Blue Jays Talk

With the season over, Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker take us down to the Rogers Centre, where the front office speaks to the media. First, we hear from General Manager Ross Atkins (1:42), as he gets into the season from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., how he views the rotation, and what's next for rebuilding a low-scoring offence. Afterwards, President & CEO Mark Shapiro (34:55) speaks on the possibility of a labour dispute this offseason, how teams could potentially navigate a work stoppage, and the Jays relationship to their fans.

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Sho Alli is joined by Blue Jays radio play-by-play voice Ben Shulman to wrap up the Jays season with a look back at what went down in 2026, and what's potentially to come in 2027. They get into the fanbase sticking around through a tough season, and look at the list of needs for the team this coming offseason - is offence by far and away the number one need? How important is a bounce back from Vladimir Guerrero Jr.? Where do the rotation and bullpen rank on that list? Plus, we hear the final Field Access conversations of the season...

Jeff Blair, Kevin Barker and Sho Alli break down the Blue Jays' 5-1 win vs. the Reds to wrap up the 2026 season at the Rogers Centre! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the goodbyes for George Springer and Max Scherzer - did the Jays do right by them with how their (potential) departures were treated? Was there a little bit of theatre with John Schneider's visit to Scherzer on the mound? They discuss lots of offseason lookaheads, including what's next for Springer/Scherzer, the play of Charles McAdoo, Brandon Valenzuela, and Brett Bateman, get into how the...

Sho Alli and Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 5-1 loss vs. the Reds in Toronto. They take your calls and texts on what the team's priorities should be heading into 2027 - what's at the very top of the list? They discuss the offence and the struggles the bats have had this year - is the outfield the area of greatest need? Where does second base lie on that list? They get into the starting pitching depth - what role does Max Scherzer have when you look at the 5th spot in the rotation? They also chat about...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-5 win vs. the Reds to open the final series of the season in Toronto! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the offence heading into 2027 - if there is baseball next year, what could the batting order look like? They get into Kazuma Okamoto getting to 92 RBI on the year, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s swing, the outing from José Soriano, John Schneider's job as manager, and Louis Varland continuing to look good - what needs to stay the same and what needs to change next season?

Blake Murphy is joined by Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith to discuss what the 2027 Blue Jays could look like and the questions facing the front office. Afterwards, MLB.com’s Jared Greenspan (33:25) goes through the playoff races and what to watch for heading into the final weekend of the regular season. Following that, former Blue Jay Vernon Wells (51:32) discusses Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s viral comments, dealing with the pressure of expectations, Max Scherzer still performing at 42, and the keys to improving team and player baserunning. In the final segment, Blake takes your texts as the Jays Talk Plus season ends (1:19:07).

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Blake Murphy is joined by Arden Zwelling to look back on Toronto’s season and where things went wrong. They also discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s controversial comments about his season and long-term contract. Following that, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (23:22) weighs in on Toronto’s season, Max Scherzer’s future, and the several postseason races going down to the wire. In the final segment, C. Trent Rosecrans (47:07) of The Athletic talks about the Cincinnati Reds, Elly De La Cruz, and the future of Terry Francona.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 4-2 loss vs. the Orioles to wrap up a series sweep in Baltimore. They take your calls and texts, and once more get into the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. discussion following his comments on a Spanish-language podcast and his subsequent scrum with the media at Camden Yards. Was he wrong to say what he said, or was there any merit to Vladdy's point? Will there be a trickle-down effect with the rest of the team? Will it all be forgotten if he produces in 2027 and beyond? Blair and Barker get...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 4-2 loss vs. the Orioles as they are officially eliminated from playoff contention. They take your calls and texts, and discuss the outing from Max Scherzer - does the future Hall of Famer still have something left in the tank? Plus, we hear from Scherzer himself, alongside John Schneider and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - after Vladdy Jr. made some comments regarding his contract on a Spanish podcast that aired earlier in the day, he addressed those comments with the media. Were they warranted, and what comes next for him...

Blake Murphy is joined by Jonah Birenbaum to discuss what the Toronto Blue Jays can build on heading into next season, including Ernie Clement’s ideal role and what the team’s roster could look like moving forward. Then, Craig Goldstein (30:06) of Baseball Prospectus joins the show to break down the surprising production of Josue De Paula with the Los Angeles Dodgers and explore why this season could unfold differently for the Milwaukee Brewers. Later, Mike Petriello (51:50) previews another potential Red Sox-Yankees postseason showdown and examines the value of contact hitting versus swinging with intent. To wrap things up, The...

