Blue Jays not yet ready to commit to re-signing manager John Schneider
Despite an all-time collapse over the weekend, the Toronto Blue Jays seem to be pretty confident in manager John Schneider.
Except, they’re not quite confident enough to commit to him for next year.
Schneider, who went 46-28, a .622 winning percentage since being named as the Blue Jays’ manager back in July, is without a contract for next season.
“What is the process for you to make a decision on John Schneider, and what are the elements that you will be looking for if you’re not going to have John Schneider continue in his role?” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins was asked at his end-of-season media availability.
“Just more time to work through that,” Atkins replied.
#BlueJays' Atkins wants "more time" to pick his manager for next year but spoke highly of Schneider.
"All of our energy has been devoted towards winning. I feel very confident about the job he has done… it will be very difficult for us to find better than John Schneider." pic.twitter.com/mDvg5gEbKY
— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) October 11, 2022
Schneider’s Blue Jays were on the wrong end of a 10-9 loss in Game 2 of the American League Wild Card series this past Saturday against the Seattle Mariners, which saw the team bounced from the postseason after just two games.
“All of our energy has been devoted towards winning,” Atkins added. “I feel very confident about the job he has done… it will be very difficult for us to find better than John Schneider.”
Saturday’s game brought Schneider’s decision-making to the test, particularly when it comes to bullpen management. Up 8-1 with two outs in the sixth inning, Schneider took the ball back from starter Kevin Gausman and turned it over to his bullpen.
As you may have heard, the game went quite poorly from then on out, with Toronto’s bullpen allowing nine runs over the remainder of the game, the largest road comeback in MLB postseason history.
“Gausman was outstanding, I think. There’s always going to be times where I can sit here for about six months and second guess myself… but right now I don’t,” Schneider said on Saturday of pulling Gausman.” You trust the guys that got you here. You trust your entire roster. And today, you know, we didn’t get it done. And that sucks right now.”
The 42-year-old previously managed the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (the Jays’ AA affiliate) and led them to the Eastern League Championships in 2018.
This past April, the Blue Jays signed former manager Charlie Montoyo to a contract extension through the 2023 season that included team options for 2024 and 2025.
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