The Toronto Blue Jays are facing an important off-season with president Mark Shapiro and his front office staff looking to make moves to improve the team's chances to contend for a World Series.
Speaking to reporters in his end-of-season press conference, Shapiro addressed many topics as the team prepares for some tough decisions. He said that he's a month away before meeting with ownership about the payroll for next season but already has a sense of where it is going.
"Every indication I've received ... leads me to believe that we will stay on plan and the payroll will continue to rise despite the fact we're still lagging behind that a little bit in revenues due to uncontrollable circumstances," Shapiro explained.
Shapiro said that the Blue Jays would like to bring back the team's top pending free agents in Robbie Ray, Steven Matz and Marcus Semien but also believe the goal should be to improve and not just bring specific players back.
The Blue Jays spent an estimated $154 million on their 2021 payroll, according to MLB's Competitive Balance Tax, which was an increase from the prior season. The team made a big splash in free agency, signing George Springer to a six-year, $150 million deal.
