Slumping Blue Jays still have time to get back on track

I have fired people and I have been fired. I have real-life experience in this area. 

When I was the New York Mets general manager, I fired coaches, trainers, physical therapists, scouts and a manager. Having to fire someone is a very painful process. You know that you are not just impacting the employee, but also his, or her, family. The firing process creates sadness, fear, anxiety, stress, anger and resentment for a whole group of people that you often care about.

But make no mistake, getting fired is much worse than being the person who fires someone. 

When I was fired as Mets general manager in June of 2003, I immediately left the owner’s office and went to a travel agency to book a long overdue vacation for my family. I needed to disappear from all the noise that followed my dismissal. Plus, I wanted my family to feel like it was a good thing, not a bad thing, that I was going to be around them more.   

Charlie Montoyo can probably relate.

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins made a bit of a surprising move Wednesday when he fired manager Montoyo and replaced him with bench coach John Schneider on an interim basis. Schneider had been Montoyo’s confidante and bench coach.

From the outside looking in, it was obvious that the team was underperforming, but it didn’t seem like the Jays had a managerial problem. The people closest to the team, however, saw it differently.

What I learned in my 13 years in the Mets front office is that the fans and media have no idea what is really going on behind closed doors. I remember when former Mets manager Art Howe was fired in September of 2004, he said to me, “If people only knew what really went on here, they wouldn’t believe it. We could write a pretty amazing book.” 

I had hired Howe prior to the 2003 season, but I didn’t last a year before I was fired. But I understood what he was talking about. If people only knew.

When a general manager fires a manager, there is no benefit in detailing the reasons to the public. It only causes pain and keeps the story alive for days, putting focus on the past instead of what lies ahead. 

That said, here is what I have been able to find out from people in and around the Blue Jays’ organization about why they made the move they did. 

It seems that there was a disconnect between the Jays’ front office and Montoyo, and a disconnect between the manager and his players. It doesn’t mean that Montoyo lost the clubhouse, it just means his words lost their impact.

I have never met anyone who doesn’t like Montoyo. He is a kind, sensitive gentleman. He is eternally optimistic. In fact, he is one of the nicest people I have met in baseball.

The problem is that being universally liked when you are the boss is actually the damning evidence of the disconnect that seemed to exist. Managers need to strive to be respected, not necessarily liked. It was okay for Montoyo to be upbeat and optimistic when the team was growing together and overachieving. But in a season like this, a season that held great promise where many individual players have been underachieving, there needed to be a different level of communication.

In my experience, the best managers are able to be a different manager for every player. When players are struggling, some may need a kick in the pants while others may need a pat on the back. Some may need to be yelled at, while others need a hug. A good manager has to not only know what his players need, but he needs to be able to give it to them.

This is where Montoyo came up a bit short in the opinion of those in the know.

He isn’t a scapegoat for the team’s struggles, nor was he the cause of it. But in the minds of the decision makers, he wasn’t the one who could help the team overcome it either. The Jays (47-43) have won just three of their last 13 games.

Atkins didn’t want to wait any longer and have the club fall out of the American League playoff race before making the change.

This team has huge expectations and considering the over $170 million payroll, time is of the essence. If the season ended today, the Jays would be the third wild-card team. So, things can always be worse. But the oddsmakers gave this club the second-best chance of winning the World Series before the season started. So, there is plenty of room for improvement and still time to get back on track.

Toronto’s goal is to win the World Series and the Jays are hoping the 42-year-old Schneider is the person who can help spark a change in culture, environment and energy in the clubhouse, dugout and on the field. Ultimately, it will come down to the players and their ability to make the adjustments necessary to play to their expected levels.

Schneider is known to be a fiery competitor. He has been a favourite of this front office for a while. He was a successful minor-league manager and is an excellent communicator. He is a good baseball man.

The native of Princeton, N.J., will get plenty of guidance from the Jays’ front office on what the analytics say and where adjustments need to be made. It will be his job as interim skipper to have the hard conversation with players.

I heard from several sources that “Charlie didn’t like confrontation.” Who does? But as a manager, you must be able to confront lack of effort or commitment. You must address poor preparation and execution. Sometimes players need to be challenged to earn their playing time or position in the batting order. There has to be clear expectations and then accountability to fulfill them. If someone comes up short in an area, they need to be called out for it.

This may be the only chance that Schneider will have to be a major-league manager. If he gets the Jays to the playoffs, then he will have a good chance to keep his job for next season and beyond.

If not, he may end up being an answer to a trivia question. Only time will tell.