Guests: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jordan Romano, Blue Jays pitcher Nick Sandlin Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro held his annual spring training session with the media and we take you through what he had to say in painstaking detail. His confidence that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would re-sign with the Jays, despite their failure to make a deal all winter, the state of the farm system, whether players like Daulton Varsho, Andres Gimenez and Alejandro Kirk need to hit better for the Jays to succee...
Mar 21, 2025•56 min
Guests: Blue Jays outfielder Alan Roden, starter Max Scherzer, top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage Deep Left Field is back in Dunedin as the Blue Jays move into their final week of spring training leading the Grapefruit League with a 14-9-1 record! This week, we talk to the story of the spring – young Alan Roden, who is trying to hit his way onto the team and doing a spectacular job so far, batting .409. We also hear from Trey Yesavage, the Jays’ first-round pick in 2024 who made his pro debut i...
Mar 18, 2025•41 min
Guests: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm This week, Gregor and I crack open the mailbag and tackle your Blue Jays questions submitted by email, on Bluesky and here at thestar.com. We touch on the leak of Vladdy’s contract demands, the broken promises of Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins, a Jays’ fan’s existential crises and much more! One submission was pretty much a plea for Vladdy to get off the writer’s lawn! Your questions answered on this episode of Deep Left Field!...
Mar 13, 2025•1 hr 12 min
Guest: Ellen Harrigan, current Los Angeles Dodgers VP of baseball administration and Blue Jays front office member from 1981-1995. This week, we’re joined by Ellen Harrigan, who is about to begin her 45th season working in baseball. She started out with the Blue Jays in Exhibition Stadium in 1981, as part of a skeleton-crew front office, and will receive her fourth career World Series ring next month (Blue Jays 1992-93, Dodgers 2020, 2024). Harrigan shares her story, from the quirky way she land...
Mar 06, 2025•48 min
Guests: Former Blue Jays Communications Director, current Niagara Ironbacks owner Mal Romanin With spring training games underway, many Blue Jays fans are still having a hard time getting the taste of a rough winter out of their mouths. The failure to lock up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Roki Sasaki debacle will be the biggest stories of the Jays’ off-season, and have just added to the fury of the fanbase that seems to be close to boiling over, if it hasn’t already. Mal Romanin, who was a membe...
Feb 27, 2025•1 hr 7 min
Guests: Toronto Star Baseball Columnist Gregor Chisholm Spring training is underway in Dunedin, Florida, and Gregor Chisholm has been there since the first day, which means he was there when the news broke that the Blue Jays had failed to come to a long-term contract agreement with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Gregor joins us to discuss all the goings-on from camp, first and foremost the how and why Guerrero is moving into a walk year that nobody wanted. Aside from the Vladdy story, we talk about what ...
Feb 20, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Guests: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Inductees Jose Bautista and Greg Hamilton This week, we celebrate the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame as it announces the newest honoured members who will take their place among the immortals at the Hall on Induction Day, June 7 in St. Marys. Jose Bautista headlines the class and he joins us to talk about his career with the Blue Jays, from the beginning to the BatFlip and beyond, and to reflect on becoming a Hall of Famer. Greg Hamilton, the D...
Feb 12, 2025•51 min
Guests: Aaron Abrams, star of CTV’s “Children Ruin Everything,” plus clips from Max Scherzer and Ross Atkins’ news conference and we bring you clips and analysis of that news conference. Scherzer talks about his health, the hows and whys of his coming to Toronto, his motivations in finally coming to the AL East and his feelings about baseball’s data revolution. Ross Atkins avoids a question about a possible contract extension for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Also, TV star and huge Jays fan Aaron Abrams...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 13 min
The Blue Jays Add A Hall of Famer A busy January on the free agent front came to a close with the Blue Jays snagging Max Scherzer, the 40-year-old eight-time all-star who will bring his three Cy Young awards and two World Series rings to town with him. With five trips to the injured list in the past two seasons, and only having been able to make nine starts in 2024, what does Scherzer have left to add to a decent Jays rotation? Can he stay healthy, and if he does how much should be expected of h...
Jan 31, 2025•27 min
Guests: Blue Jays 1B coach Mark Budzinski, former Baseball Canada slugger Scott Thorman Not too many people in the Jays’ system know their new acquisition, Anthony Santander, better than Mark Budzinski, who managed Santander at two levels of the minor leagues. We get the goods on the new guy from his ex-skipper, who is very excited for the reunion. Also, we catch up with Cambridge, Ontario’s Scott Thorman, a Baseball Canada standout and Joey Votto’s inspiration growing up.
