Edward Rogers rewards Mark Shapiro for delivering on vision for Blue Jays

TORONTO — In searching for Paul Beeston’s replacement a decade ago, Edward Rogers, chair of the Toronto Blue Jays and executive chair of Rogers Communications, sought a president and CEO capable of overseeing the club’s baseball and business sides. The scope of the position “is not very usual,” which prompted him to solicit suggestions from around the majors, and Mark Shapiro, “was always a top pick by so many others.”

“He came in early with a vision of what he wanted to do and how we wanted to build the team,” Rogers continued during an interview Friday. “He started by making the Blue Jays a destination players wanted to be at, improve the facilities for a better fan experience, working on bringing us a viable, competitive team each year and trying not to go from feast to famine as much.