Mark Shapiro’s welcome to the Toronto market is still very much a work in progress, and the organization’s coming decisions on Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion could cement a permanent public opinion. Fair or not.
Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair spoke with Shapiro regarding those contracts, and how his time with the Cleveland Indians shapes expectations of how his new organization will act.
Specifically, Blair cites the work of Terry Pluto who wrote a book called “Dealing”, which examines the years where Mark Shapiro was at the helm in Cleveland. Shapiro had his hits and misses, much like Alex Anthopoulos did here in Toronto, but Cleveland’s decision to part with fan-favourite free agents like Jim Thome have some Blue Jays fans nervous that Bautista and Encarnacion are on the way out.