Gregg Zaun criticizes John Schneider's handling of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The former Blue Jays catcher suggested the manager has leaned on his long ties to the star first baseman while ripping the club's culture during a lost season.

Former big league catcher Gregg Zaun offered a harsh assessment of Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider, saying the skipper has been coasting on his longtime connection to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. According to Zaun, Schneider has been "living on the fact that he's been Vladdy Jr.'s caddie since the minor leagues."

Zaun spent 2004 through 2008 behind the plate for Toronto and later covered the club as a Sportsnet analyst. His complaint centered on a belief that Schneider manages Guerrero, the team's star first baseman, in a way designed to avoid friction, and he extended the criticism to the organization's broader culture this year.

Schneider's history with Guerrero stretches back to his early coaching days. He entered the organization working with catchers, led the Rookie-level Gulf Coast Blue Jays in 2008, and in 2010 became the youngest manager in Vancouver Canadians history at 30. He reached the major league staff in 2019, took over as interim manager in July 2022, and was made the permanent manager that October.

The remarks land amid a difficult stretch. Schneider took Toronto to a Game 7 World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers last fall, a run that brought him an extension running through 2028.

This season collapsed instead. Monday's 4-3 defeat to the Baltimore Orioles eliminated the Blue Jays from playoff contention, making Toronto only the second team since the 2008 Colorado Rockies to follow a World Series appearance with a losing record and no postseason berth. The club continues its series with Baltimore on Tuesday.