Jan 30, 2025•51 min
The Blue Jays introduced Anthony Santander, their first major offensive acquisition in four years, and we bring you clips of his media availability and interpret Ross Atkins’ attempts to sidestep criticism for the Roki Sasaki debacle and the Jays’ failure (so far) to sign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a contract extension. We examine the Cooperstown Class of 2025, as well as those who fell just short in the voting, and talk to Ayami Sato, the greatest female baseball player of the modern era, who wil...
Jan 23, 2025•58 min
Only days after the Roki Sasaki debacle, the Blue Jays finally added a significant power bat, the first time they’ve done such a thing in four years. Anthony Santander, a switch-hitter who clubbed 44 home runs for the Baltimore Orioles last season, got a five-year deal worth a reported $92.5 million to come to Toronto, and his slugging stylings are desperately needed for a team that finished 26th in the majors in home runs last season. The addition of Santander bolsters a lineup that only had on...
Jan 20, 2025•15 min
There’s no shame in making an aggressive attempt to sign a coveted free agent but falling short, and the Blue Jays have done that several times over the past few years, whether it was with superduperstars Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto or mere mortals like Corbin Burnes, Justin Verlander and Xander Bogaerts, but the way the Jays mismanaged the pursuit of Roki Sasaki required a special episode of Deep Left Field. Not only did the Jays miss out on the 23-year-old Japanese phenom, who pings the radar ...
Jan 18, 2025•24 min
Guests: Blue Jays reliever Jeff Hoffman, Canadian Women’s National Team shortstop Mia Valcke The Blue Jays re-introduced Jeff Hoffman to the Toronto media this week, bringing the right-hander back as a free agent 11 years after drafting him and 10 years after trading him to Colorado in the Troy Tulowitzki deal. We bring you highlights of the conversation with Hoffman, including his comments about failed physicals with Baltimore and Atlanta and whether he will be the Jays’ closer in 2025. Also, t...
Jan 16, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Jan 09, 2025•47 min
Guests: Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah, former Blue Jays beat reporter Kaitlyn McGrath Our first episode of 2025 brings a check-in and a farewell. Alek Manoah, rehabbing from mid-June Tommy John surgery, joins us to give an update on the state of his elbow and the timeline for his late-season return. He also shares his thoughts about the Jays’ slow off-season to this point and the lack of a contract extension for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Also, departing Jays’ reporter Kaitlyn McGrath, late of The At...
Jan 02, 2025•1 hr 28 min
Guests: Second City alumni Sandy Jobin-Bevans and Pat Smith, Actor/Director Stu Stone 2024 was a rough year for the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans, and the way this off-season has gone so far, it doesn’t seem as though 2025 is going to be much better. For our final episode of the year, we convene a roundtable of Canadian stars of stage and screen, in front of and behind the camera, to discuss where the Jays stand as the calendar flips and what it means that the fanbase seems to have completely...
Dec 26, 2024•1 hr 17 min
Guests: Former Toronto Blue Jay and current Philadelphia Phillie Jordan Romano and new Jay Andrés Giménez Now that he has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies, former Jays closer Jordan Romano joins the podcast for his first one-on-one interview since the Jays cut him loose. He goes in-depth about his time in Toronto and signing with a National League contender. We also hear from new Blue Jay Andrés Giménez.
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr
Guests: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm, Sports Info Solutions Mark Simon The Blue Jays had their busiest Winter Meetings in years: making a trade, signing a free agent and grabbing a pitcher in the Rule 5 draft. Gregor Chisholm joins us to discuss all the Jays’ doings in Dallas, and whether it’s the right move to continue to drill down on run prevention at the expense of run creation. They made the best defence in MLB even better by picking up Andres Gimenez, but did they make a...
Dec 12, 2024•1 hr 20 min
Guests: Jack Graney Award winner, legendary Toronto Star columnist Dave Perkins; Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has handed out its annual media award, and we’ve got this year’s winner, Dave Perkins, to talk about his extraordinary career covering baseball for three decades for the Toronto Star. Matt Hague joins us as well, to talk about his year as the Blue Jays’ assistant hitting coach, his decision to leave for Pittsburgh and how much of an effec...
