Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro confirms under-fire GM Ross Atkins will stay on despite embarrassing playoff exit: "[He] will be back"

Toronto Blue Jays' CEO, Mark Shapiro, has confirmed the return of Ross Atkins as the team's General Manager for next season amid rising speculations. This season did not go the way the Blue Jays hoped at the outset, considering they had World Series aspirations.

He made this announcement during the end-of-season press conference at the Rogers Centre. It put to rest any doubts about Atkins' position following the team's disappointing sweep against the Minnesota Twins in the recently concluded wild-card series.

Under Atkins' leadership since 2015, the Blue Jays clinched playoff spots four times. Three of those instances have occurred in the previous four seasons.

However, the 2016 roster, assembled primarily by predecessor Alex Anthopolous, is the only group in the Atkins era to clinch a postseason win.

Financially as per Sports Illustrated, the Blue Jays are poised with a $191 million budget for their 26-man roster in 2024. Once anticipated arbitration raises are accounted for, the club will likely have around $20 million at their disposal.

This sum will be pivotal in determining how they handle the potential departures of notable free agents such as Matt Chapman, and Kevin Kiermaier.

Atkins began his journey with the Blue Jays in December 2015. He stepped into the role left vacant by interim GM Tony LaCava, who had been a temporary replacement following the departure of Alex Anthopolous. In 2021, Atkins signed a five-year contract extension.

Blue Jays crashed out of the wild-card rounds against the Minnesota Twins

The Blue Jays' 2023 season concluded in disappointment with a wild-card Game 2 defeat to the Minnesota Twins. Their elimination was marked by a contentious pitching decision that left fans puzzled.

After shutting down the Twins for three innings, Jose Berrios was surprisingly removed from the game by manager John Schneider following a leadoff single in the fourth. Soon, the Twins loaded the bases against Berrios' replacement, Yusei Kikuchi.

When Minnesota secured two runs in that inning, fans voiced their discontent over the choice to pull Berrios.

However, the real crux of the Blue Jays' struggles in 2023 can be traced back to their offense. The team's performance with the bat was a far cry from their stellar 2022 season.

Just a year prior, the Jays boasted the fourth-best lineup in MLB, racking up an impressive 775 runs. But in a surprising downturn, the 2023 season saw them tumble to 14th place, managing only 746 runs.