Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro signs five-year deal to continue 'relentless pursuit' of World Series title

The lead man in the braintrust that brought the Blue Jays to the brink of the World Series isn’t going anywhere.

Team owner Rogers Communications announced on Friday that president and CEO Mark Shapiro has signed a five-year contract renewal with the team to remain in charge of the American League champions.

“Mark’s exceptional leadership has been a driving force behind the Blue Jays success, and we’re thrilled he will continue to lead our team and build on their incredible momentum,” Rogers chairman Edward Rogers said in a release. “As proud owner of Canada’s team, we are excited to work with Mark and his team to give them the tools and resources they need to bring World Series championships back to Canada.”

The latter point is a significant one for both parties as Rogers continues to aggressively spend to make all business concerns with the team thrive.

Shapiro’s relationship with the Rogers brass has grown over the years to the point that the trust between him and Edward Rogers and the company’s board has fostered a successful – and prosperous relationship.

The 58-year-old Shapiro’s work on the business side — including spearheading significant renovations of Rogers Centre — has been complemented by the company’s willingness to spend at the highest level to make the on-field product competitive.

In baseball terms, the Jays arguably have never been hotter in franchise history, an attractive destination for big-name free agents as they continue to ride the high of that remarkable World Series run.

Deal was coming for a while

The extension was no surprise, really, given there was an impetus on both sides to get something done, though no rush to have the business taken care of during the season.

Shapiro took over the leadership of the Jays in 2015 — succeeding Paul Beeston — and has overseen both the business operations side of the team as well as the baseball side, working alongside his hand-picked general manager, Ross Atkins.

The team has been a resounding business success, especially since the extensive renovations were concluded.

“Under Mark’s leadership, the Blue Jays have become a benchmark for excellence in Major League Baseball,” Rogers president and CEO Tony Staffieri said in a release. “He’s delivered a best-in-class fan experience on and off the field and we’re excited for a strong future with the Blue Jays.”

Shapiro’s contract with the Jays expired following the 2025 season, but in an interview with the Toronto Sun during spring training, he said he wasn’t worried about the future and that a new deal would be negotiated “when the time is right.”

Coming off a World Series in which the Jays finished two outs away from upending the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, that time arrived.

“The opportunity to lead the Blue Jays over the last 10 years has been incredibly fulfilling,” Shapiro said. “I am grateful and honoured to continue that work.

“Watching our country unite behind our team this past season has inspired and energized us to continue a relentless pursuit of bringing World Series championships back to Canada and with the support of Edward, Tony and Rogers we’re committed to proving our fans a championship-calibre team and best-in-class fan experience.”

Why Shapiro works so well for Rogers

Given his extensive experience in Major League Baseball, Shapiro is an ideal fit for the telecommunications giant in that he can essentially represent ownership at the league level.

Then there’s the fact that the Jays are estimated to be worth more than $2 billion, or more than double the value when he arrived here from Cleveland.

As well, Shapiro seems well in tune with the importance that Sportsnet has to the Rogers sporting empire. When the team is good, the stadium is full and TV ratings soar — which obviously are important to ownership.

“The things that I can control … on the business side, that is having the best possible fan experience that we can have and continuing to work to make Rogers Centre among the best ballparks in Major League Baseball, which I think wasn’t the case 10 years ago,” Rogers told the Toronto Sun in March. “I can control that and that’s what I’m focusing on.

“On the baseball side, it’s continuing to challenge ourselves to get better, not to double down on anything that we’ve done in the past, but to learn to adjust, to develop, to get better.”

As for the goal to get back to the World Series and finish the ultimate task — that desire remains fuel to Shapiro.

“I still believe — and I would say this to fans, that if you get in (the post-season) and if you have a team that leaves spring training with objective reason to believe that you have the potential to win the playoffs, that if you do that year after year, you will win a World Series,” Shapiro said in March.

“I don’t ever set the goal at the outset of the season that we need to get past a round or we need to go deeper in the playoffs. I am bitterly disappointed that we haven’t gone deeper in the playoffs. But I would probably be bitterly disappointed if we lost the World Series in Game 6.

“The goal is not to get deeper in the playoffs. The goal is to win and after the last out have that pig pile in the middle of the field.”