “We are extremely pleased that Mark will continue to lead the Toronto Blue Jays and build on the team’s progress as we work towards our goal of bringing a World Series championship back to Canada.”

Shapiro’s extension comes at a time when one major Blue Jays project is finishing while another is on the horizon. The extensive renovations and additions to the club’s Spring Training complex and TD Ballpark in Dunedin, Fla., are finally complete, which was a significant undertaking that Shapiro believes gives the club the best facilities in Major League Baseball. This will benefit not only the Major League club through the spring, summer and offseason, but also its prospect pool, many of whom will now be based out of the complex early in their careers under the new Minor League structure.

The next potential major project will be a new stadium in Toronto to replace Rogers Centre, which opened as SkyDome in 1989. The COVID-19 pandemic put any development on hold for the time being, and while no details have been released, it is expected to be a large project when Rogers ownership decides to move forward. Speaking in December, Shapiro noted that the “scope and magnitude” of the project goes beyond what the Blue Jays could put together alone, but Shapiro will be heavily involved when that time comes.

Shapiro served in a number of roles over his 24 seasons with Cleveland, rising to become the club’s president from 2011-15 before his move to Toronto. Prior to that, Shapiro was Cleveland’s executive vice president and general manager (‘02-10), vice president of baseball operations and assistant general manager (1999-01) and the club’s director of Minor League operations (‘94-98).

Following the 2005 and ‘07 seasons, Shapiro was named the Sporting News Executive of the year and Baseball America Executive of the Year. Shapiro has also served on the league’s MLB Ticketing Committee, Special Committee for On-Field Matters (‘10-14) and currently is part of the Competition Committee.