Blue Jays Talk

Blue Jays radio voice Ben Wagner joins Blake Murphy to discuss the upcoming pitching matchups against the Guardians, if he's spotted a difference between José Berríos pitching on the road vs. at Rogers Centre, why he prefers his curveball to be a secondary pitch rather than the primary, and his assessment batting lineup juggling (04:33). Jim Rosenhaus of the Guardians Radio Network drops by to chat about the team's approach to the past trade deadline, their chances in a deep playoff run, and how former Blue Jay and current Guardians catcher Luke Maile has handled their young and talented starting rotation is (26:56). Then, FanGraphs' Ben Clemens breaks down his increased coverage on the Jays, what has stood out from Teoscar Hernandez's approach at the plate, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.'s similarities with his older brother Yuli Gurriel (51:11). Afterward, Blake focuses in on the pitching matchups for the rest of the weekend series against the Guardians (01:18:49). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast

Blake Murphy is joined in-studio by JD Bunkis and Ben Ennis to discuss the future of the Jays' starting rotation, where Yusei Kikuchi fits in the schedule ahead of the post-season and maintaining Alek Manoah's outings, before re-igniting the concern index on Manoah's current workload, José Berríos' home and away splits, and George Springer's elbow injury (01:24). Afterward, the guys share their confidence rankings on which hitter they want at the dish to win a game, the best defensive fielder, if Teoscar Hernandez or Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is most valuable on the roster (30:08). Then, award winning writer and actress Kelly McCormack jumps on to discuss the Amazon Prime series "A League of Their Own", what attracted her to be part of the series and play a character from Canada, the comparisons between the series and the film, the opportunities to explore race, gender, and sexuality, and her excitement in throwing out the first pitch in Toronto (49:45). Team Newfoundland's Jaida Lee jumps on to chat about particip

Drew Fairservice of the "Spin Rate" podcast joins Blake Murphy to chat about Jackie Bradley Jr.'s role with the Jays, the reasoning behind his signing, how concerning a potential long stint on the IL from George Springer could be, and the evolution of Alek Manoah on the mound (05:07). Afterward, Blake reads your tweets and texts to determine the Jays fans' concern index (28:20). ESPN's Kiley McDaniel breaks down his farm system rankings across MLB, how Toronto climbed the ranks, the difficulties of being in win-now mode while maintaining a future crop of players, and when he sees Gabriel Moreno returning to the Majors (50:42). We wrap up with The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey, who shares her thoughts on the outlook of the current Red Sox core group, how she sees the Jays using Bradley Jr. at this stage of his career, and what he brought to Boston's clubhouse (01:14:00). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports &a

Brent Gunning breaks down the Blue Jays' 6-5 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards. He takes your calls and texts, and asks the question: are the Jays good enough to make the playoffs, even after a tough rain-delayed loss? How does the Jays bullpen stack up to the Orioles? Gunning discusses the state of relief pitching, and whether or not it's good enough to help the Jays to the post-season. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy is joined by Sportsnet.ca's Ben Nicholson-Smith to share his reaction on the Blue Jays signing Jackie Bradley Jr. and discusses his fit with the team (00:15). Then, Blake recaps the series opener against the Orioles and Yusei Kikuchi's struggles, before we hear post-game comments from interim manager John Schneider (07:10). Ricky Romero of MLB Network and the "Spin Rate" podcast jumps on to discuss the lack of depth starters with Kikuchi continuing to search for a good outing, ways to build off a rough start, and what he expects out of Alek Manoah in tonight's matchup (25:28). Former catcher and current Sportsnet analyst Caleb Joseph weighs in on how much a catcher can help a pitcher who's not finding his groove, their ability to read how batters are adjusting from behind the plate, and how hot it gets at Camden Yards (51:00). Afterward, we check in on the Blue Jays prospects with Doug Fox, author of the "Summer Ontario Baseball Broke the Colour Barrier" and writer for Future Blue Jays. He shares

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 7-4 loss to the Orioles at Camden Yards to begin the series. They take your calls and texts, and discuss another start from Yusei Kikuchi in which he gives up multiple home runs. What's the answer to his struggles right now? Is there one at all? They also discuss the bullpen without Tim Mayza, Bo Bichette swinging away once more, and the battle between Cavan Biggio and Santiago Espinal at second base. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

