Mark Shapiro is in the midst of his tenth season as the Blue Jays president and CEO, and his current five-year contract is up after the conclusion of the 2025 campaign. Speaking with and other reporters earlier this week, Shapiro didnt give any updates on any extension talks, or if any negotiations were even ongoing. However, Shapiro firmly stated I want to remain here, and I can also say that both Edward and Tony have been reciprocal in that desire , referring to Rogers Communications chairman Edward Rogers and CEO Tony Staffieri. It is worth noting that when Shapiros previous five-year deal expired following the 2020 campaign, a new extension wasnt reached until January 2021. The Jays front office operated more or le s normally during this interim period, or as normally as could be expected since the pandemic was still a gigantic factor during the 2020-21 offseason (particularly since the Blue Jays couldnt play in Toronto until the end of July 2021). It would seem like an unofficial agreement was in place for Shapiros return and things just werent formalized until that January, so if history repeats itself, we might not receive public confirmation of a new contract until some time after the 2025 season is over. While Shapiro and GM Ro s Atkins have received plenty of criticism over their decade in charge of the franchise, the fan angst that reached a peak after the Jays dismal 2024 season has now been quieted by Torontos huge turn-around in 2025. The Blue Jays have the second-best record in baseball and a five-game lead in the AL East as we reach mid-August. Despite postseason appearances in 2020, 2022, and 2023, the Jays havent won a playoff game (let alone a series) since reaching the 2016 ALCS in the first year of the Shapiro/Atkins Dominic Canzone Jersey tenure. Given the Jays current succe s on the field and the franchise-building projects Shapiro has overseen (i.e. major renovations to both Rogers Centre and the Blue Jays Spring Training complex) in the last decade, it would certainly seem like the executive is in good standing to receive another contract. The same could be said of since the manager is in the final guaranteed year of his contract, and while Shapiro deferred comment on any extension talks, he did praise Schneiders work over his three-plus years leading the dugout. Likewise, Shapiro didnt go into detail over any plans to retain impending free agent , other than to say Im confident that, at the right time, well make an effort . This likely means the Blue Jays will wait until after the season, as Shapiro didnt want to draw any focus away from Bichettes on-field efforts. After an injury-marred down year in 2024, Bichette has looked much more like his old self, hitting .294/.336/.463 with 16 homers over 538 plate appearances (for a 122 wRC+). Speaking of returns to form, s resurgence has been one of the keys to the Jays season, and the veteran looks to be close to an activation off the concu sion-related injured list. Springer hasnt played since he was hit in the head by a pitch on July 28, but he has now cleared concu sion protocols and returned to action in a minor league rehab game today. Springer was 1-for-2 with a walk and a double for Triple-A Buffalo, acting as the Bisons designated hitter. Postgame, Springer told reporters (including ) that he isnt sure if hell remain for another rehab game on Friday, perhaps to play the outfield as the final step in the recovery proce s. Things didnt go as smoothly for in his first Triple-A rehab game on Wednesday, as the starter allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over 1 2/3 innings and 49 pitches. that the plan was for Manoah to to s 70-75 pitches over as many as five innings, except the outing had to be cut short due to the rightys struggles. It has been almost three years since Manoah was a viable force in the Blue Jays rotation, as he struggled badly in 2023 and his hopes at a bounce-back year were halted by a Tommy John surgery in June 2024. Over four rehab starts at four different minor league levels, Manoah has an 11.57 ERA and more walks (eight) than strikeouts (six) in seven total innings. Until his control or his overall results improve, it is hard to see Manoah being called up for a significant role for a team battling for a division title. A return to the rotation might not be nece sary since deadline trade acquisition is first in line as the proverbial sixth starter, but even bringing Manoah back as a reliever is a risk if he cant harne s his pitches. Bryce Miller Jersey