| Ross Atkins | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Atkins in 2015 | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | |
| General Manager | |
| Born: (1973-08-07)August 7, 1973 (age 52) Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
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Dannon Ross Atkins (born August 7, 1973) is an Americanbaseball executive. On December 3, 2015, he was named the general manager of theToronto Blue Jays, the sixth in Toronto franchise history after having worked for theCleveland Indians for 15 years.
Atkins was apitcher atCoral Gables Senior High School inCoral Gables, Florida, a city adjacent toMiami. After graduating in 1991, Atkins was apitcher atWake Forest University, and was drafted by theFlorida Marlins in the 69th round of the1994 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign. In 1993, he playedcollegiate summer baseball with theYarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of theCape Cod Baseball League.[1][2] In the1995 Major League Baseball draft, the Cleveland Indians selected him in the 38th round, and he signed with the team.[3] He played 5 seasons in Cleveland's minor league organization before retiring, compiling a career 37–32win–loss record, 4.13earned run average (ERA), and 340strikeouts in 512 innings pitched.[3]
The Indians hired Atkins in 2001 as assistant director of player development, and was promoted to director of Latin American operations in 2003. In 2006, they promoted him to director of player development.[4] The Indians promoted Atkins to vice president of player personnel after the 2014 season.[5]
Mark Shapiro, who was hired as the Blue Jays' team president and CEO on October 31, 2015, hired Atkins asgeneral manager on December 3.[6] He replacedTony LaCava, who served as interim GM in November. During the offseason leading into the2016 season, Atkins made several moves, including selectingJoe Biagini in theRule 5 draft, tradingBen Revere to theWashington Nationals forDrew Storen, and signing several players to minor league contracts with invitations tospring training.[7][8] In his firstdraft as GM, Atkins selectedT. J. Zeuch in the first round.[9] Atkins made several additions to the Blue Jays roster prior to thetrade deadline, acquiringMelvin Upton Jr.,Joaquín Benoit,Scott Feldman,Francisco Liriano, and others, which aided the Blue Jays in making the postseason for the second consecutive season with an 89-73 record.[10][11]
Atkins' second season was a disappointing one for the Jays. They finished 76-86 despite early season hopes of a third consecutive playoff berth. The 2018 season saw more of the same, as the Jays stumbled to a 73-89 record, leading to Atkins beginning a rebuild of the roster.[12] On October 25, Atkins hiredCharlie Montoyo as the franchise's 13th manager.[13] Following a rebuilding 2019 season that saw them finish with a record of 67-95, the Blue Jays made the expanded playoffs during the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020 with a record of 32-28 that featured a core of young players such asVladimir Guerrero Jr. andBo Bichette.[14] They were however swept 2-0 by theTampa Bay Rays.[14]
On April 7, 2021, the Blue Jays organization announced they had signed Atkins to a five-year contract extension, through the end of the 2026 season.[15][16] In 2022, the Blue Jays finished with a record of 92-70 and made the playoffs but were eliminated in the wild-card round by theSeattle Mariners.[17] Mid-way through the season, Montoyo was fired as manager and replaced byJohn Schneider.[18] In the off-season, Atkins made a series of moves, including signingBrandon Belt,Kevin Kiermaier and notably trading catching prospectGabriel Moreno andLourdes Gurriel Jr. to theArizona Diamondbacks forDaulton Varsho.[19][20] The team ended the 2023 season with a record of 89-73 and suffered a second straight wild-card round sweep, this time at the hands of theMinnesota Twins.[21] During the off-season, prized free agentShohei Ohtani reportedly met with the Blue Jays at their Spring Training complex as one of the final teams he considered choosing; ultimately he signed a record 10-year 700 million dollar deal with theLos Angeles Dodgers.[22] The primary additions ended up being the signing ofIsiah Kiner-Falefa and re-signing of Kiermaier.[23][24]
In the midst of a disappointing 2024 campaign, Atkins traded away a number of players on the roster before the July 30 trade deadline, including Kiner-Falefa, Kiermaier,Yimi García,Nate Pearson,Danny Jansen,Justin Turner,Yusei Kikuchi andTrevor Richards. 14 new players were brought in, primarily prospects from other organizations.[25][26]
In 2025, the Blue Jays went from worst to first, going 94-68 and winning theAL East.[27] Major trade deadline acquisitions includedShane Bieber andSeranthony Dominguez while rookie call-upTrey Yesavage shined in the playoffs. The Blue Jays defeated theNew York Yankees in four games in theAmerican League Division Series, and theSeattle Mariners in seven games in theAmerican League Championship Series to win theAL pennant, their first since 1993. They ultimately fell to theLos Angeles Dodgers in theWorld Series in seven games.[28]
| Preceded by | Toronto Blue Jays general manager 2015–present | Succeeded by incumbent |