The Athletic's Kaitlyn McGrath joins Blake Murphy to discuss the Blue Jays' plan to manage George Springer's elbow injury, the amount of solid centerfielders around the league, if Matt Gage has earned a spot in the bullpen after Tim Mayza's injury, and if Vlad Jr. is starting to near his MVP-level of hitting (20:50). FanGraphs' David Laurila weighs in on Whit Merrifield's close play at home plate Sunday, Teoscar Hernandez' underrated season so far and why he thinks Justin Verlander will win the Cy Young Award, before revisiting his pre-season predictions on the Jays winning the World Series and Alek Manoah taking home the Cy Young (51:20). Later on, sideline reporter and play-by-play voice for the Baltimore Orioles Melanie Newman jumps on to chat about Trey Mancini outgrowing his time with the organization, the team's trajectory post-trade deadline, and how Adley Rutschman has performed since his call up this season (01:10:06).  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guest

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 3-2 win over the Twins in extra innings at Target Field! They take your calls and texts, and they get right to the overturned play at the plate involving Whit Merrifield to score in extras. They discuss the reordering of the bullpen without Tim Mayza, the impact of George Springer also heading to the IL, and how much more Merrifield will be relied upon going forward. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy and Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays' 7-3 loss to the Twins at Target Field. They take your texts, and react to the dislocated shoulder of Tim Mayza, how it might force the bullpen to be reordered, and who could be called up from the minors to potentially fill in. Plus, they discuss the bat of Bo Bichette who drove in all three runs in Minnesota, and chat about Mitch White in his first appearance for Toronto. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli breaks down the Blue Jays' 6-5 loss in extras to the Twins at Target Field. He takes your calls and texts, and discusses Bo Bichette's struggle at the plate in the tenth inning, and the error from Cavan Biggio late in the game. He gets to another strange outing from José Berríos and the home/road splits for him, and discusses his sinker just not breaking as much on the road as it does at home. Plus, a chat on the bullpen holding it down for much of the game, including the reliability of Yimi Garcia and the debut of Canada's own Zach Pop. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

MLB.com's Mike Petriello joins Blake Murphy to chat about the improvements in the Blue Jays' infield defence, some theories on what he's seen in their development, if it has any relations to less shifting, Vlad Jr.'s strongest year at first base, his thoughts on the acquisitions at the trade deadline and a new bat tracking technology (23:03). FanGraphs' Paul Sporer breaks down lefty Ricky Tiedemann's development in the Jays' system, how he sees Mitch White being used, if it'll be similar to Ross Stripling's usage, how White can polish up on his fastball, and if Whit Merrifield will bring the speed to the bases again (50:24). Then, NBC Los Angeles' Michael Duarte jumps on to discuss his relationship with former Dodger Mitch White, the forecast on his slider, and the L.A. Dodgers playing their first game at home since the passing of longtime broadcaster Vin Scully (01:12:32).  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 9-3 win over the Twins to kick off the four-game set at Target Field! They take your calls and texts, and get to the season debut of deadline acquisition Whit Merrifield, who showed off his speed on the base paths and knocked in a run a well. They discuss the outing from Alek Manoah, who gutted through six innings of work for the win (and got hit by another comebacker), and break down the stellar defence from Matt Chapman. Plus, a chat on Bo Bichette being moved down the lineup to bat fifth and whether or not he'll stay there. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy is joined by The Athletic's Kaitlyn McGrath to discuss Whit Merrifield's ideal defensive position, how it will impact Santiago Espinal's playing time at second base, when she expects the team to utilize Zach Pop out of the bullpen, and scans the Jays' prospect pool to find a pitcher deserving of a call-up (04:51). FanGraphs' Dan Szymborksi gives his thoughts on if the Twins will be the only team with a playoff berth in the AL Central, the difficulties of projecting the playoff picture, if Merrifield fits well in the centre field, and how the Jays and Mariners' rosters compare post-trade deadline (25:49). Later on, The Athletic's Eno Sarris shares why he is intrigued about the Jays' acquisition of Pop and Anthony Bass from the Marlins, the type of slider both relievers provide, if Mitch White has a path to becoming an effective back-end starter, and how he would use Yusei Kikuchi for the rest of the year (50:29). Afterward, Access Twins' Brandon Warne gives his perspective on the upcoming Twins-Ja

