General managers and team presidents are people too. They have feelings. They share the same concerns that everybody else does. They think about how they will take care of their families, pay for college for the kids, strive for financial security, etc. Yet, they know in the business of baseball that they are hired to ultimately get fired. There are very few executives who leave on their own terms.

Blue Jays team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins are no different. Their contracts are winding down. Reports are that Shapiro’s deal is up at the end of this season and Atkins after next season. Both are under pressure to not only have a winning team in 2025, but make the postseason and maybe even win at least one series. Fair or not, the world of professional sports is about winning (and making money). One opinion matters and it’s the owner’s.

In my last season (2003) as general manager of the Mets, I knew I needed to win, or I was in trouble. Even after making the playoffs in back-to-back years (1999-2000) for the first time in franchise history and going to the World Series in 2000, I knew that the clock was ticking. We had underperformed in 2001 and were a weaker team in 2002. When 2003 came around I started worrying about what I would do if I was fired. Would I stay in baseball? Would I move my family? Could I find a job outside of the game if it kept my kids in the same school system? I had saved some money but knew that if I was out of work I would eat into that quickly.

It can make a person feel desperate to keep their job. It makes you think about making decisions that would serve one’s immediate interests, even if it wasn’t the right thing for the franchise. I got offers of major league-ready players for my top prospects........

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