Report: Blue Jays Deny Mets Permission To Speak To Mark Shapiro For President Role

Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro recently signed a five year extension with Toronto

Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Shapiro will not be the next President of Baseball Operations for the New York Mets. Who will, though, is not yet clear.

The Toronto Blue Jays denied the Mets permission to speak to Shapiro, club President and CEO, the New York Post reported Wednesday, according to an industry source.

The Post piece, written by Ken Davidoff, Joel Sherman, and Mike Puma, states it was "extremely unlikely" Shapiro would have left Toronto anyway, considering his recent five-year extension, the success of the on-field product, and the President's desire to renovate or build a new ballpark in Toronto.

"Teams often issue a formal denial of permission even if it knows the employee won’t leave," the story says.

Even with unrest in the Blue Jays ownership group, which would directly impact Shapiro's day-to-day as liaison between management and ownership, it appears the CEO is set to stay with the Blue Jays for the foreseeable future. 

"While I'm incredibly proud of our team on and off the field, and while I feel confident that we have a lot to build on from this season, I'm left with one feeling: and that's bitterness," Shapiro said in his post-season press conference last week. "The fact that we're not playing right now leaves me more determined."

Shapiro identified several long-term projects when talking to the media last week, citing improvements to Rogers Centre or construction of a stadium as "a long-term issue that has been put on hold due to the pandemic." Stadium construction is the "biggest capital project left for the Blue Jays," Shapiro said, speaking to his future vision for the franchise.

The Mets' interest in Shapiro was not singular, as New York's extensive search to fill the open executive position has been heavily publicized. Brewers GM Matt Arnold, Dodgers assistant GM Brandon Gomes, and Cardinals GM Mike Girsch are also all "out of the picture" in the Mets president of baseball operations search, despite interest from New York, the Post reports.