Blake Murphy is joined by Dan Shulman to discuss Dylan Cease’s shoulder fatigue, Brett Bateman’s injury, and what the front office has to address for 2027. Afterwards, Blake catches up with Buffalo Bisons pitcher Josh Winckowski (27:45) to discuss the recovery process from his elbow injury, stint with the Red Sox, and his work to get back to full health. Following that, Sportsnet’s Joe Siddall (53:05) talks about Trey Yesavage’s return and the next steps for Mason Fluharty. Lastly, Jarrett Seidler (1:14:50) of Baseball Prospectus breaks down his front office rankings and why the Blue Jays finished 14th.

The vi...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 4-3 loss vs. the Orioles to open the three-game series in Baltimore. They take your calls and texts and discuss the Tyler Rogers appearance in the eighth inning - was that the right move to either bring in Rogers to face Alonso, or to not intentionally walk Alonso in that moment? They get into the rest of the bullpen moves John Schneider made, and also discuss the offence no-showing after the first inning - how does the team fix this in the offseason?

The views and opinions...

Blake is joined by former MLB pitcher John Axford to discuss the Blue Jays weekend in Texas, as the team dropped two of three games against the Rangers. Blake & John chat about the team's performance, the trouble around Dylan Cease missing his next start due to injury, as well as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leaving Sunday's game with injury, and how the team might be feeling as they approach the end of the season (28:47). Later, Brandon Wile (50;46) from TheScore breaks down the rest of the playoff scenarios in the American League, including the Red Sox clinching a spot and lining...

Sho Alli and Jesse Rubinoff break down the Blue Jays' 7-2 win vs. the Rangers to wrap up the series in Arlington! They take your calls and texts, and get to Spencer Miles continuing to look terrific - should he be a starter long-term or is he best suited for the bullpen? They chat the offence knocking Jacob deGrom out early - did it look more fluid after Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left with lower back tightness? They discuss big outings for Nathan Lukes, Charles McAdoo, and Sean Keys - do the young guys need to play more? Plus, they...

Sho Alli and Daniele Franceschi break down the Blue Jays' 6-2 loss vs. the Rangers to lose the series in Texas. They take your calls and texts, and get to the team now being three back with seven games to go - is the season over? They discuss some big picture items, including the state of the offence heading into the season, if it was worth it to trade for José Soriano in the end, and whether or not the Jays should shut down Dylan Cease for the year with one more start scheduled for Baltimore next week.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 7-1 loss vs. the Rangers to open the three-game series in Arlington. They take your calls and texts, and get right to the big question at the top of everyone's minds: at two games back with eight to play, is the season over? They also get into a shorter-than-usual appearance for Dylan Cease, discuss the impromptu bullpen day, and chat the offence going missing once more after scoring just one run in the series opener.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the...

Blake Murphy is joined by Sportsnet's Kevin Barker (1:40) to discuss what the Blue Jays need to do in the final stretch of the season to make the playoffs, the pitching staff decisions with injuries still diminishing the rotation, and how the front office should react if the team doesn't make the playoffs. Later, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi joins (51:40) to chat about the Jays' weekend series in Arlington, the team's plan for the rotation to finish the season, and how the starters look heading into 2027. Finally, Kennedi Landry (1:16:21) from MLB.com breaks down the weekend series from the Rangers perspective, and...

Blake is joined by Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith to discuss the Blue Jays salvaging their series against the Tigers as they continue to chase the final Wild Card spot in the American League, the changing landscape with the Guardians passing the White Sox in the standings, and the emerging AL MVP race, before chatting about the injury progression of Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber (40:20). Later, MLB on TBS analyst Curtis Granderson (51:22) joins to break down the upcoming White Sox-Tigers series this weekend, which could have an impact on the Blue Jays' playoff chances, before chatting about what his thoughts from...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 5-1 win vs. the Tigers to wrap up the three-game series in Toronto! They take your calls and texts, and get right to the team taking advantage of a number of errors on the Tigers' end - can they carry that forward vs. the Rangers later in the week? They chat Brandon Valenzuela's usage of ABS challenges, both good and bad, Myles Straw providing the game-winning RBI single, and get into Max Scherzer allowing one run over five innings - how much can they rely on Scherzer down the...

Blake is joined by Blue Jays producer Chris Black to discuss the Blue Jays second consecutive loss to the Tigers at home, and the pitching conundrum the team finds itself in amongst all the injuries, before getting into the regression from key players this season. Then, Doyoung-Tom Kim (32:00) discusses working on his Open Command metric, which uses an old-school framework to better capture the ability of pitchers to command their pitches. Later, Ben Clemens (51:16)  from FanGraphs breaks down how the Blue Jays front office must be feeling in the midst of the Wild Card race, the Jays production given t...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 10-1 loss vs. the Tigers to lose the series in Toronto. They take your calls and texts, and discuss the team now being two games back with ten games remaining in the season - is there still time to turn things around? They get into the bullpen outing in this game, the offence going missing vs. Detroit, and John Schneider shuffling the rotation to get Dylan Cease and José Soriano the first two games vs. the Rangers in Texas - is that a move made out of desperation? Plus, t...

