Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider discusses reason for closed door meeting
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider discusses the reason for “State of the Squad” closed door meetings.
The Toronto Blue Jays have built a regular habit into their season schedule: a meeting they call the “State of the Squad,” typically held every couple of weeks.
In a conversation with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, manager John Schneider shared insight into what these sessions involve and why they matter to the team.
The Blue Jays delayed their first meeting of the 2026 season until Wednesday morning.
With a flurry of early-season injuries and roster changes, the organization preferred to wait until things stabilized before gathering.
Even so, in the constant pace of a baseball season, these meetings have become an essential checkpoint.
“It's the coaches, front office and a lot of people behind the scenes,” manager John Schneider told Matheson. “I really like them, because it’s not like Whac-A-Mole where you’re like, ‘This needs to get better, this needs to get better; OK, go!’ It’s stuff we talk about all the time, so just to see it, digest it and talk about what we’re trying to do to combat certain things.”
Last season, one of the team’s biggest areas of focus was baserunning, a topic Schneider frequently addressed in media briefings.
“It’s eerily similar to last year, albeit without some key players,” Schneider said. “Where we’re at right now, the baserunning has actually been better than where it was last year, but with a few stupid mistakes, mental mistakes that get penalized pretty heavily when you have a small sample size.”
This season, however, the emphasis has shifted toward a different offensive concern.
“We’re swinging a lot and we’re making contact a lot, but we’re also chasing more,” Schneider said, “which is a weird combination to have. Some of that is personnel-driven, and you don’t want to take away aggressiveness from certain guys. Some of it is the league being a little more aware of guys who they may not have been as aware of [last year].”
Finding answers to those kinds of issues is exactly why the “State of the Squad” meetings exist.
As Matheson notes, clearly defining problems, rather than relying on vague ideas like simply improving at-bats, is a key part of the process.
“When you’re not slugging and making contact, that contact needs to come at the right time. If you’re not making contact and you’re slugging, OK, that’s a different story,” Schneider said. “It’s about trying to thread that needle. We talk about it every day with guys. What does this situation call for? When guys are out of the lineup, it’s a domino effect. It’s one square wheel and three round ones. Until we get four wheels back, you need to really find what’s happening with each individual guy.”
Matheson also points out that this ties into one of Schneider’s long-standing themes: “intent.”
While simply putting the bat on the ball can make the lineup serviceable, reaching a higher level requires hitters to fully commit to their individual strengths and approach at the plate.
Also read on Blue Jays Central :
Brandon Valenzuela's consistent play, elite defensive skillset, may force Blue Jays into difficult decision
Brandon Valenzuela's consistent play, elite defensive skillset, may force Blue Jays into difficult decision
| POLL | ||
1 HOUR AGO|11 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider discusses reason for closed door meeting Do you think these closed door meetings help identify and rectify on going issues related to the Toronto Blue Jays performance? | ||