A day after the trade deadline, Blake Murphy dives into the Jays' acquisitions including right-handed pitcher Mitch White from the Dodgers, if the team will continue to explore pushing Bo Bichette down in the batting lineup, how can former Royal Whit Merrifield could fit on the team, Yusei Kikuchi's short outing against the Rays, and what indicates a starting pitcher should be moved to the bullpen (01:01). Afterward, Blake continues the mailbag hour reading more of fan's texts and tweets on teams spending more through the luxury tax, and trading top prospects vs. developing them for the future (27:45).  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy breaks down the Blue Jays' 3-2 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. He takes your calls and texts, gets to the performance of Yusei Kikuchi, and also takes a look back at the trade deadline. He's also joined by Jays Talk regular Sho Alli, and the pair chat about the incoming additions of Zach Pop and Anthony Bass, the post-All-Star Break play of Kikuchi as a whole (despite getting squeezed today), and whether or not Bo Bichette should be moved down further in the batting order. Plus, we hear post-game comments from John Schneider and Teoscar Hernandez. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 3-1 win over the Rays at Tropicana Field. They take your calls and texts, get into the eight innings of work from Kevin Gausman, and the two-run insurance single from Danny Jansen. They discuss the trade deadline, and chat about whether it was exactly what the team needed at this stage, or if it was underwhelming. Where will Whit Merrifield play, and does that imply an IL stint for George Springer? Do the additions of Zach Pop and Anthony Bass re-order the bullpen enough? Blair and Barker discuss on Jays Talk. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

In the final hour, Blake Murphy is joined by MLB Network's Jon Morosi in-studio to discuss Juan Soto moving on from the Nationals to the Padres, if the Blue Jays checked in on Soto's market price, the aggressiveness from the Padres' organization, how this will impact the landscape of the MLB moving forward, and where Toronto stands in the arm-race in the AL East (01:05). Later on, Sportsnet.ca's Ben Nicholson-Smith jumps on to chat about if the Jays have fallen short with acquisitions nearing the trade deadline, why their priority should still be aimed at bolstering the bullpen, how the team will manage George Springer's lingering elbow injury, and his expectations for the final hours of the deadline (26:27). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy is joined by Sportsnet's Chris Black and Joe Siddall to weigh in on how the Blue Jays should address their bullpen issues, why it's essential to get pitchers that have swing and miss pitches, and if the team would consider rolling a 6-man starting rotation (01:48). Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi gives his thoughts on the Jays acquiring Zach Pop and Anthony Bass from the Marlins, why they're welcoming a return for Bass, and if a starting pitcher would've been involved in the negotiations (21:53). Drew Fairservice of the Spin Rate podcast shares his initial reaction to Jordan Groshans' departure to Miami, and how a potential deal for Ian Happ could affect their current outfielder crop (34:47). MLB.com's Christina De Nicola joins us from Miami to share the reaction in the Marlins' clubhouse on today's trade with Toronto, Zach Pop getting to play for his hometown team, and what kind of pitchers the Jays are receiving in both Pop and Bass (51:54). Blue Jays radio voice Ben Wagner discusses when the team co

Blake Murphy opens the show looking back on some of the trades over the weekend including Luis Castillo to the Mariners and Scott Effross to the Yankees, before focusing on where the Blue Jays fit in the trade market and who fans want the team to target. FanGraphs' Ben Clemens jumps on to discuss his trade value rankings including four Jays players, the Mariners' shift from eyeing Juan Soto to the pitching market, and why he thinks starting and relief pitchers will become more expensive as the deadline nears (26:45).  Sportsnet's Shi Davidi shares his sense of the Jays' options in the rental and controllable pitcher markets, and how Toronto's previous business deal with Oakland for Matt Chapman could affect a potential deal for Frankie Montas (51:42). Finally, Baseball Prospectus' Mikey Ajeto weighs in on the impact Luis Castillo will have on the Mariners' rotation, the price Seattle paid for the righty, and the Wild Card race heating up between Toronto and Seattle (01:16:14). The views and opinions expressed

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' 4-1 win over the Tigers at Rogers Centre! They take your calls and texts, and discuss the seven innings of one-run ball from José Berríos  (the lone run given up to his brother-in-law Javy Baez). They also get to the bats taking advantage of an error-prone Detroit squad, and Matt Chapman rocketing yet another home run in the month of July. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.