TORONTO — Whether it was at the draft, the trade deadline or free agency, Ross Atkins has always stressed the importance of values during his decade as general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Whenever there was a potential addition to the team, Atkins always referred to their “high character.”
He believes the policy paid off in 2025: The Blue Jays reached the World Series for the first time in 32 years, thanks in large part to their unity and commitment to each other.
“I've always been taught, taught and firmly believed that recruiting and identification — whether it's players, coaches, scouts or anyone who helps support the organization — that recruiting is the most important thing we do,” Atkins said during a news conference Friday before Game 1 of the World Series. “If you do it with values that are important to you, it will pay off for you over time.”
Atkins said the team's personnel focus and the resulting atmosphere is something he and manager John Schneider talked about earlier this week.
“What I think about most is the relationships, the people we hired and the people we grew up with,” said Atkins, who was hired as the team's general manager in December 2015. “I’ve always felt like there’s a great group of people here that I work with that are sure to be lifelong relationships and lifelong friendships.
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“This success – although we're not done yet, we still have work to do – not just this year but well beyond, I think just reinforces this sense of how powerful this relationship is going to be.”
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Toronto led all of Major League Baseball with 49 regular-season wins, with 12 of those wins coming while the Blue Jays trailed by at least three runs.
They also rebounded from a 2-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. Toronto's climactic Game 7 was capped by George Springer's three-run homer in the seventh inning, erasing Seattle's early 3–1 lead in that series finale.
“I think that's what makes a good team. It's the talent and the players, but it's the people,” Schneider said before the start of the World Series. “I think we've done a phenomenal job of creating a culture where people are just welcome.
“That's what we've grabbed onto, that's the standard we've set. Not just the type of players we want, but the type of people we want here.”
Schneider has been with the Blue Jays organization since 2002, when he was selected in the 13th round of that year's draft. He retired from playing after the 2007 season due to three concussions suffered that year, and then became the minor league manager of the rookie Gulf Coast League Blue Jays in 2008, working his way up through the franchise's various batting levels.
He said the relationships that were built in Toronto during Atkins' tenure helped create the culture that made the Blue Jays' 94-68 playoff run possible.
“I think when you try to create a winning environment and a winning organization that can do it repeatedly, people come into play,” Schneider said. “People who will push things forward and not be satisfied.
“Even this year when we acquired (infielder Andres Jimenez) and signed (Anthony Santander) and signed Max (Scherzer), we talked about what it would mean and for the people around them and where the people we already had were in their careers and in their lives.”
Schneider said it also played a role in July as the Major League Baseball trade deadline approached and the Blue Jays were preparing for a deep postseason run.
“It was great to talk to Ross and understand what we were doing at that moment and not try to interfere with it,” Schneider said. “You want to try to add people who are going to help.
“So Cerantoni (Dominguez), who is as selfless as he can be, Louis Varland, Ty France, they're also good pieces for what we already have. We made it a point to really be aware of that this year and, again, it's taken a few years to get to this point.”
On July 31, the Minnesota Twins traded Warland and France to Toronto for Alan Rhoden and Kendry Rojas. Warland, who became a regular in the Blue Jays' bullpen after the season, said the strong culture on his new team was immediately apparent.
“From the coaching staff to the players to the support staff to the chefs, everyone is great, everyone is friendly and welcoming,” he said. “I saw this the other day, Glue Jays.”
“That's the perfect way to sum it up. Everyone is so close and all great guys and gals.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2025.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
