Mark Shapiro could take the helm of the Maple Leafs

Mark Shapiro has an excellent reputation in the sports world. He's been in Toronto for over 10 years, and the team really likes him.

In fact, it's more than that: the Rogers family, which owns the Blue Jays, adores him. Steve Simmons even called Shapiro “the chosen one” in the eyes of the Blue Jays' shareholders.

Right now, Shapiro is the Blue Jays' president of baseball operations. But could he get a promotion in Toronto?

Note that I said in Toronto, not with the Blue Jays…

Shapiro (whose name I've heard mentioned as a potential replacement for Rob Manfred one day) could, ultimately, take on a bigger role at MLSE.

In his column today for the Toronto Sun, Simmons said he's heard from many people that Shapiro could land a very high-level position.

Basically, there's talk of offering him a position in charge of the Blue Jays, as well as the Maple Leafs and the Raptors.

This would push Keith Pelley into a more media-focused role. Pelley hasn't been universally popular since he's taken on a bigger role with the Maple Leafs—that is, since Brendan Shanahan stepped down as president…

It's important to note that the Maple Leafs and the Raptors are both owned by MLSE (Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment), and that Rogers owns both the Blue Jays and MLSE.

So even though the Blue Jays aren't part of MLSE, there are fairly direct ties between the Maple Leafs, the Raptors, and the baseball club.

MLSE owns other sports franchises, but the hockey and basketball teams are the most important of the bunch.

So will the Blue Jays have to share their president, who has done very well since arriving in town after the 2015 season? Will Ross Atkins take on a bigger role with the Blue Jays?

Created by humans, assisted by AI.