Dec 05, 2024•1 hr 31 min
Guests: Kim’s Convenience star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Baseball Prospectus Editor-In-Chief Craig Goldstein, Comedian Chris Calogero (“Husky Boy” stand-up special on YouTube), Andy Kindler (Everybody Loves Raymond, Bob’s Burgers) This week, we bring together an all-star panel to make their pitch for superstar free agent outfielder Juan Soto. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee represents Blue Jays fans, Craig Goldstein stumps for his Dodgers, Chris Calogero makes the case for the Yankees and Andy Kindler argues that ...
Nov 28, 2024•1 hr 14 min
This week, we talk to one of the outstanding young Canadian players working his way to the major leagues. Owen Caissie was named minor-league offensive player of the year by the Canadian Baseball Network for his terrific season with the AAA Iowa Cubs. We celebrate both that award and his being placed on the Cubs’ 40-man major-league roster with the 22-year-old from Burlington, Ontario. We also look ahead to the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players and see which Blue Jays ...
Nov 21, 2024•50 min
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/subscribingmatters . Guests: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm The Hot Stove season is upon us and the Blue Jays have a whole lot to do in order to get back into playoff contention. Gregor Chisholm joins me to discuss the task ahead of them. Will they sign Juan Soto? Will they extend Vladimi...
Nov 14, 2024•57 min
Guest: Former Blue Jays CF Kevin Kiermaier This week, Kevin Kiermaier gives his final interview as a player, and he has come to Deep Left Field to give it to us! Kiermaier, who is about to retire, talks about going out on top – winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers – and finishing his career the way he started it, as a late-inning defensive replacement. He also reflects on his year and a half with the Blue Jays, what this season was like as the Jays sold off at the trade deadline...
Nov 07, 2024•59 min
Guests: World Series MVP Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Mark Simon of Sports Info Solutions The off-season begins as the Los Angeles Dodgers are crowned World Series champions with a five-game victory over the New York Yankees, led by Freddie Freeman’s four home runs and World Series-record-tying 12 RBIs! When the champs were in Toronto to play the Blue Jays earlier this season, we spoke to Freeman about his love of playing for Canada to honour his late mother and to ...
Oct 31, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Guests: Blue Jays outfielder George Springer, creator of Dynasty League Baseball Powered by Pursue The Pennant Mike Cieslinski Coming off the worst season of his major-league career George Springer joins us to talk about his personal disappointment, the Blue Jays’ terrible season and also the positives he managed to pull out of it. On the eve of the first Yankees-Dodgers World Series in over four decades, we reveal the results of a heart-pounding simulation run with Dynasty League Baseball and d...
Oct 24, 2024•1 hr 6 min
Guests: Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, Dodgers 1B coach Clayton McCullough This week in Deep Left Field, Kevin Gausman – who had his worst season in five years – joins us to reflect on what went wrong with the Blue Jays this year, how he turned his season around in July and how badly he wants to not just get back to the playoffs but to go on a deep run. We also talk to Clayton McCullough, who spent seven seasons managing in the Blue Jays minor-league system and now may be headed to the World S...
Oct 17, 2024•59 min
Guests: Blue Jays 2024 Team Award Winners Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jose Berrios, Spencer Horwitz and Bowden Francis Every year, good or bad, we poll the Blue Jays’ clubhouse to ask players, coaches and support staff to vote for the Jays’ end-of-season awards. This week, we bring all the winners into Deep Left Field! You’ll hear from unanimous MVP Vladimir Guerrero Jr., pitcher of the year Jose Berrios, rookie of the year Spencer Horwitz and unsung Hero Bowden Francis with thoughts on their terrifi...
Oct 10, 2024•1 hr 10 min
“Ross needs to get better.” Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but Blue Jays’ president/CEO Mark Shapiro reiterated – word for word – the same thing he said last year while saying that Ross Atkins will remain in his position as general manager. We go through Shapiro’s end-of-season media conference as well as Atkins’ appearance that followed shortly after, sharing their comments and our interpretation of them. It wasn’t as much of a debacle as last year, but it certainly wasn’t good....
Oct 03, 2024•49 min
Guest: Blue Jays manager John Schneider The Blue Jays season ends with a whimper, swept at home by the 100-loss Miami Marlins. In this special bonus edition of Deep Left Field, we sit down with John Schneider to discuss what led to one of the most disappointing seasons in club history and what needs to be done to fix things to get the team back on track for a 2025 season in which it expects to be a playoff contender once again.
Sep 30, 2024•34 min