Blake Murphy is joined by Blue Jays Central’s Madison Shipman to discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s swing, Kazuma Okamoto showing off his power, and the bullpen deployment after last night’s loss to the Tigers. Afterward, Geoff Seto (31:12), Blue Jays Senior Manager of Youth Baseball, joins to promote the 12th annual Canadian Future Showcase in Vancouver and discuss how the Blue Jays Baseball Academy is helping youth reach their potential. Following that, Erik Kratz (50:24) of Foul Territory joins to talk about the playoff race in the American League and where the Blue Jays stand with the season winding down...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-5 loss vs. the Tigers to open the three-game series in Toronto. They take your calls and texts, and debate the root cause of this loss - was it on the bullpen not executing late, or does this fall on the offence not squeezing out enough runs early against Troy Melton? They also get into John Schneider and how culpable he is for his moves in this loss, get into José Soriano who had a no-hitter late but got hit hard in the seventh inning, and discuss Kazuma Okamoto l...

Blake Murphy is joined by Ben Shulman to talk about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally hitting a home run at Rogers Centre, Dylan Cease’s dipping velocity, and the playoff picture. Michael Baumann (29:28) of FanGraphs touches on all the postseason races as things heat up across the league. Cody Stavenhagen (50:35) of The Athletic provides an update on the Tigers and their winning ways of late, along with Justin Verlander’s target date to return. Lastly, Ricky Romero (1:16:08) pops by to talk about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally hitting a home run, Cease’s arm, and what to expect from Trey Yesavage.

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Sho Alli and Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 8-1 win vs. the Orioles to take the series in Toronto! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the offence coming to life with back-to-back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning - how critical was it to see Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally hit a home run at the Rogers Centre in 2026? They get into George Springer's long ball as well as his late insurance runs, how much that helps Louis Varland moving forward, Kazuma Okamoto blasting one as well, and Dylan Cease gutting through five innings of one-run...

Sho Alli and Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 7-3 win vs. the Orioles to even the series at one game apiece in Toronto! They take your calls and texts, and get right to another big swing from Brett Bateman, who hits his second career home run in as many days - how important has he been to this team's resurgent second half? They discuss Alejandro Kirk blasting another home run as well, and get into big outs from the Spencers, both Miles and Arrighetti - what could Miles' role be as a starter or a high-leverage arm...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 7-4 loss vs. the Orioles to open the three-game series in Toronto. They take your calls and texts, and discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting backpicked at first base early on - what happened? They also get into Brett Bateman smashing his first career home run, and chat Max Scherzer allowing six earned runs in the first two innings - can the Jays sustain these big blowups with only 14 games to go?

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and...

Blake Murphy is joined by the Score’s Jonah Birenbaum to discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s problems at the plate and Joe Smith emerging as a key piece. Afterwards, Rob Long (30:42) provides the state of the Baltimore Orioles including how impressed he’s been with Chris Bassitt’s leadership. Following that, Sportsnet’s Dan Shulman (50:32) game plans for how to get the most out of Dylan Cease, Ernie Clement’s struggles of late and Anthony Santander potentially returning. In the final segment, Blake takes your texts! (1:15:36).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts an...

Blake Murphy is joined by Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi to discuss the loss to the Athletics, Michael Lorenzen, who could be called up, and more. Following that, Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman (26:14) talks about some of the playoff races down the stretch, Aaron Judge’s return, and Shohei Ohtani’s concerning health status. Afterwards, Jake Casey (52:06) of the Vancouver Canadians discusses the massive playoff win over the Eugene Emeralds, his season and baseball career, and how his father, Sean Casey, has helped shape his mental approach to baseball. Lastly, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (1:14:04) explains why Brett Bateman has impressed him and wh...

Jeff Blair and Sho Alli break down the Blue Jays' 2-0 loss vs. the Athletics to lose the series in Sacramento. They take your calls and texts, and discuss the feeble effort from the offence, as the Jays got shut out in one of the most offensive-friendly environments in all of baseball - why were they so flat? They also get into the continued second-half struggles from Ernie Clement, the baserunning from Alejandro Kirk, and the puzzling swing decisions from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - did the departure of Bo Bichette in the offseason hurt him more than previously anticipated...

Blake Murphy is joined by Blue Jays Central’s Kevin Pillar to discuss Jose Soriano going deep in a win, Spencer Miles showing promise and Josh Smith impressing with more playing time. Afterwards, Derek VanRiper (30:03) of the Rates & Barrels podcast talks the Brewers and the AL Wild Card race. Following that, Rangers broadcaster Jared Sandler (51:20) updates on Texas as they take aim at the final wild card spot, Adam Macko since he was dealt from Toronto and Jacob DeGrom still getting it done. Lastly, the Athletic’s Mitch Bannon (1:16:08) previews the bullpen day ahead for Toronto, Spencer Arrighetti’s pitchi...

