The Blue Jays Sign Manager John Schneider To 3-Year Contract & Fans Have A Lot To Say
Reactions are mixed.
Blue Jays fans lining up outside Rogers Centre. Right: Blue Jays Manager John Schneider.
It hasn't taken long for the Toronto Blue Jays to make their first off-season move after quickly being eliminated from the 2022 MLB playoffs.
On Friday, the team announced it had signed interim Manager John Schneider to a three-year contract.
Looks like interim is no longer part of Schneider's title.
His contract also comes with a "team option" in 2026, meaning the Blue Jays have the choice of whether or not to keep him on as manager for that season.
It's not clear how much the 42-year-old will be getting paid.
\u201cOFFICIAL: We\u2019ve agreed to terms with John Schneider on a three-year contract as Manager with a team option for the 2026 season!\n\nCongratulations, Skip \ud83d\udc4f\u201d— Toronto Blue Jays (@Toronto Blue Jays) 1666358470
The signing came pretty quickly after what could only be described as a miserable playoff performance by the team.
Toronto lost two games at the Rogers Centre in the American League Wildcard Series against the Seattle Mariners and their season came to an end because they gave up an 8-1 lead.
Schneider took much of the blame for that loss because things unravelled shortly after he took starting pitcher Kevin Gausman out of the game.
Gausman seems to be over it, sharing his praise of the team's move to extend Schneider's contract.
"Happy to have Schneids back!! 💪🏻💪🏻" he tweeted Friday.
But some fans haven't been as quick to forget.
\u201c@BlueJays @MLB @DunedinBlueJays @FisherCats So after the most embarrassing collapse in post season history, you're basically saying there's no accountability for that loss. This teams going nowhere with this lack of leadership\u201d— Toronto Blue Jays (@Toronto Blue Jays) 1666358470
\u201c@BlueJays @MLB @DunedinBlueJays @FisherCats Why\u201d— Toronto Blue Jays (@Toronto Blue Jays) 1666358470
But others say despite the playoff flub, keeping Schneider around is still the right move.
\u201c@BlueJays @MLB @DunedinBlueJays @FisherCats He was fantastic through the season, but that last game was unforced errors & a lesson learned the hard way. As long as we don't let mistakes be repeated, this should be great for us\u201d— Toronto Blue Jays (@Toronto Blue Jays) 1666358470
\u201c@BlueJays @MLB @DunedinBlueJays @FisherCats Ayyyy this is terrific! He did a very good job at managing them down the stretch and I think is the best man for this team right now. He's earned it.\u201d— Toronto Blue Jays (@Toronto Blue Jays) 1666358470
Having taken over mid-season after the Jays fired Charlie Montoyo, the team points out in its release that Schneider had the highest winning percentage of any Toronto manager over the last 74 games of the season, with 46 wins.
“I am honoured, excited, and deeply humbled to continue leading this extraordinary group of players, coaches, and staff,” said Schneider. “This organization has made me feel at home since day one (...) My family and I love Toronto and I can’t wait to build upon an already great group of players and bring a World Series back to all our fans across Canada.”