John Schneider's Contract Option Picked Up by Blue Jays After World Series Run
John Schneider led the Toronto Blue Jays to the World Series and earned himself at least another year as the manager in the process.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Thursday the American League East team picked up Schneider's 2026 option on his deal, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Atkins also said the two sides are still engaged in extension conversations since Schneider is "really, really good at his job."
Schneider was named the interim manager in Toronto during the 2022 season after Charlie Montoyo was fired and then earned the full-time position by guiding the team to a 46-28 record down the stretch that ended in a postseason spot.
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Yet the Blue Jays were swept in the American League Wild Card Round that season and met the same fate in 2023 despite going 89-73.
Things took a turn for the worse in 2024 when they finished in last place in the AL East at 74-88, so Schneider was at least facing some questions entering the 2025 campaign.
It's safe to say he answered them in dramatic fashion.
Toronto won the division at 94-68, defeated the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series and then outlasted the Seattle Mariners in a thrilling seven-game American League Championship Series.
The result was the franchise's first World Series appearance since it won back-to-back titles in 1992 and 1993.
Unfortunately for Schneider and the Blue Jays, they fell just short in a seven-game loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in one of the best Fall Classics in recent memory. Los Angeles won an 18-inning thriller in Game 3 and then overcame a 3-2 deficit by winning the final two games on the road.
Game 7 went into extra innings, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto took home the World Series MVP by pitching six dominant innings in Game 6 and then taking the ball again for the final 2.2 shutout frames the very next day in the decisive contest.
Despite the disappointing finish, Schneider and the Blue Jays have plenty of momentum, and they will look to build on that by maintaining continuity at the manager position.
