Advertise on podcast: Deep Left Field with Mike Wilner

Guests: Rehabbing Blue Jays starter Trey Yesavage, Reliever Brendon Little, Team Canada/Buffalo Bisons pitcher Adam Macko This week in Deep Left Field, we look back at a Blue Jays week that included a three-game winning streak but also saw the closer controversy take another step forward, likely with Jeff Hoffman losing his job, at least for a while. Then we go down to the farm in Buffalo to hear from Trey Yesavage after a truncated rehab start, check in with Brendon Little to see how he's dealing with life away from big-league pressure, and catch up with lefty Adam Macko after a strong World Baseball Classic for Canada and terrific start to the minor-league season. All that, plus a dip into the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer and reliever Joe Mantiply, Dodgers 1B coach Chris Woodward This week in Deep Left Field, we go over what was nearly a winless Week That Was for your Toronto Blue Jays, with two key players hitting the injured list and another set for regular-season- ending knee surgery. It was a rough week both on and off the field for the Jays, many of whom have been struggling with a bug that's tearing through the clubhouse. Eric Lauer believes he may have been Patient Zero for what he calls the "Flu Jays," and he joins us to talk about the team's rough start as they suffer through illness and injury. We meet the new guy, 35-year-old Joe Mantiply, who is here to help stabilize the bullpen with Brendon Little having been shipped out to Buffalo. Former Jay Chris Woodward, now first-base coach of the L.A. Dodgers, stops by to talk about winning the World Series at his former home and to reminisce about the early-2000s Jays teams he was a part of. All that plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

For a few fleeting hours on Nov. 1, 2025, Toronto felt like it might be 1993 all over again. And though the Blue Jays didn't win the 2025 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, some people ask if that winner-take-all Game 7 might have been the greatest baseball game ever played. That's probably a hard idea to stomach if you're a Blue Jays fan, but the advanced statistics might support it. MLB analysts have discussed it, online community groups have debated it, and according to the numbers, Championship Win Probability Added (cWPA) changed win probability more times than in any other game in history. The only thing that game was missing was a walk-off win. Had that happened you can all but guarantee more Canadians would have supported the idea of it being the greatest baseball game in history since it would have meant their team came out on top. Toronto Star baseball columnists Mike Wilner and Gregor Chisholm break down some of the plays and analytics within what is undoubtedly in the conversation as one of the greatest baseball games — and World Series — ever played. Editor's note: You can watch this as a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJyTXYJwivQ 

Guests: Blue Jays pitchers Max Scherzer and Spencer Miles, Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke   This week in Deep Left Field, we go over the Blue Jays' week that was, which featured a sweep of the Athletics and an ugly series loss to the sad-sack Colorado Rockies, with a special emphasis on Cody Ponce's catastrophic knee injury and what that means for the rotation. Then we hear from two Jays pitchers at the absolute opposite ends of the spectrum. Max Scherzer is starting his 19th season in the big leagues and is ticketed for immortality in Cooperstown when he's done. Spencer Miles is a rookie, selected in the Rule 5 draft, who still hasn't hit the 25-inning mark as a professional. Incredibly, the two hurlers are linked by a Missouri snowstorm. They both tell us that story. Also, Pickering's own Denzel Clarke made an opening day roster for the first time in his career, after playing for Canada at the World Baseball Classic for the second time. We catch up with the centre field magician as we look out at the stands where he saw his first big-league game. All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Toronto Star columnists Gregor Chisholm and Mike Wilner gathered on the field of the Rogers Centre during batting practice, to discuss the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays and what might be in store during the 50th season of Toronto Blue Jays baseball.