Sho Alli breaks down the Blue Jays' 4-2 win vs. the Athletics to even this series at one game apiece in Sacramento! He takes your calls and texts, and gets right to José Soriano and Spencer Miles shoving vs. the Athletics - how important were their performance heading into a bullpen day? He also chats about Josh Smith going yard - does he need to play everyday vs. righties the way he's swinging it? Plus, Kazuma Okamoto hit the 30 HR benchmark after going back-to-back with Smith, just the fifth Japanese-born MLB player to do so - is he the J...

Blake Murphy is joined by 11-year MLB veteran John Axford to discuss the loss to the Athletics, Dylan Cease’s arm showing signs of fatigue, costly errors, and how Toronto used its challenges (28:24). Afterwards, MLB Network’s Sean Casey (50:43) stops by to give his thoughts on the Blue Jays, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s struggles, and his son Jake playing for the Vancouver Canadians. Lastly, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince (1:09:03) provides an update on the Cleveland Guardians, who occupy the final AL Wild Card spot, and discusses how the Trajekt machine has revolutionized baseball.

The views and opinions expresse...

Sho Alli breaks down the Blue Jays' 6-5 walk-off loss vs. the Athletics to open the three-game series in Sacramento. He takes your calls and texts, and gets to the sloppy play that led to an early 5-1 deficit - is there a way to avoid losing the game on the margins, whether it's wasted ABS challenges or messy baserunning? He also gets into the uneven umpiring on both sides of the plate, Dylan Cease's inefficient night, and the Athletics running wild on him - with holding runners on being a season-long issue, can he clean it up down...

Blake Murphy kicks off this week alongside Sportsnet’s Sho Alli (08:41) to discuss Spencer Arrighetti’s outing, Ricky Tiedemann's progress, and his takeaways from the Blue Jays' series victory over the Royals. Next up, Andy McCullough (25:48) of The Athletic breaks down the Angels’ ownership change, veteran pitchers still thriving, and where the Blue Jays sit in the standings. Later, Craig Goldstein (50:28) of Baseball Prospectus gives his take on the race for the final Wild Card spot in the American League, injury concerns surrounding Shohei Ohtani, and other Dodgers news. In the final segment, Athletics broadcaster Chris Caray (01:14:54) goes big-picture on whe...

Sho Alli and Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 6-1 loss vs. the Royals to wrap up the series in Kansas City. They take your calls and texts, and discuss the start from Spencer Arrighetti - can the Jays continue to absorb starts like this in the last 18 games of the season? They get into Jesús Sánchez committing another error in the field - even though it didn't cost the team any runs today, can they keep running him out there if he isn't smashing the baseball? Plus, they chat about Myles Straw potentially playing more, an...

Sho Alli and Nick Ashbourne break down the Blue Jays' 4-3 win vs. the Royals to win the series, move back above .500 and take control of the third wild card spot in the American League! They take your calls and texts, and get to the biggest moments of the game, including Kazuma Okamoto's four-hit night with the game-winner as well, the bullpen locking it down for a win after Max Scherzer allowed three earned runs over 5.2 IP, and get into Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s eligibility for a Gold Glove at first base. Plus, they look at the team's statistics...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 9-2 win vs. the Royals to open the three-game series in Kansas City! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the offence coming through early and often in this game - are they simply more confident right now when it comes to taking swings at the plate? They also get into Jameson Taillon leaving the game after two innings with right forearm discomfort, and also discuss John Schneider pushing all the right bullpen buttons from the third inning onwards. Plus, they get into the job Ross Atkins has...

Blake is joined in-studio by Sportsnet's Madison Shipman to break down the Blue Jays series victory over the Guardians, taking the season series and the tiebreaker over Cleveland. Blake & Madison discuss the Jays mindset throughout this stretch, the offense finding its stride of late, Brett Bateman's impact on the team since being acquired, and Jose Soriano's usage since coming to Toronto, before looking ahead to the matchup against the Royals (34:44). Later, Royals radio voice Jake Eisenberg (53:53) joins Blake to preview the Jays weekend series in Kansas City, the Royals struggles this season until their recent hot streak, and the...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 6-3 win vs. the Guardians to win the series in Cleveland! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the Jays now being a game under .500 and only half a game out of a playoff spot - how important was it to win the season series vs. the Guardians with the AL Wild Card race so tight? They also get into a big game for Nathan Lukes, Vladmir Guerrero Jr. driving in another run while playing stellar defence, the start from José Soriano, and the bullpen slamming the door t...