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Jays' president pledges lined up fans on giveaway nights won't go home empty handed

The Jays were aware of this and, according to Shapiro, over the course of the season expanded their stock of 15,000 items for giveaways to appease their early-arriving customers.

Published Oct 01, 2026  •  Last updated 18 hours ago  •  2 minute read

Toronto Blue Jays President & CEO Mark Shapiro addresses media during a year-end press conference at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ont. on Wednesday September 30, 2026. Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Photo by Ernest Doroszuk /Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun/Post

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Answers or even clues as to what Blue Jays fans can expect were almost non-existent as Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins looked ahead to 2027 as they tried mightily to forget 2026. 

But Shapiro did throw one bone to the fanbase in his 24 minutes of mostly empty words. 

It was for those die-hard, crazy giveaway hopefuls who lined up hours before select Jays games hoping to land a Jumpin’ George Springer bobblehead or a Trey Yesavage Angry Bird replica jersey. 

Those giveaway nights – the Jays had no less than 74 featured promotional events and theme days over the course of the 2026 season — were a smash hit based on nothing more than the lines that started forming as early as 8 a.m., long before the gates would open to the public. 

The problem was not every fan who bothered to put in the time in line came away happy. The Jays were aware of this and, according to Shapiro, over the course of the season expanded their stock of 15,000 items for giveaways to appease their early-arriving customers. 

Still, there were disappointments, and Shapiro vowed on Wednesday that would not happen in 2027. 

“We spent a lot of time thinking about that,” Shapiro admitted. “And we even quietly increased the number last year without announcing it at times, to try to find the right number where everyone that is in line will ultimately get a promotional item … and when we think about next year, yes, we are considering increasing the number next year. 

“I think what we’re looking for is more the number where every single person that does get in line receives an item, so not necessarily every person that comes in the ballpark, but there’s no one that waited in line that gets disappointed,” he said. 

Not all the giveaways were as popular as others, but the Ernie Clement Replica Hockey Jersey Giveaway and the Roy Halladay Retro Replica Jersey Giveaway seemed to really strike a chord with the fanbase. 

It will be interesting to see how the Blue Jays’ promotions team comes up with a giveaway pairing slugger Kazuma Okamoto and his love of quesadillas for the fanbase next season. 

Mganter@postmedia.com

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