Advertise on podcast: Blue Jays Nation Radio

Baseballs are being thrown around and everyone is in the best shape of their lives — It's officially spring! We talked about how big-name free agents Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, and Blake Snell are still available despite Grapefruit and Cactus League games getting started. After that, we looked at comments from Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alek Manoah, John Schneider, and Ross Atkins about the Blue Jays heading into the 2024 season.  The vibes are certainly different in Dunedin this year than previously with this group. Will this be the year they finally make good on their potential?  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right before recording an episode about how nothing was going on, the Blue Jays went ahead and made a free-agent signing.  The team added veteran infielder Justin Turner to a one-year contract, likely filling Brandon Belt's role as a middle-of-the-order bat who splits time between first base and the designated hitter spot.  We talked about the addition of Turner, where he fits on the team, and what we expect next from the Blue Jays. We also talked about the addition of Yariel Rodriguez to Toronto's pitching staff and looked at the case of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. as he heads into salary arbitration.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've got some transactions to talk about.  As December and the year 2023 wound to an end, the Toronto Blue Jays leaned back into their Run Prevention strategy by re-signing Kevin Kiermaier and adding Isiah Kiner-Falefa in free agency.  We talked about these two signings, how both players fit, what general manager Ross Atkins said in his media availability, and what might be coming next. We also looked at what some other teams around baseball have been up to over the past few weeks.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite all the hype and excitement and reports saying he was on his way to Toronto, Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team that had been the favourites all along. On this episode of Blue Jays Nation Radio, we talked about Ohtani's 10-year, $700 million contract, how the deal is designed to allow the Dodgers to spend more money this winter, and what's good for baseball and what isn't. After that, we talked about what the Blue Jays might do next after missing out on their top target.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buckle up, everyone. It appears that Shohei Ohtani is going to announce his decision soon.  According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Ohtani’s decision is “imminent” and could come as early as today. He also added, "Since [Ohtani’s] visit to Dunedin on Monday, momentum has built for the Blue Jays.” On this episode of the Blue Jays Nation Radio, we talked about all of the latest speculation from the Ohtani sweepstakes, including his tour of the team's complex in Dunedin, the private jet scheduled to fly from Orange County to Toronto, and the significance of the date December 8. We also discussed how the Yankees acquiring Juan Soto has added pressure to the Blue Jays in their pursuit of Ohtani.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Winter Meetings are right around the corner, and with that, there should be some significant news in the coming days. We looked back at what's happened during the off-season as the baseball world awaits Shohei Ohtani's decision, including who was and wasn't given a qualifying offer and some 40-man roster shuffling. After that, we dove into the rumours that have been flying around lately and what Ross Atkins said to the media during his press conference on Tuesday. We talked about the Bo Bichette rumours, why there's smoke when it comes to Ohtani, and other names the Blue Jays could look at if they don't land the unicorn.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The World Series is over and now we're officially into the off-season. We talked about what the Blue Jays can learn from the Texas Rangers, who won their first-ever championship after spending a billion dollars in free agency over the course of two winters. After that, we took a look at some housekeeping the Blue Jays have ahead of them, including qualifying offers, player options, and possible non-tenders. We also talked about how we expect the Blue Jays to approach free agency and whether they'll be among the teams in the mix for Shohei Ohtani.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Toronto Blue Jays are running it back.  Mark Shapiro spoke with the media on Thursday, one week after the team's loss to the Minnesota Twins in the Wild Card round, and confirmed that Ross Atkins will return as the general manager next season.  We talked about the Blue Jays opting for continuity, the budget for next season, and what the team could do in the off-season to bring the lineup back to life. After that, we talked about the AL East going a combined 0-for-7 in the playoffs and why we're on the Philadelphia Phillies bandwagon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ross Atkins made his end-of-season media availability on Friday and it didn't do much to calm the anger among Blue Jays followers.  He confirmed that John Schneider will be back as the team's manager in 2024 but also said that the decision to pull Jose Berrios after three innings in Game 2 wasn't one that came from upstairs. Atkins also said that the team will miss free agents Matt Chapman, Kevin Kiermaier, and Brandon Belt, and indicated that many replacements will be internal.  On this episode of the podcast, we talked about Atkins throwing Schneider under the bus, how the fans and media have responded to what was said, and looked ahead to what might happen when Mark Shapiro addresses the media on Thursday.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It didn't feature an epic collapse like last year, but the Toronto Blue Jays are back in the exact same spot again, eliminated following a playoff run that lasted for roughly 24 hours. We talked about the Wild Card Series against the Minnesota Twins, Bo Bichette's decision to run home, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting picked off at second base, and the decision to pull Jose Berrios while he was pitching well against his former club.  After that, we took a look ahead to the off-season and wondered who might be back and what changes might come this winter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Toronto Blue Jays finished the 2023 regular season with a series loss to the Tampa Bay Rays but it was good enough for them to slide into the third Wild Card spot in the American League.  Next up, they'll head to Minnesota for a three-game series against the Twins, a team that's gone 0-18 in playoff games since their last win all the way back in the 2004 ALDS.  We talked about how the Blue Jays are looking heading into October and how they stack up with the Twins. We also looked around the rest of the playoff picture and made predictions for how the Wild Card round will shake out.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite dropping two of three to the Yankees this week, the Blue Jays enter their end-of-season weekend series with the Rays in control of their own destiny. We talked about the series with New York, the back-to-back shutouts, Jordan Romano taking another loss, Matt Chapman ending his home run drought, and Chris Bassitt reaching 200 innings for the first time in his career.  After that, we took a look around the American League and ahead to all of this weekend's different post-season clinching scenarios. Here's what it comes down to — just win, baby. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.