Guest: Blue Jays opening day starter Kevin Gausman Kevin Gausman is going to meet the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of his first opening day start as a Blue Jay, but you'll get to hear from him first here in Deep Left Field! In an in-depth, wide-ranging conversation, the 35-year-old discusses rebounding from the shortest off-season he's ever had after throwing more pitches than anyone else in the major leagues last year. He also talks about the impact Toronto has made on him over the course of the five-year contract that ends this season, his new teammates, the honour of pitching on opening day and more. We also look at the Jays' season-opening roster, officialized Wednesday, discuss club president Mark Shapiro's media availability and open up the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays outfielders Addison Barger and George Springer     Today's episode of Deep Left Field DAILY features a couple of Blue Jays sluggers who had unexpectedly great seasons and made massive contributions toward the Jays winning the American League East and getting to within inches of a World Series championship last fall. George Springer came off the worst year of his career to lead the Jays with 32 home runs and finish third in the majors in OPS - behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. In the post-season, his go-ahead three-run home run in Game 7 of the American League championship series propelled the Jays into the Fall Classic and stands as one of the biggest round-trippers in Jays history. Addison Barger didn't even make the team out of spring training last year, but wound up hitting 21 home runs, third on the Jays behind Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In his first career post-season, he belted the only pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history and hit .480 over the seven games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Springer and Barger join us to talk about that magical playoff run and to look ahead to the new season that begins Friday night. All that, plus your thoughts in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays pitchers Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage   Today, Deep Left Field checks out the Blue Jays' starting rotation - or, at least,  people who will be pieces of the rotation at some point this season.   Dylan Cease got the richest contract the Jays have ever given to a pitcher, and the 30-year-old right-hander will be second out of the gate when the season opens, starting Saturday afternoon against the Athletics at Rogers Centre.   Cease joins us to talk about choosing Toronto, what he expects from his seven years here and fills us in on several of his interesting hobbies.   We also hear from Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage, two pitchers who joined the Jays late last season and made a huge impact on their run to the World Series. Both of them will start the season on the injured list.   Bieber talks about picking up his player option to stay with the Jays and how his winter went after giving up the World-Series-winning home run in Game 7 while Yesavage takes us through his meteoric rise and record-setting post-season.   All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Blue Jays manager John Schneider Deep Left Field is going DAILY for the lead-up to Blue Jays' opening day on Friday, and we kick off the week with an in-depth conversation with John Schneider, who just signed a two-year extension that will keep him as Blue Jays manager through the 2028 season. Schneider, who is about to begin his fourth full season as Jays' skipper and his 25th as a member of the organization, joins us to talk about how dreams of Game 7 of the World Series interrupted his sleep during the winter, how he remembers the playoff run, how he has grown as a manager and much more. In the wide-ranging conversation, we touch on the post-season brilliance of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Trey Yesavage, among others, the departure of Bo Bichette, how Schneider thinks the Jays can improve on what they did last year among many other things. The mailbag is always open at [email protected] - make sure to have your voice heard during this busy week of daily podcasts!

Guests: Blue Jays relievers Tyler Rogers and Chase Lee, shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala This week in Deep Left Field, we dive into Canada's Pool A victory at the World Baseball Classic, the first time Team Canada has ever advanced beyond the first round of the WBC. Their reward is a quarter-final win-or-go-home match-up against a humiliated Team USA on Friday the 13th. Then we introduce you to a couple of new Blue Jays: Taylor Rogers, the submarining right-hander signed to a $37 million (US) contract in December, has been one of the best set-up men in the game for the past five years. Now his home ballpark has his name on all the trash cans. Chase Lee was acquired in a much more below-the-radar transaction, a December trade with the Detroit Tigers, but he's someone you'll want to get to know. A sidearm righty who didn't make his college baseball team as a freshman but had a 1.098 WHIP as a rookie in the big leagues and also has a degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Also, meet Arjun Nimmala, one of the top-100 prospects in all of baseball and the Jays' first round pick in 2023! All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Team Canada pitcher Michael Soroka, Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Russell Martin This week, Deep Left Field comes to you from spring training once again and we present an all-Canadian episode! Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) joins us for his first-ever Deep Left Field conversation without an interpreter. We talk to Vladdy about the Jays' magical playoff run last season and what he thinks of his team going into 2026 as his half-billion dollar (US) contract kicks in. With Team Canada having played a pair of games to prepare for the World Baseball Classic, which begins (for them) Saturday morning in Puerto Rico, we get the inside scoop on their attempt to finally break through and make it out of the first round of the WBC. Michael Soroka (Calgary, AB) will start that first game against Colombia. He and former Blue Jay Russell Martin (East York, Ont.), who will be coaching first base for Canada, fill us in on everything you need to know about the red and white! Plus, we open up the mailbag at [email protected]! Listen here or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can at thestar.com/subscribe.

Guest: Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman     In this special bonus episode of Deep Left Field, from Blue Jays' spring training in Dunedin, Florida, we look back at the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series with the man who was on the mound for the Jays and gave up the first-ever ninth-inning game-tying home run in World Series history. Jeff Hoffman said that day that he'd cost his teammates a World Series ring, and he reflects on that moment in an open, vulnerable and candid conversation - the first such interview he's done since last year's crushing loss. We open up the mailbag at [email protected] as well, for your comments and questions!