4 Takeaways From Mark Shapiro's End Of Season Blue Jays Press Conference
The games have been over for a week, but we can finally close the book on the 2023 Blue Jays.
Team CEO and President Mark Shapiro got the final word on Toronto's season on Thursday, answering questions about the organization's 2023 campaign at a press conference at Rogers Centre. Here are the four biggest takeaways from Shapiro's chat:
1. Atkins Will Return
It would've been an unexpected move for a Toronto team president to fire his GM just days after the latter hosted his own end-of-season press conference. But, Kyle Dubas proves it's not a complete impossibility.
However, Shapiro confirmed Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins will return in the same position for the 2024 season. Atkins has been Toronto's GM for eight full seasons. The Jays have made the playoffs four times during his tenure, including three of the last four seasons. However, the 2016 team, largely constructed by Alex Anthopolous, is the only squad under Atkins to win a game in the postseason.
"I'm more than confident in Ross' ability to run a baseball operation," Shapiro said. "Now, that doesn't mean we don't need to get better."
2. Will Toronto's Payroll Go Up?
The Blue Jays rocked the seventh-highest payroll in baseball in 2023, coming in at about $209 million on Opening Day. It was the highest payroll in franchise history and Shapiro suggested the 2024 team will be working with a similar amount of financial room.
The organization's exact budget is still being discussed with ownership, but Shapiro “doesn’t expect a dramatic philosophical shift in payroll next year,” he said.
“I expect us to stay in the same area," Shapiro noted.
Baking in arbitration raises, the Blue Jays currently have a $191 million projected 26-man payroll for 2024, per Cots. Barring any trades or non-tendering of arb-eligible players, that leaves them with under $20 million to fill holes left by pending free agents Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt, Kevin Kiermaier, and Jordan Hicks.
3. Revisiting The Berríos Move, Again
The decision to remove José Berríos early in Game 2 of Toronto's Wild Card series in Minnesota was once against the topic of the day on Thursday.
Shapiro echoed many of the same sentiments from Atkins' season-ending presser, saying the plan was decided upon by John Schneider and Toronto's coaching staff. However, the president did mention that the organization needs to reflect on the clarity and communication of those pre-game strategies to the players.
"I think that what has come to light is, both from the information and the planning —which was designed by and led by John Schneider — we have to be more clear with our players, more transparent, do a better job of communicating what that process is," Shapiro said.
Shapiro also noted he doesn't believe any relationships with players need to be mended after the controversial move, but the confusion and backlash from players in the aftermath of Toronto's postseason exit seems to have forced the team to reevaluate some processes.
4. Fixing The Blue Jays' Offense
More than any bold pitching strategies or bullpen deployments, the Blue Jays fell short in 2023 because of an underperforming offense. The Jays had the fourth-best lineup in baseball in 2022, scoring 775 runs. In 2023, they dropped to 14th, with 746 runs.
"There were players that fell short and that led to one of the biggest challenges watching night in and night out," Shapiro said. "What had three of four players that fell significantly short of what we projected."
Like Atkins over the weekend, Shapiro was unwilling to pin the blame for the faltering offense on one specific aspect of coaching, front office strategy, players, or an overall game plan. But, the president did note that the team is looking into answering that exact question over the next few weeks.
Where they lay blame for the quiet bats will likely shape the Blue Jays' 2023-24 offseason. Do they change how the organization evaluates players in the front office? Do they move on from some hitting coaches? Or do the Blue Jays need to change the players in the clubhouse, bringing in some proven bats to inject runs back into the lineup? Likely, it's a combination of all three.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon