Ian Hunter from Blue Jays Nations joins us in this episode to talk about current state of the Blue Jays. We talked about the being in 1st place prior to the all star break, the 10 game winning streak, the pitching staff, the offense and depth of the Jays, Vlad's recent struggles, Addison emerging as a core player, John Schneider turning the corner from last year, who the Jays should target at the trade deadline, and many more!
Where you can find Ian Hunter:
- X: @BlueJayHunter
- https://bluejaysnation.com/author/ianhunter
- https://bluejaysnation.com/news/ranking-the-top-6-toronto-blue-jays-controllable-starting-pitcher-targets
- https://bluejaysnation.com/news/ranking-toronto-blue-jays-top-6-starting-pitching-rental-targets
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:30):
Welcome to another edition of the Blue Jays Ave. podcast.
Unfortunately my Co host wasn't able to make it today, but he'll
be in in the future episodes. But we have a special guest in
here today works for Blue Jays Nation.
Ian Hunter, it's been a long time coming.
We are honored to have you here.Welcome and just let the world
(00:52):
know what you do besides Blue Jays Nation.
Well, yeah, that's pretty much it.
It's kind of I've, I started my foray into Blue Jays writing
back in 2007 with my own blog ona blog spot.
That's that's how old I am. I don't know if you remember
Blogspots, but yeah, yeah. So it started back then.
(01:15):
And I would just basically use that site as a sounding board to
vent my frustrations about the late till the 2007 to 2011 Blue
Jays. And I've been writing for
various places here and there, like Daily Hive, Toronto Life,
occasional article here and there.
(01:36):
But yeah, I've been in of a BlueJays Nation for on and off I
think for about 7 years now. So it's seen the a lot of good
Jays teams, a lot of bad Jays teams.
But this one's probably up therewith one of the most interesting
to write about and talk about for sure.
Yeah, I mean, it's a great time to be a Blue Jays fan, that's
(01:58):
for sure. And like I said, been following
your work for a significant amount of time.
And like I said, it's a long time coming and you know, we're
just happy for you to be here and let's get this thing
started. Alright, so I want to ask you
this question here. So the last time the Blue Jays
were in first place prior to theAll-Star break, it was back in
(02:21):
1993. Like we think about the most
recent success was around 1516. I know that the Blue Jays been
in the playoffs 3 of the last four years.
And you know this, this team is in a unique spot and we haven't
seen anything like this for a significant amount of time.
Like are you shocked that the Blue Jays are in first place
(02:43):
while even till now two games after the All Star break?
But does this come as a surprisefor you?
Yeah, yeah, completely. I don't.
I don't. If you told me preseason that
the Jays would spend a day in first place at all, I would have
wondered what hallucinogen you were on.
(03:03):
But you know, the fact that theykind of have a comfortable lead
right now is pretty astonishing.Rattling off A10 game win
streak, Sinking the Yankees at home in a four-game series.
That's huge. They haven't been in first place
in the division this late in theseason since what was it, 2016?
(03:27):
I think so, yeah, we're almost we're almost 10 years now that
the Jays haven't contended for adivision title because in
previous years, you know, a couple of years ago, Yankees
were running away with the division.
Orioles a few years ago as well.So really their best shot was
either for second or third wild card.
But yeah, they're in contention for a division title and looking
(03:51):
pretty strong. And The funny thing is they're
underperforming and yet they're overperforming at the same time.
So yes, you're getting roll guyschipping in for wins here and
there, but you're still not getting elite production from
Vladimir Guerrero, Junior Bouchette, you've got nothing
from Anthony Santander. Dalton Verse shows only been
(04:14):
there for a handful of games, yet Despite that they're what
was it 16 games above 500 at time recording now.
So yeah, this is yeah, this is wild.
I didn't. I did not have this on my bingo
card whatsoever. So let me ask you a question
before I go on to the next topicis so the Blue Jays are I
believe were 25 and 27, I could be wrong around May 28th, 8
(04:40):
games out of first place. And what was your mind at that
time before they went on on on aserious run?
I think like most fans, it was oh great, it's a repeat of last
year just because the the way the first month and change of
(05:01):
the season started out, it was similar to last year.
A lot of low scoring games for their on their end, not hitting
very many home runs, giving up alot of home runs by their
pitching staff. And those were things that
really sunk them last year. So you saw them losing some
close games and just failing to score 3 plus runs in a game.
(05:26):
I didn't think the season was over at that point, but I knew
it was a it was going to be an uphill battle.
And yeah, two months later, they're in first place.
I don't it's, it's crazy. Like the Jays not only have been
outperforming, but also also helps that the Yankees have
faltered as of late. You know, they were kind of
coasting a little bit in April and May.
(05:48):
They've come back down to earth.And now you've got the Red Sox
kind of nipping at their heels as well.
They were on a streak as of late.
So it's. Yeah, it's been a tale of two
completely different seasons forthe Blue Jays.
Talk about the 10 game-winning streak.
I don't know you. You briefly talked about the
Yankees, how the Jay swept them in a four-game series for the
(06:10):
first time in the history of that franchise.
Nobody has expected that. And then with those Angels
games, it was nitty gritty, likenobody expected them to win by
that of a margin with with a lesser production of the
offence. But the like the guys step up.
Like talk about that whole process.
Compare those to those few, those 15 Jays when they had
(06:32):
those 211 game-winning streaks and I know they were so close.
And could you see another winning streak in the horizon?
Yeah, I think I'd have to go andlook what the Jays cause they
had two 10 game-winning streaks in 2015, correct?
Believe so, but I'm willing to bet that the way they won those
(06:52):
games, they probably, excuse me,really outside their opponents
that that 10 game series we justwitnessed was, as you said, I
think there were all three one run victories against the
Angels, Cup of one close one with the I think there was only
one real true blowout. It was a seven run game against
the Yankees. But it was always a different
(07:15):
guy, right? Like if it wasn't Nathan Lucas,
it was a Joey Loperfido or DavidSchneider or mostly guys at the
bottom of the order. I think Vlad had maybe 1 clutch
hit and Beau might have had one as well or George Springer as
well too. He had a giant gigantic.
Series. Against crazy, I forgot about
(07:37):
him, but yeah, it was. It seemed like at that time when
you're in a win streak, it felt like they couldn't lose, right?
Even if they went down, they were down two or three runs.
It felt like, oh, they're going to come back.
And I really everyone's talking about this, but that vibes or
the the aura surrounding this team feels very similar to that
(08:00):
2015 team where it just it felt like no lead was insurmountable.
And it was always going to be another guy chipping in, whether
back then it was Kevin Pullar, Ryan Goins, Chris Colabello, you
know, not just your the big boyslike Donaldson and Carnation and
(08:21):
Bautista. It would be other people
chipping in too. So there's some interesting
parallels between these two teams, oddly enough, 10 years
apart. I think it's the game you were
talking about the blow with the Red Sox.
I think what basket was pitchingbefore they ended up winning the
series in Boston. I think that was the blow up.
But I think they wanted that runand then I think it ended
(08:42):
against the White Sox by by one run.
So, yeah, it's incredible to saythat this team is just clicking
all cylinders. So with that being said, I want
to dive into the bullpen. It's been a strength in the Blue
Jays pitching staff this year, or if not the whole roster
itself, see different guys stepping up and talk about how
(09:06):
important this Bolton has been for the Blue Jays, especially
when it comes to like those marginal gains by one run, two
runs even like and and I believeJeff Hoffman is like top 3IN in
saves in baseball. Like talk about all that.
Who's been The X Factor? Is that what's so important
about this bullpen? I think I'd have to go and look,
(09:28):
but I feel like at this point last year, the Jays are
significantly better in the bullpen than they were a year
ago. And that was one of their hugest
weaknesses in 2024, among many things.
But yeah, it's I last time I checked, I believe their bullpen
was top ten in Major League Baseball last year.
(09:50):
They were like 30th, 29th or 30th.
So it just a huge improvement. And I know for Jeff Hoffman,
right, like you said, he's got aton of saves.
His ERA is just under 5 at the moment, but I think he kind of
got roughed up a little bit and if he had a few rough patches,
But other than that, having a pretty solid season, really it's
(10:14):
kind of been these unheralded guys like Yariel Rodriguez has
kind of been thrust into that 8th inning role with the with
the injury to Jimmy Garcia and he's been lights out in that
spot. Brendan Little was one of the
best relievers on the Blue Jays last year.
And I kind of thought to myself,I don't know if he's going to be
(10:35):
able to replicate this year. Now he's had trouble with walks,
but overall having a pretty solid season.
Chad Green last year was kind ofmiscast as the closer simply
because they had nobody else, right?
Like Ramana was injured, Garcia was down, so they had to throw
somebody in there. Chad Greens bounce back and had
(10:57):
a pretty decent season. And then you have guys like
Brayden Fischer, Brayden Fisher who's come out of nowhere.
Nick Sandlin. I know he's been on the ILA few
times, but overall his numbers are pretty decent.
So you look up and down and there's not a ton of weak links
in this bullpen right now, really just kind of at the
(11:17):
bottom of the bullpen. And that's normal for any team.
But overall, the quality of thisBlue Jays bullpen this year is
far superior than what we've seen last year for sure, and
maybe even two or three years ago, too.
Not to mention that Yumi Garcia is having setbacks with his
nerve impingement and he I don'tthink he'll be back anytime
(11:38):
soon. But yeah, it's it's great.
Go ahead, I. Think, yeah, I was gonna say
that. What was that, the latest?
They said something with his elbow, right?
So that's to me, that's kind of the kiss of death.
I'm not saying he's done for theyear, but kind of assume worst
case scenario here. Right, Yeah, that's that's
unfortunate part especially, youknow, get getting them at a
(12:00):
point where he was an important part of that bullpen in the last
few years before he got traded last year.
So let's get into the rotation here.
So the rotation's been better asof late.
And man, to start the season we thought that we know the big
(12:20):
three with the basket, Barrios and Gausman, we're going to be
the the three no matter what. But the other two are bit of a
question mark, especially when Scherzer went down after three
innings pitched in the third game of the season.
And then and then East San Lucaswas was brought up and then
bowed and Francis has been having his closest moment.
(12:42):
Now he's on the IL. Like I believe the Jays led the
league in TB. I don't know if they do now, but
talk about the rotation here, how it's been and it's been,
it's been fluctuating up and down and could it, could this be
sustainable at this point and, and, and briefly dive deep into
it. Yeah, so I looked the other day
(13:06):
going into Friday's game, I think the Jays had the 25th
starting rotation era in baseball.
So not great. But if you look over all at
their current rotation numbers like with Berrios facet,
Gossman, Lauer and Scherzer, actually not that bad.
(13:27):
The one thing to me that kind oftakes out a bit is Kevin
Gossman. He's having a very uneven
Gossman season. Strikeouts quiet are there is he
RA is at 4.19. He's had a few blow up games
here and there. So to me, I don't know if that's
cause for concern or not. So long as these guys are
(13:48):
healthy, I think they're OK. But yeah, it's been it's been an
odd season. Like, yeah, Baden Francis was
supposed to had a super strong second-half last year.
Most people assumed, myself included, that he would carry
that over into this year. But he's kind of taken a step
back in his development. I don't know if that was maybe
(14:08):
he was, maybe it was injury related all along, Who knows.
But again, you can't really, I don't think anyone pining for
him to jump back into the Blue Jays rotation.
It doesn't sound like he's goingto be back anytime soon.
So that seems to be OK. And then Eric Lauer, I believe,
after today's game, was it ErnieClement who said something like
(14:31):
he's been one of the MVP's on the team right now?
Lauers come out of nowhere. You know, he had a quality start
today, 7 strikeouts, his second quality start in the last three
games. Like it's been he's been unreal.
He just came out of nowhere completely right.
Like he pitched in Korea last year in the KBO and the Jays
(14:52):
just took a flyer on him and he's been electric.
So the one issue, and I don't it's this is for Ross Atkins to
figure out. But if you go out and get a
starting pitcher at the trade deadline, how do you how can you
bump a guy like Eric Lauer out of the rotation right now?
I don't think you can. I feel like he's kind of
(15:13):
performing, you know, to the best of his ability, if not
better than anyone expected. So does that mean you Scherzer
gets bounced from the starting rotation?
I mean, these are all good problems to have, but if you
want to acquire a starting pitcher, you want to be able to
fit him into that rotation. So, yeah, it's, I still think I,
(15:36):
I earlier this week, I kind of was leaning starting pitching
should be the priority for the Jays.
But I honestly, with the recent announcement about Jimmy Garcia,
I think bullpen may be the way to go.
But maybe the Jays do a little bit of call me and call me.
Maybe they get a mid rotation starting pitcher and then maybe
they go and get a bullpen armor to, to, to fill this thing out.
(15:58):
But yeah, the starting rotation,excuse me, has always has, yeah,
really been in flux this year, more so than it has been in the
last few years. Who would you give credit for
Eric Lauer success Because he's around, He's been around for a
little while. Like I saw him in Milwaukee.
I thought, I thought he was really good in Milwaukee.
He was in Houston last year. Didn't really pan out.
(16:20):
I just, I just didn't know what it was like coming into Toronto.
He's been, he's been a great fight.
Like would you give credit to Pete Walker, Justin Lear, the
organization? Like who would you give credit
to? Yeah, I guess probably the
first, first guy probably would be Pete Walker, right?
Like he's the the pitching coach, the guy who's working
(16:40):
most closely with a guy like this.
I'd have to look into whether maybe they've changed an arm
slot or something like that or changed his pitch mix.
But it's been he's been found money.
Like also, let's keep in mind, this is also the the Blue Jays
organization also traded for Robbie Ray in 2020 at the trade
(17:02):
deadline from the Dbacks. Didn't have a great second-half,
but the Jays resigned him as a free agent and seemed to unlock
something. And he won the Cy Young 2021,
right? So I think, yeah, maybe this
pitching, the pitching coaches like Pete Walker don't get
enough credit for finding guys like this or even the front
(17:24):
office too, like a Brayden Fisher.
You know, that was was he was the one who was traded for
Captain Biggio. I believe yeah, from the
Dodgers. Yeah, right.
So, and I think at the time of that trade, everyone assumed
while we're never going to see Brayden Fischer ever again, but
he's been had a really, really, really strong campaign this
year. So yeah, I, I think it's
probably, you know, credit to lower first and foremost for
(17:47):
making the adjustments and having this electric run here,
but also to Pete Walker for working with him and finding a
pitch mix that that works for this guy, too.
Let's get into the offence here.And we talked about the concerns
of this offence. Last year it was bottom 5:00 and
basically every category statistically.
(18:09):
And this year what they did was in the offseason, they fired
Gilmore, Martinez hired David Popkins as the hitting coach.
And now you look at you look at this team and you look at
yourself, it's like this offencenot really known for power.
They do hit power for home runs,just like Parliament today, for
(18:30):
example. And how do you how do you
classify this offence? Because they're not really known
for hitting for power and it seems like there's like a
different player that just contributes in all sorts of
capacities. If you look at Addison Barger,
you look at Loperfido, Will Wagner, like you could name all
(18:51):
the even mouse straw. Like how do you look at this,
this offence overall? Yeah, I think they're a far cry
from what we saw a few years agothat were was really reliant on
the long ball and home runs. They are a pitch to contact
team. They are second right now in
OBP, in baseball. I believe they're either they
(19:15):
strike out the least or the second least amount of times.
And baseball too. So yeah, as you said, they don't
hit a ton of home runs, which can be frustrating, especially
when you're getting guys on base.
But they, as we saw from Saturday's game here today, they
put a ton of traffic on the bases.
And eventually, at some point when you're getting hits, even
(19:36):
if they're singles, they're going to bunch up together and
you're going to score runs. So I'm starting to think this is
maybe a David Popkins approach where it's kind of just just get
your bat on the ball. Like don't worry about hitting
A10 run home run because if you get on base, the guy behind you
is probably going to drive you in.
(19:56):
And I think that balanced approach has really worked for a
lot of hitters. On this team, I don't it
doesn't. We haven't seen guys like
Bichette, Guerrero, Santander come alive under this approach,
but we have seen others really flourish like Alexandra Kirk,
George Springer, Nathan Lucas, Addison Barger, you know, go
(20:20):
down the list and all these guysare having a great season
offensively. And I think, you know, part of
that at least is, is due to David Popkins and this plan that
they've kind of set in place this year.
So I want to talk about Vlad since you mentioned his name and
we knew that he was gonna get that extension once all stated
(20:40):
that he got the extension at he was off to a decent start, not
the Vladdy start that we expected, but he's been
struggling a little bit lately. Like is there any concerns with
them with Flood? Because I know that there is a
track record. There are times that he does
struggle like this down the stretch and then he picks up
later in the season. Like what's your level of
(21:02):
concern with flat offensively and do you think he would he can
bounce back from this? So we're 95 games now into the
season and he's. Hit about 64, 64 games left.
So he's hit twelve home runs, which, you know, I definitely
would not have bet the under on on home runs for Vlad this year,
(21:23):
especially the way that he endedlast season.
And as you said, he didn't really go nuclear mode until
late June of last year. But you know, we're almost at
the end of July here and he's still having an OK, but not a
great season. You know, he's getting on base.
Credit to him. He's walking quite a bit.
(21:43):
He's got a career high walk rateright now, but he's just he's
not doing damage on fastballs this year as much as he has
traditionally. I think I I looked yesterday, he
has he had the fewest home runs through his first 96 games,
second lowest batting average and lowest slugging through the
(22:04):
1st 96 games of his career. So, but this is not looking
good. And because he's the $500
million man, he's going to be a lightning rod, right?
Like, we saw that in the Athletic series where, you know,
he made a few base running gaffes and, you know, didn't
really perform all that well in the series.
(22:26):
Even though the Jazz just come off A10 game-winning streak.
You would think all would be good.
But he is under the microscope with everything he does.
And he's supposed to be driving the bus right now and he's not.
So I think, I don't think the Jays would ever say, yeah, we're
worried about that flag. But I think quietly, you know,
back in the background, they're they're trying to get this guy
(22:48):
going because if he goes off, then it it just all of a sudden
it makes this team that much more deadly.
You're not relying on the 7/8 and hitters to drive in all the
runs like they did today. You're relying on 123, which
traditionally you should be. So I've I don't know what it is
(23:08):
with Vlad, it seems like his approach has changed a bit.
He's not quite as aggressive this year.
He's not chasing as many pitchesoutside the zone, which again,
this could be a David Popkins initiative or directive, but
yeah, he's just not. He's not doing damage on
fastballs. And because of that, he's not
(23:29):
hitting a ton of home runs. So it's a little worrisome.
I don't think it's DEFCON 5, butit's something, it's something
to keep an eye on here because we're we're past the halfway
point of the season. Yeah, because like I noticed
like, like it seems like his timing is a bit off, like you
said, like like I wonder like ifhe has to like go back.
(23:49):
And I know that he does work with his uncle Wilton Guerrero
in the offseasons and stuff. I wonder if he has to like talk
to him about it or whatever it is.
But some people even say his launch angle is his, like his
degree is a little bit lower than usual.
Like I mean the bat speeds there.
Like do you think like he needs to make a readjustment at at
(24:09):
some point you would have to sayto to get back to where you need
to get to? Right.
I think typically ever since Baseball Savant launched this,
the launch angle and the swing app data, Vlad's always been
like a low launch angle guy. He's not doesn't typically have
an uppercut swing like you wouldsee other players.
(24:32):
They believe George Springer is a pretty uppercut swing guy, but
it's just the fact that Vlad swings the bat so hard it goes
far, even though he's swinging his launch angles pretty low.
So that's also in previous years, why we've seen him.
The thing was always ground balllike ground hitting.
(24:52):
He pounded balls into the ground.
They were 110 miles an hour, butthey were still at ground ball.
So it's I'd be reticent to like,I don't want it to, I'm, I'm of
it. I don't, I'm not a baseball
player. I can't tell them what to do.
But I'd be reluctant to try to tweak swings in the middle of a
season because that could make things worse.
(25:14):
Like, I don't know if you play golf, but I would kind of like
in it to trying to make swing adjustments when you're golfing
in the middle of your round. Like it's just it seems like a
recipe for disaster. So Vlad is the type of player we
have seen hot streaks from him this season, but it just feels
like the cold streaks have been more often and for longer.
(25:37):
So I'm sure it's coming around, but it's just, it feels like, it
feels like whatever he's doing right now is is not working.
Um, another player who's actually been a breakout player
for the Blue Jays is Addison Barger.
He's been a major factor of thisteam both offensively and
(25:59):
defensively. Today's game against the Giants,
Game 2 of of the series, he was 4 for four and, and he's just
doing everything altogether for this Jays.
And, and I know in the offseasonthe people were saying the Jays
need to get 2 bats, they ended up getting one.
But Barger seems like he's a founding player, and how
(26:22):
important of a player is he moving forward, especially the
way he's playing right now? Oh yeah, he's huge.
He's basically he's given the Blue Jays the production they
were probably expecting from Anthony Santander, right.
He like Barger, is that left-handed power bat.
He's not a switch hitter like Santander, but he can pull us.
(26:43):
Barger can play the outfield, Hecan play third base, both
positions pretty capably. And the thing was he had he was
kind of the odd man out in spring training, had a pretty
decent campaign in the spring and seemed like he would
probably be a shoe in to make the roster.
But I think just because of the crunch you know, you've got,
(27:04):
you're trying to fit Miles Strong on the roster, who I
believe doesn't have options andother guys like David Schneider
and whatnot. Barger was on the outside
looking in, but I also felt likelast year, you saw the draw
tools, right? Like you saw the bat speed, you
saw the arm. And it felt like if you give
(27:24):
this guy enough runway, he's gonna make a difference.
And luckily because of it's funny, because of the Santander
injury, that is given Barger thewindow and the opportunity to
establish himself as an everydayplayer with the Blue Jays.
So I, I hope that he's here to stay and this production is, is
(27:46):
here for good. But wouldn't this be an
incredible development story forthe Jays, right?
Because they just haven't had very much success developing,
drafting and developing everydayposition players.
It always, it feels like, oh, the Dodgers.
The Dodgers know how to do this.The Yankees know how to do this.
Why can't the Jays draft and develop everyday position
(28:07):
players? And for, for, for who are we
talking about? Addison Barsh?
Yeah, for Addison Burger to comein and, you know, be one of the
top three hitters on the on the team this year out of nowhere, I
mean, that's huge. All of a sudden now the
(28:28):
priorities shift for this team. You know, they're probably, I
mean, there may be looking for abat at the trade deadline, but I
don't know. That's not a priority anymore
because you're having guys like Barger contribute every day and
have a huge game. Like he was 4 for four in
today's game. That was a dynamic for him.
So it's it's like found money right now.
(28:50):
And if if Santander comes back at some point this year, it's
it's going to be hard to shoehorn all these guys in.
But that's a good problem to have.
Yeah, not to mention that Varsho, I think he'll probably
be the first guy to be back in Jimenez.
He was starting to turn the corner until he had that ankle
injury. So I mean, if you look at this
team itself, like you look at the depth of this team, you look
(29:12):
at you look at, like you said, any contribution.
And it seems like this front office is a little bit more
patient. Because remember that trade last
year with Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner and they were saying
like, oh, you can't fix these guys.
These guys can't stay healthy. But I mean, when you look at it
like, look at the benefits from last year's trade to this year.
I mean, you get to Brayden Fishers, you low profile has
(29:36):
been a big factor since you got called up.
Will Wagner has been clutch. Like, how important are all
these guys like moving forward with the depth they're
providing? Even you could mention David
Schneider as well. Yeah, and even Jonathan Johnson
clause, I know he's down in the he's down the Miners right now,
but you know, he got a few big hits for the Blue Jays earlier
this season. Yeah, it's funny how all these
(29:59):
guys that the the Jays acquired at the trade deadline last year
when they had no chance of contending or becoming role
players for the team. This year, in the back of my
head, I wonder because as you said, there's kind of going to
be a roster shift here with guyslike Varsha coming back.
I wonder or is this like a showcase for them to the Jays to
(30:21):
potentially present like a loperfido or who knows, Nathan
Lucas, Miles Straw, David Schneider as a as a potential
trade? Like could they be included in a
trade because all of those guys are having pretty decent seasons
right now. I think you could make the case
that subtracting once you get Varsho back and subtracting one
(30:42):
of these guys off the roster, ifthat makes your team better, I
think the Blue Jays should absolutely do it.
But these all these guys are really contributing.
So I'm interested to see how this plays out over the course
of a full season. The thing with the loperfido was
he was always heralded for his power numbers.
But really, again, this may be aDavid Popkins thing, but he's
(31:04):
hitting more to contact hitting for average this year.
He's really, it seems like everybody's kind of buying into
this philosophy. So it's it's been fun to see.
It's a definitely a much different and a much more
dynamic Jays team than we've seen the last couple years.
Who would you say is the MVP of this team?
(31:26):
Because like you mentioned earlier in this episode that
Ernie Clement mentioned about Lauer being under consideration.
Kirk's probably been the most consistent player both ways.
I mean, he was an All Star this year.
George Springer has refound his success once again after a
couple down seasons and he lookslike the old George of George
(31:48):
once again. And then like you said, you
could mention about Barger, you could mention about Clement.
Who's found success. I mean who?
Who would you be the MVP or MVP's of the Sewer Co?
MVP's. Well, so I'll give you the nerd
answer first because I'm just looking at the war totals.
WAR leader on the Jays right nowon Fan Grasses, Alejandro Kirk
(32:12):
at 3.1 WAR, You know that a lot of that is rooted in defence and
defence is still, it's an important facet of the game.
But to me, I kinda wanna say this all.
Give you a few. Uh, I'll say Ernie Clement as
(32:33):
one, a dude who has come in and played many positions and still,
you know, performs really well as an everyday infielder.
I thought coming into the season, third base was probably
the one area on the team where the Blue Jays really could have
improved. Like this is a situation where
(32:55):
you really miss a guy like Matt Chapman.
Obviously he's gone and playing for the Giants now, but I don't
think anyone's Clement has filled that void as being as a
third baseman and also filling in at shortstop and 2nd and
first base as well. Yeah, I'll say George Springer
too, right? Another guy I completely wrote
off, I wrote a piece earlier this season for Blue Jays
(33:18):
Nation. One of my preseason or my bold
predictions was the Jays are gonna release George Springer
this year just because he was having such a poor year last
year and had a really bad springtraining.
And you know, he's 35. He's not the bat speed was was
slowing down too. And I just assumed Jays are
going to, you know, just buy himout like like the Yankees did
(33:40):
with DJ Lee Mayhew. And as you said, he's
rediscovered the fountain of youth, Um, hitting, hitting home
runs, seeing the ball really well, taking walks, you know,
striking out a decent amount, but getting off really good
swings as well. And you know, if I have to pick
one more, I don't know if I wantto say Eric Lauer, but the the
(34:05):
highest WAR total on the the pitching staff has been Crisp
Bassett, one dude who not a lot of people are talking about.
You know, he's pitched deep intoa few games here and there, but
not a guy who's really going to overpower and strike out a ton
of guys. But overall, he's been really
valuable and pitched some prettyimportant games for the Blue
(34:25):
Jays this year. So I guess if I had to pick my
top three, it's it's it's Clement, Springer and Bass.
Can't go wrong with that. OK, let's talk about John
Schneider here and I think this is probably an important year
from being a free agent after it's he doesn't have a contract.
(34:45):
He was hired in the middle of the 2022 season, so pretty much
around three years now. He's been hired now after the
Montoyo firing and they did end up winning 92 games in 20/22/23.
It was a bit of a down year overall, but they were still
playoff team. And last year was probably his
disappointing year as a manager.And this year, this might be his
(35:08):
best start or best season as a manager thus far in his early
career. How do you look at a guy like
John Schneider as this manager and and moving forward?
Does he deserve to get another contract and also mention about
him potentially being a Manager of the year candidate?
(35:30):
Yeah, it's funny how you can kind of go from worst to 1st and
all of a sudden everybody's, youknow, there was people who were
calling for his job last year and now it's like, hey, can we
sign this guy? We can't sign this guy to a
contract extension fast enough. But he's pulled.
I'll give the, I'll give him credit.
He's pulled all the right leversthis year.
It seems like he's made. I don't.
(35:50):
I really can't think of very many decisions where I was
wondering what he was doing or second guessing pitching changes
or matchups or things like that.He's really done a great job and
this is probably this is the do with the coaching staff as well,
but they put a lot of players ingood positions to succeed,
whether it is playing matchups or whatnot.
(36:14):
Moving guys around the diamond haven't been a ton of like
everyday aside from maybe you'velied not a you and Bo it's
short. You're cycling a lot of guys in
and out of the lineup, making sure that they you maximize
every single ounce of war out ofthese guys.
(36:34):
And I, yeah, I would say he probably John Schneider probably
warrants a an extension. You know, he had a rough exit
from the the wild card series inin Minnesota.
And I think that was a real teachable moment for him.
You know, I think the Jays, theygot cute and they tried to play
(36:56):
matchups and, you know, they wanted to get Coochie out of
there, even though Barrios was was cruising.
And I think that was probably something that was predetermined
way before the game even started.
And if, you know, if you ask John again, I'm sure he would
say, yeah, we probably shouldn'thave done that.
But that's a that's hopefully a moment where he thinks that in
the back of his mind and relies on feel rather than the the data
(37:19):
or the analytics. But yeah, I think most people
have kind of come around on him.Last year, I would, if you asked
most people, they would have said this is a the the roster is
a front office issue, right? It wasn't a John Schneider
issue. Like he didn't, he just had the
people he had. There wasn't enough talent on
(37:41):
that team. It wasn't John Schneider's
fault. He was Ross Atkins and Mark
Shapiro for not reinforcing thatroster.
But you know, they did the work this offseason and they gave
John a better, more well-roundedroster.
And for that the the Jazz are exceeding this well this year
and and so is John. Yeah, absolutely.
(38:02):
And would you give credit to Demarlo Hale, too?
I know he, he's been with the Jays in the past before.
And it's so funny that they brought him back in now in 15
and 16 and 17. And he looks like he's, you
know, he's also a big part of the success, right?
Yeah, for sure. I always, I always forget about
Demarlo, right? Because, excuse me, we saw him
(38:23):
exit and he's kind of like the, I guess like second in command
to John Schneider. You kind of maybe stepped in
where Don Mattingly kind of tooka step back this year.
But yeah, it's it's all worked. So from a fan perspective, it's
always, you never really know who's in charge of what, right?
(38:44):
Because John's like the front man.
He answers all the questions, hetalks to the media.
Most people assume that he's filling out the lineup card, but
I'm sure it's not just him. It's him in concert with Hail
and the analytics department andwhatnot.
But yeah, everything, everythingseems to be working this year.
So I don't think anyone's really, really second guessing
(39:05):
much stuff right now. How do you look at the 2025 Blue
Jays so far? Like I said, there's some
statistics that that's been talked about that's been
compared to the 90s J's, the 1516 J Well, more 16 than 15
because I know that they were under 500 after 100 games.
But the fact that they're, you know, playing at a high level
(39:29):
and you look at the run differential, I know Michael Kay
was saying something about that,but I mean, not always coming up
fruition, right? But what, what, what team right
now with the Blue Jays? Does this remind you
historically compared to the past Blue Jays?
Yeah, I'd have to go back the run.
(39:50):
The run differential by the way is up to plus 24.
So it's it's creeping up there. It's no, it's no longer
negative. So that's good.
Yeah, because the the personality of this team is it's
pitching, but it is more so their strength is bullpen and
(40:12):
then it's also defence. You know, hey, I had a lot of
like carryovers from last year, really good defensive players.
And then you added Andrew Simon is one of the best defenders in
baseball. And now they're they're
personality, as we talked about earlier, is kind of pitch to
contact, not straight out. A single is fine.
Just get on base and let the next guy drive you in.
(40:35):
So it's not quite, I feel like the 93 team was reported.
They had a lot of sluggers in that team, but a lot of pitch,
lot of contact hitters as well too.
So if I had to think of one off the top of my head, maybe it
would be 909293 because 15 they were just they just out slugged
everyone and actually sorry, maybe 2016 too.
(40:57):
Like the the 2016 team, they were much stronger pitching
staff, but their offence kind oftook a step back in 2016
compared to 2015. So if I had to give a, I'd have
to dive into the stats, but if Ihad to give you 2 teams this,
statistically they look similar to probably 93 and 2016 I would
(41:20):
say. I know that we talk about 2016,
that was a much older roster too.
This team is significantly younger.
You would say with the core and all that stuff in.
I like to structure this team isbuilt.
We'll see how this team goes throughout the way.
The next question I want to ask you is I want to talk about a
(41:42):
little bit into the farm. The draft is happened not too
long ago and it seems like the Jades got 17 and 19 signings
done and the Blue Jays farm was one of the worst the last few
years. But it seems to have turned
around. If you look at the pitching
that's been coming around with the Cal Stephens, the Gauge
(42:04):
Staniford trailer, Savage, of course, Jerome Watts, Brown,
Kendra Rojas, what kind of shapeis this farm now all of a
sudden? Because now that there's a
little bit of buzz in the systemnow being pitching heavy.
Yeah, so I'll stay out of the gate.
I'm not quite as in tune with the the farm system as others
(42:27):
who cover the Jays are. So my, my knowledge is kind of
on the periphery, but I would say they're creeping up there.
Like going into this year, therewere still a bottom 10 farm
system, but with the emergence of, you know, Yesavage has
really turned that around and he's up in AA now.
Namal is still quite a ways away, but still the number one
(42:52):
prospect in the in this system. And I guess a lot of it kind of
hinges on what happens with Ricky Tidman too, right?
Like he was guy last year who prior to his injuries, it felt
like, oh, there's maybe a potential we see him in the
major leagues right now. So we'll have to wait and see.
And also which of these prospects get dealt at the trade
(43:13):
deadline, right? I don't think there's not a
scenario where the Jays exit thetrade deadline with all their
top prospects in hand. I just don't I don't see it like
they're not I don't think they're going to clean house
like they did in 2015. But in order to get some impact
players, you're going to have totrade some some big names like a
yesavage, potentially Namala as well.
(43:35):
So we'll have to see. But I would say around the
league, it does seem like the the reputation of this farm
system is getting better. It's not, you know, it's not
quite in the echelon of like the, the Boston Red Sox or the
Los Angeles Dodgers, right? But it's, it's, it's getting
there. And I think the fact that as we
(43:56):
talked about earlier, you're having internal success stories
like with David Schneider and also with Addison Barger, it's,
it's just lending more credibility to the farm system.
It's, it's got a long ways to go.
It's not quite where it was right before, you know,
Bichette, Biggio, Guerrero all came up.
(44:16):
But, you know, maybe we're five,maybe we're 5-6 years away from
from this farm system being in the top 10 again.
OK, the next question, so you wrote an article about 6
candidates that the Jay should target.
This is your ballpark and it's the floor is yours.
And talk about what's the most important need that Jays needed
(44:40):
target and if they need to target more than one thing.
I know you talked briefly about,but mention some names that
would make sense for the Blue Jays heading into this trade
deadline. Sure.
So if we go for rental, because I did one on rental starters, I
also did one on controllable starters if I had my pick of a
rental starter. Right now, my topic was Merrill
(45:04):
Kelly having a really good season.
He's averaging 5.8 innings per start.
Not a ton of red flags there. I believe he's 36 years old, so
he's a bit of a veteran, but hadsome success in the World Series
with the Dbacks a couple years ago and he's a free agent at the
end of this year. So, you know, probably you're
(45:27):
not having to part with a top five prospect to get him.
Maybe that's someone I think would be really kind of raise
the floor of the Blue Jays starting rotation.
Another interesting name was Mike Soroka, who's on the
Washington National. He's got a career heist
strikeout rate right now. His ERA, Don't look at it.
(45:51):
It doesn't look good but is expected.
URA is about two runs lower thanhis actual ERA.
So you know, maybe it's some badbatted ball luck, maybe he's
getting bad habit or whatnot, but he's still striking out a
ton of dudes as well when we go to controllable starters.
And again, this is all with the caveat that we don't know who's
(46:13):
buying and who's selling can really change a lot over the
next couple of weeks. I circled my top get wish list
guy would be Jacob de Grom. You know it's going to be he's
got a ton of money on that contract, 2 plus years left with
a conditional option year. But I think if you're looking
(46:34):
for an impact starter, a number one guy who could pitch you, you
know, game one of the ALDS, thatis the guy that you want to get.
The other thing too is when you go and if you get a Jacob
degrom, that means you're competitors can't either.
So the Yankees, the Tigers, the Astros, they all have to go get
(46:55):
their second best option rather than their first best option.
So I think that's kind of like apie in the sky scenario.
Another guy circled with Chris Bubik of the the Kansas City
Royals. They turned it back into a
starter this year and he's had areally good season, was named an
All Star. They lowered his arm angle a
(47:16):
little bit and seems to be having a really, really good
success with that despite a lackof velocity.
And then I may do, I may write another piece about this.
But I feel like now, especially with the way the success that
Eric Lauer is having as of late,I've kind of done in 180, which
maybe goes to show you how oftenthis changes in front offices,
(47:37):
their priorities. But I think impact the bullpen
arm might actually be the biggest, biggest thing the Blue
Jays could do at this trade deadline.
So that would be if you're goingto get a manual Class A Meeson,
Miller, Griffin, Jax, Johann Duran, any of these relievers
(48:00):
who are would immediately, I don't know if you bring them in,
they become your closer, but would just, you know, raise the
ceiling that much more on your bullpen.
So if you had to ask me right now, what would be the number
one need for this Jays team? I honestly think it is high
leverage reliever. And then after that it is a
(48:22):
starter, maybe mid to upper tierdepending on depending on what
you're willing to give up. Right, because I know that it's
a crucial time of the year and you look at other teams are
going to be competitive right inboth leagues and it's and it's
gonna be a sellers market once again.
And it's all depending on what the asking prices are.
(48:43):
And that's I think that's what'simportant, like you said, like
so I want to talk a bit about the front office here.
And I think this is an importantpart for the especially Mark
Chaparro. His contract expires after this
year and I believe Frost Atkins has one year left on his deal.
But talk in depth about them. I know that James click spinning
(49:03):
with our organization lookup hasbeen there forever, right?
So and then and then you had theMike Mirage, Joel Sheehan,
Sandra Trout. I mean, they just hired David
Bell, like how important now is with Mark Shapiro now having a
crucial year, you know that Edward Rogers wants to win and
(49:24):
show the willingness by slappingthat extension with flat given
an extension to Kirk signing Santander and they're in first
place in such a long time. And, and, and he envisioned
something similar to what 15 and16 were having, winning baseball
and having a massive crowd. And now now with Shapiro, do you
(49:44):
see him still continuing with with this team long term?
And how? How do you envision that?
Yeah, I would think so. I kind of think they'll be given
the rope to kind of see this outa little bit longer, right?
It's a little bit opposite to what we see in our friends over
(50:04):
the Toronto Maple Leafs, right? Like they they've made so many
coaching changes, GM changes, president changes in the same
the same 10 years that that RossAtkins and Mark Shapiro have
been no in power in the Blue Jays.
And you know, the Leafs have hadsome playoff success, but by
(50:28):
their measures, it's been a failure.
And the Jays still have not. You know, they've been to the
playoffs. They haven't won a game, they
haven't won a series. I think that maybe changes if we
see this team make a deep playoff run.
The thing for Mark, right, like he, I don't want to say he was
brought in primarily for the forthe stadium renovations, but I
(50:49):
think the Jays saw what Shapiro spearheaded in Cleveland at
Progressive Field, being able torenovate that ballpark and they
wanted to get that done in Toronto.
And you know, it's been done. Ballpark looks great.
They've made that, renovated that stadium as much as they
(51:10):
possibly can. So now the focus is on the
primary focus is on the team, making the team better.
And I don't think, I also don't think the organization would
have given the road for the front office to sign Vlad to a
$500 million contract and not see this through a little bit
(51:30):
longer to kind of maybe potentially sign a deal with Bob
Shad as well and maybe sign someother big contracts too.
So to me, I feel like, yeah, they're, they're probably are
extensions on the horizon here for, for Ross Atkins and Mark
Shapiro. Because if they weren't, if they
(51:51):
weren't fired a few years ago after that Twins series, then I,
I kind of felt like, well, they're probably gonna be here
for a long time. So whether you're a fan or
whatnot, I know some fans just kind of loathe everything they
do And, and I get it. But I think overall, you know,
they've produced a lot of winning ball ball clubs here.
They just haven't had success inthe playoffs.
(52:12):
So I think that is the next big box to check for this
organization. I think that's important too
because the way now that you know, this team hasn't won a
playoff game since 2016, which is 9 years and counting.
So it's a significantly amount of time.
So so now that did this extensions were done and we saw,
(52:36):
like I said, Edward wants to winand I know that Mark will not
jump the gun. And looking at everything at the
team as a whole, because people complained about Moreno and
Gurriel traded for Varsho, who is going to be a free agent
after next year. And you look at boats for you
mentioned about him potentially getting extension and then you
(52:56):
look at Bassett and shirts are in Chad Green, all free agents,
but there is financial flexibility at the same time.
And I think with Barger being a pivotal piece of this franchise
is so intricate at this point. So let me ask you this, how do
you envision this team long term?
Like now that it's all of a sudden this this team has pulled
(53:18):
the 180 from last year. This is something they have
envisioned the last few years that hasn't happened till
finally now in the Vlad Bo era. Like how do you look at this
team long term? Yeah, I think they're gonna
continue to be. They're gonna flex their
financial muscle in the MLB landscape.
(53:39):
I think that's always been one of their competitive strengths
against other teams, especially against other teams in the
division where you're seeing teams cry poor that ohf we can't
sign this guy for $5,000,000 like the Jays.
I mean, they signed Scherzer to,I assumed it was when he went
down, I was like, oh, that's it,that's it, that's it for the
(54:01):
year for him. That's $15 million gone.
And you know, some teams that's half their payroll.
So I think long term, I think they're going to continue to
spend like, why would you spend 500 million on Vlad and not
continue to double, triple and quadruple down?
I think, you know, they were, weheard them being aggressive
(54:23):
after Shohei Otani a couple years ago.
I don't know how far they got with Juan Soto last year, but
they were in the in the conversation.
You know, we heard them talking to Corbin Burns as well, too.
So all I think it takes is one guy and they got Santander, who
is, you know, a premier free agent.
(54:44):
Hasn't worked out as of yet, butI think we're slowly starting to
see the tide shift and they're going to continue to be
aggressive in free agency. And I think that's probably
especially on the pitching side because there's a ton of
turnover coming in the starting rotation.
Like as you said, Bassett, Scherzer, free agents at the end
(55:07):
of this year, Gausman at the endof next year.
Embryos can opt out I believe after the end of next year.
So there's some turnover coming.They're going to need to fill
those spots. Alec Minor was, you know,
probably going to be one of those guys, but you still need
some top end talent. So I think they're going to
(55:27):
continue to spend, hopefully draft wisely, and have some good
internal success stories like we've seen this year with a
Loperfido, Schneider, Barger andwhatnot.
No, I think I think it's so important.
And and The thing is like, like you said, like I remember when
(55:48):
the 80 to 90s Blue Jays, there were two different teams, like,
and there was a dramatic shift in between that timeline.
And I could see something like this with this team moving
forward. Like could you see that the same
way? Because like you said, these
guys are really, really young too.
Like, and one thing you got to give credit to Edward Rogers in
this front office is that they're patient and they're
(56:11):
willing to go patient. Like how much credit would you
take on this front office being patient for guys like David
Schneider struggling coming backand being the player he is or
Mark Maestro becoming the playerthis year and Loperfido, his
strikeout rate is down 14%. They fixed him and they will wag
their come. I mean the contribution like
how, how important is that patients with with this
(56:32):
organization to to have a founding success?
Yeah, I think that. Excuse me?
I think that tells you the difference between kind of like
the patients with a fan and thenalso the patients with with
like, fantasy baseball managers.Yeah, for example, like for me,
(56:52):
I have a fantasy baseball team and if a guy I have has a bad
month, I drop him, you know, like, and I think fans are can
be very similar. Like we saw David Schneider have
really, really tough start to the season.
Most people assumed, OK, we'll just DFA and get rid of them.
But he's bounced back. So I think patience can be a
(57:15):
virtue, but it can also be a fault at times, right?
Like you maybe give guys too much rope, but at the same time,
you also don't want to let go ofDavid Schneider.
And then, you know, he joins thethe Tampa Bay Rays and becomes
an everyday player there and becomes an MVP candidate because
that's exactly what would happen, right?
(57:35):
Like it's that's that's a Toronto sports thing.
So I know from the fan side, people don't want to hear the
you have to be patient and you kind of have to wait.
And because these are assets, right?
Like you just don't want to givepeople away for free.
So I think that is at times, like I said, it's a, it's a
virtue times, it's a fault. But these guys in the front
(57:59):
office, they know what they're doing.
We're just kind of on the periphery and we don't know
everything that's going on in the background.
Ian, we appreciate you taking the time, giving us some great
insight, great information. Where can we find you in social
media and everywhere else? Yep.
(58:19):
So I'm on. I still call it Twitter.
I know I shouldn't. We all do.
So mine Twitter slash X at Bluejay hunter and I'm also on
blue sky as well if people are over there too.
Same handle as well and usually posting various whatever
articles I'm working on or just general stats that I see come up
(58:43):
from from Jays games a lot this year.
I've noticed there's been a lot of new precedents, right?
Like there's been a lot of, you know, the days haven't won this
many games in their first 90 some odd games since 20/15/2016.
So it's a lot of these are the fun numbers to look up, not last
year. Like how many strikeouts have
the Jays had in a game and lost?Oh, this is a new franchise
(59:05):
record, stuff like that. So yeah, if you want to follow
me on either of those things, feel free and I appreciate any
interactions with the with everybody.
Yeah, we thank you once again because, because like I said,
I've been a long time fall with you for for a good decade or so.
And, and make sure you follow Ian Hunter will place the
(59:29):
description below. But until next time, take care.
Be kind to each other. Signing off from the Blue Jays
Ave. Podcast on Saturday, July 19th,
2025. Yeah.
Welcome to another edition of the Blue Jays Ave. podcast.
Unfortunately my Co host wasn't able to make it today, but he'll
be in in the future episodes. But we have a special guest in
here today works for Blue Jays Nation.
Ian Hunter, it's been a long time coming.
We are honored to have you here.Welcome and just let the world
(00:52):
know what you do besides Blue Jays Nation.
Well, yeah, that's pretty much it.
It's kind of I've, I started my foray into Blue Jays writing
back in 2007 with my own blog ona blog spot.
That's that's how old I am. I don't know if you remember
Blogspots, but yeah, yeah. So it started back then.
(01:15):
And I would just basically use that site as a sounding board to
vent my frustrations about the late till the 2007 to 2011 Blue
Jays. And I've been writing for
various places here and there, like Daily Hive, Toronto Life,
occasional article here and there.
(01:36):
But yeah, I've been in of a BlueJays Nation for on and off I
think for about 7 years now. So it's seen the a lot of good
Jays teams, a lot of bad Jays teams.
But this one's probably up therewith one of the most interesting
to write about and talk about for sure.
Yeah, I mean, it's a great time to be a Blue Jays fan, that's
(01:58):
for sure. And like I said, been following
your work for a significant amount of time.
And like I said, it's a long time coming and you know, we're
just happy for you to be here and let's get this thing
started. Alright, so I want to ask you
this question here. So the last time the Blue Jays
were in first place prior to theAll-Star break, it was back in
(02:21):
1993. Like we think about the most
recent success was around 1516. I know that the Blue Jays been
in the playoffs 3 of the last four years.
And you know this, this team is in a unique spot and we haven't
seen anything like this for a significant amount of time.
Like are you shocked that the Blue Jays are in first place
(02:43):
while even till now two games after the All Star break?
But does this come as a surprisefor you?
Yeah, yeah, completely. I don't.
I don't. If you told me preseason that
the Jays would spend a day in first place at all, I would have
wondered what hallucinogen you were on.
(03:03):
But you know, the fact that theykind of have a comfortable lead
right now is pretty astonishing.Rattling off A10 game win
streak, Sinking the Yankees at home in a four-game series.
That's huge. They haven't been in first place
in the division this late in theseason since what was it, 2016?
(03:27):
I think so, yeah, we're almost we're almost 10 years now that
the Jays haven't contended for adivision title because in
previous years, you know, a couple of years ago, Yankees
were running away with the division.
Orioles a few years ago as well.So really their best shot was
either for second or third wild card.
But yeah, they're in contention for a division title and looking
(03:51):
pretty strong. And The funny thing is they're
underperforming and yet they're overperforming at the same time.
So yes, you're getting roll guyschipping in for wins here and
there, but you're still not getting elite production from
Vladimir Guerrero, Junior Bouchette, you've got nothing
from Anthony Santander. Dalton Verse shows only been
(04:14):
there for a handful of games, yet Despite that they're what
was it 16 games above 500 at time recording now.
So yeah, this is yeah, this is wild.
I didn't. I did not have this on my bingo
card whatsoever. So let me ask you a question
before I go on to the next topicis so the Blue Jays are I
believe were 25 and 27, I could be wrong around May 28th, 8
(04:40):
games out of first place. And what was your mind at that
time before they went on on on aserious run?
I think like most fans, it was oh great, it's a repeat of last
year just because the the way the first month and change of
(05:01):
the season started out, it was similar to last year.
A lot of low scoring games for their on their end, not hitting
very many home runs, giving up alot of home runs by their
pitching staff. And those were things that
really sunk them last year. So you saw them losing some
close games and just failing to score 3 plus runs in a game.
(05:26):
I didn't think the season was over at that point, but I knew
it was a it was going to be an uphill battle.
And yeah, two months later, they're in first place.
I don't it's, it's crazy. Like the Jays not only have been
outperforming, but also also helps that the Yankees have
faltered as of late. You know, they were kind of
coasting a little bit in April and May.
(05:48):
They've come back down to earth.And now you've got the Red Sox
kind of nipping at their heels as well.
They were on a streak as of late.
So it's. Yeah, it's been a tale of two
completely different seasons forthe Blue Jays.
Talk about the 10 game-winning streak.
I don't know you. You briefly talked about the
Yankees, how the Jay swept them in a four-game series for the
(06:10):
first time in the history of that franchise.
Nobody has expected that. And then with those Angels
games, it was nitty gritty, likenobody expected them to win by
that of a margin with with a lesser production of the
offence. But the like the guys step up.
Like talk about that whole process.
Compare those to those few, those 15 Jays when they had
(06:32):
those 211 game-winning streaks and I know they were so close.
And could you see another winning streak in the horizon?
Yeah, I think I'd have to go andlook what the Jays cause they
had two 10 game-winning streaks in 2015, correct?
Believe so, but I'm willing to bet that the way they won those
(06:52):
games, they probably, excuse me,really outside their opponents
that that 10 game series we justwitnessed was, as you said, I
think there were all three one run victories against the
Angels, Cup of one close one with the I think there was only
one real true blowout. It was a seven run game against
the Yankees. But it was always a different
(07:15):
guy, right? Like if it wasn't Nathan Lucas,
it was a Joey Loperfido or DavidSchneider or mostly guys at the
bottom of the order. I think Vlad had maybe 1 clutch
hit and Beau might have had one as well or George Springer as
well too. He had a giant gigantic.
Series. Against crazy, I forgot about
(07:37):
him, but yeah, it was. It seemed like at that time when
you're in a win streak, it felt like they couldn't lose, right?
Even if they went down, they were down two or three runs.
It felt like, oh, they're going to come back.
And I really everyone's talking about this, but that vibes or
the the aura surrounding this team feels very similar to that
(08:00):
2015 team where it just it felt like no lead was insurmountable.
And it was always going to be another guy chipping in, whether
back then it was Kevin Pullar, Ryan Goins, Chris Colabello, you
know, not just your the big boyslike Donaldson and Carnation and
(08:21):
Bautista. It would be other people
chipping in too. So there's some interesting
parallels between these two teams, oddly enough, 10 years
apart. I think it's the game you were
talking about the blow with the Red Sox.
I think what basket was pitchingbefore they ended up winning the
series in Boston. I think that was the blow up.
But I think they wanted that runand then I think it ended
(08:42):
against the White Sox by by one run.
So, yeah, it's incredible to saythat this team is just clicking
all cylinders. So with that being said, I want
to dive into the bullpen. It's been a strength in the Blue
Jays pitching staff this year, or if not the whole roster
itself, see different guys stepping up and talk about how
(09:06):
important this Bolton has been for the Blue Jays, especially
when it comes to like those marginal gains by one run, two
runs even like and and I believeJeff Hoffman is like top 3IN in
saves in baseball. Like talk about all that.
Who's been The X Factor? Is that what's so important
about this bullpen? I think I'd have to go and look,
(09:28):
but I feel like at this point last year, the Jays are
significantly better in the bullpen than they were a year
ago. And that was one of their hugest
weaknesses in 2024, among many things.
But yeah, it's I last time I checked, I believe their bullpen
was top ten in Major League Baseball last year.
(09:50):
They were like 30th, 29th or 30th.
So it just a huge improvement. And I know for Jeff Hoffman,
right, like you said, he's got aton of saves.
His ERA is just under 5 at the moment, but I think he kind of
got roughed up a little bit and if he had a few rough patches,
But other than that, having a pretty solid season, really it's
(10:14):
kind of been these unheralded guys like Yariel Rodriguez has
kind of been thrust into that 8th inning role with the with
the injury to Jimmy Garcia and he's been lights out in that
spot. Brendan Little was one of the
best relievers on the Blue Jays last year.
And I kind of thought to myself,I don't know if he's going to be
(10:35):
able to replicate this year. Now he's had trouble with walks,
but overall having a pretty solid season.
Chad Green last year was kind ofmiscast as the closer simply
because they had nobody else, right?
Like Ramana was injured, Garcia was down, so they had to throw
somebody in there. Chad Greens bounce back and had
(10:57):
a pretty decent season. And then you have guys like
Brayden Fischer, Brayden Fisher who's come out of nowhere.
Nick Sandlin. I know he's been on the ILA few
times, but overall his numbers are pretty decent.
So you look up and down and there's not a ton of weak links
in this bullpen right now, really just kind of at the
(11:17):
bottom of the bullpen. And that's normal for any team.
But overall, the quality of thisBlue Jays bullpen this year is
far superior than what we've seen last year for sure, and
maybe even two or three years ago, too.
Not to mention that Yumi Garcia is having setbacks with his
nerve impingement and he I don'tthink he'll be back anytime
(11:38):
soon. But yeah, it's it's great.
Go ahead, I. Think, yeah, I was gonna say
that. What was that, the latest?
They said something with his elbow, right?
So that's to me, that's kind of the kiss of death.
I'm not saying he's done for theyear, but kind of assume worst
case scenario here. Right, Yeah, that's that's
unfortunate part especially, youknow, get getting them at a
(12:00):
point where he was an important part of that bullpen in the last
few years before he got traded last year.
So let's get into the rotation here.
So the rotation's been better asof late.
And man, to start the season we thought that we know the big
(12:20):
three with the basket, Barrios and Gausman, we're going to be
the the three no matter what. But the other two are bit of a
question mark, especially when Scherzer went down after three
innings pitched in the third game of the season.
And then and then East San Lucaswas was brought up and then
bowed and Francis has been having his closest moment.
(12:42):
Now he's on the IL. Like I believe the Jays led the
league in TB. I don't know if they do now, but
talk about the rotation here, how it's been and it's been,
it's been fluctuating up and down and could it, could this be
sustainable at this point and, and, and briefly dive deep into
it. Yeah, so I looked the other day
(13:06):
going into Friday's game, I think the Jays had the 25th
starting rotation era in baseball.
So not great. But if you look over all at
their current rotation numbers like with Berrios facet,
Gossman, Lauer and Scherzer, actually not that bad.
(13:27):
The one thing to me that kind oftakes out a bit is Kevin
Gossman. He's having a very uneven
Gossman season. Strikeouts quiet are there is he
RA is at 4.19. He's had a few blow up games
here and there. So to me, I don't know if that's
cause for concern or not. So long as these guys are
(13:48):
healthy, I think they're OK. But yeah, it's been it's been an
odd season. Like, yeah, Baden Francis was
supposed to had a super strong second-half last year.
Most people assumed, myself included, that he would carry
that over into this year. But he's kind of taken a step
back in his development. I don't know if that was maybe
(14:08):
he was, maybe it was injury related all along, Who knows.
But again, you can't really, I don't think anyone pining for
him to jump back into the Blue Jays rotation.
It doesn't sound like he's goingto be back anytime soon.
So that seems to be OK. And then Eric Lauer, I believe,
after today's game, was it ErnieClement who said something like
(14:31):
he's been one of the MVP's on the team right now?
Lauers come out of nowhere. You know, he had a quality start
today, 7 strikeouts, his second quality start in the last three
games. Like it's been he's been unreal.
He just came out of nowhere completely right.
Like he pitched in Korea last year in the KBO and the Jays
(14:52):
just took a flyer on him and he's been electric.
So the one issue, and I don't it's this is for Ross Atkins to
figure out. But if you go out and get a
starting pitcher at the trade deadline, how do you how can you
bump a guy like Eric Lauer out of the rotation right now?
I don't think you can. I feel like he's kind of
(15:13):
performing, you know, to the best of his ability, if not
better than anyone expected. So does that mean you Scherzer
gets bounced from the starting rotation?
I mean, these are all good problems to have, but if you
want to acquire a starting pitcher, you want to be able to
fit him into that rotation. So, yeah, it's, I still think I,
(15:36):
I earlier this week, I kind of was leaning starting pitching
should be the priority for the Jays.
But I honestly, with the recent announcement about Jimmy Garcia,
I think bullpen may be the way to go.
But maybe the Jays do a little bit of call me and call me.
Maybe they get a mid rotation starting pitcher and then maybe
they go and get a bullpen armor to, to, to fill this thing out.
(15:58):
But yeah, the starting rotation,excuse me, has always has, yeah,
really been in flux this year, more so than it has been in the
last few years. Who would you give credit for
Eric Lauer success Because he's around, He's been around for a
little while. Like I saw him in Milwaukee.
I thought, I thought he was really good in Milwaukee.
He was in Houston last year. Didn't really pan out.
(16:20):
I just, I just didn't know what it was like coming into Toronto.
He's been, he's been a great fight.
Like would you give credit to Pete Walker, Justin Lear, the
organization? Like who would you give credit
to? Yeah, I guess probably the
first, first guy probably would be Pete Walker, right?
Like he's the the pitching coach, the guy who's working
(16:40):
most closely with a guy like this.
I'd have to look into whether maybe they've changed an arm
slot or something like that or changed his pitch mix.
But it's been he's been found money.
Like also, let's keep in mind, this is also the the Blue Jays
organization also traded for Robbie Ray in 2020 at the trade
(17:02):
deadline from the Dbacks. Didn't have a great second-half,
but the Jays resigned him as a free agent and seemed to unlock
something. And he won the Cy Young 2021,
right? So I think, yeah, maybe this
pitching, the pitching coaches like Pete Walker don't get
enough credit for finding guys like this or even the front
(17:24):
office too, like a Brayden Fisher.
You know, that was was he was the one who was traded for
Captain Biggio. I believe yeah, from the
Dodgers. Yeah, right.
So, and I think at the time of that trade, everyone assumed
while we're never going to see Brayden Fischer ever again, but
he's been had a really, really, really strong campaign this
year. So yeah, I, I think it's
probably, you know, credit to lower first and foremost for
(17:47):
making the adjustments and having this electric run here,
but also to Pete Walker for working with him and finding a
pitch mix that that works for this guy, too.
Let's get into the offence here.And we talked about the concerns
of this offence. Last year it was bottom 5:00 and
basically every category statistically.
(18:09):
And this year what they did was in the offseason, they fired
Gilmore, Martinez hired David Popkins as the hitting coach.
And now you look at you look at this team and you look at
yourself, it's like this offencenot really known for power.
They do hit power for home runs,just like Parliament today, for
(18:30):
example. And how do you how do you
classify this offence? Because they're not really known
for hitting for power and it seems like there's like a
different player that just contributes in all sorts of
capacities. If you look at Addison Barger,
you look at Loperfido, Will Wagner, like you could name all
(18:51):
the even mouse straw. Like how do you look at this,
this offence overall? Yeah, I think they're a far cry
from what we saw a few years agothat were was really reliant on
the long ball and home runs. They are a pitch to contact
team. They are second right now in
OBP, in baseball. I believe they're either they
(19:15):
strike out the least or the second least amount of times.
And baseball too. So yeah, as you said, they don't
hit a ton of home runs, which can be frustrating, especially
when you're getting guys on base.
But they, as we saw from Saturday's game here today, they
put a ton of traffic on the bases.
And eventually, at some point when you're getting hits, even
(19:36):
if they're singles, they're going to bunch up together and
you're going to score runs. So I'm starting to think this is
maybe a David Popkins approach where it's kind of just just get
your bat on the ball. Like don't worry about hitting
A10 run home run because if you get on base, the guy behind you
is probably going to drive you in.
(19:56):
And I think that balanced approach has really worked for a
lot of hitters. On this team, I don't it
doesn't. We haven't seen guys like
Bichette, Guerrero, Santander come alive under this approach,
but we have seen others really flourish like Alexandra Kirk,
George Springer, Nathan Lucas, Addison Barger, you know, go
(20:20):
down the list and all these guysare having a great season
offensively. And I think, you know, part of
that at least is, is due to David Popkins and this plan that
they've kind of set in place this year.
So I want to talk about Vlad since you mentioned his name and
we knew that he was gonna get that extension once all stated
(20:40):
that he got the extension at he was off to a decent start, not
the Vladdy start that we expected, but he's been
struggling a little bit lately. Like is there any concerns with
them with Flood? Because I know that there is a
track record. There are times that he does
struggle like this down the stretch and then he picks up
later in the season. Like what's your level of
(21:02):
concern with flat offensively and do you think he would he can
bounce back from this? So we're 95 games now into the
season and he's. Hit about 64, 64 games left.
So he's hit twelve home runs, which, you know, I definitely
would not have bet the under on on home runs for Vlad this year,
(21:23):
especially the way that he endedlast season.
And as you said, he didn't really go nuclear mode until
late June of last year. But you know, we're almost at
the end of July here and he's still having an OK, but not a
great season. You know, he's getting on base.
Credit to him. He's walking quite a bit.
(21:43):
He's got a career high walk rateright now, but he's just he's
not doing damage on fastballs this year as much as he has
traditionally. I think I I looked yesterday, he
has he had the fewest home runs through his first 96 games,
second lowest batting average and lowest slugging through the
(22:04):
1st 96 games of his career. So, but this is not looking
good. And because he's the $500
million man, he's going to be a lightning rod, right?
Like, we saw that in the Athletic series where, you know,
he made a few base running gaffes and, you know, didn't
really perform all that well in the series.
(22:26):
Even though the Jazz just come off A10 game-winning streak.
You would think all would be good.
But he is under the microscope with everything he does.
And he's supposed to be driving the bus right now and he's not.
So I think, I don't think the Jays would ever say, yeah, we're
worried about that flag. But I think quietly, you know,
back in the background, they're they're trying to get this guy
(22:48):
going because if he goes off, then it it just all of a sudden
it makes this team that much more deadly.
You're not relying on the 7/8 and hitters to drive in all the
runs like they did today. You're relying on 123, which
traditionally you should be. So I've I don't know what it is
(23:08):
with Vlad, it seems like his approach has changed a bit.
He's not quite as aggressive this year.
He's not chasing as many pitchesoutside the zone, which again,
this could be a David Popkins initiative or directive, but
yeah, he's just not. He's not doing damage on
fastballs. And because of that, he's not
(23:29):
hitting a ton of home runs. So it's a little worrisome.
I don't think it's DEFCON 5, butit's something, it's something
to keep an eye on here because we're we're past the halfway
point of the season. Yeah, because like I noticed
like, like it seems like his timing is a bit off, like you
said, like like I wonder like ifhe has to like go back.
(23:49):
And I know that he does work with his uncle Wilton Guerrero
in the offseasons and stuff. I wonder if he has to like talk
to him about it or whatever it is.
But some people even say his launch angle is his, like his
degree is a little bit lower than usual.
Like I mean the bat speeds there.
Like do you think like he needs to make a readjustment at at
(24:09):
some point you would have to sayto to get back to where you need
to get to? Right.
I think typically ever since Baseball Savant launched this,
the launch angle and the swing app data, Vlad's always been
like a low launch angle guy. He's not doesn't typically have
an uppercut swing like you wouldsee other players.
(24:32):
They believe George Springer is a pretty uppercut swing guy, but
it's just the fact that Vlad swings the bat so hard it goes
far, even though he's swinging his launch angles pretty low.
So that's also in previous years, why we've seen him.
The thing was always ground balllike ground hitting.
(24:52):
He pounded balls into the ground.
They were 110 miles an hour, butthey were still at ground ball.
So it's I'd be reticent to like,I don't want it to, I'm, I'm of
it. I don't, I'm not a baseball
player. I can't tell them what to do.
But I'd be reluctant to try to tweak swings in the middle of a
season because that could make things worse.
(25:14):
Like, I don't know if you play golf, but I would kind of like
in it to trying to make swing adjustments when you're golfing
in the middle of your round. Like it's just it seems like a
recipe for disaster. So Vlad is the type of player we
have seen hot streaks from him this season, but it just feels
like the cold streaks have been more often and for longer.
(25:37):
So I'm sure it's coming around, but it's just, it feels like, it
feels like whatever he's doing right now is is not working.
Um, another player who's actually been a breakout player
for the Blue Jays is Addison Barger.
He's been a major factor of thisteam both offensively and
(25:59):
defensively. Today's game against the Giants,
Game 2 of of the series, he was 4 for four and, and he's just
doing everything altogether for this Jays.
And, and I know in the offseasonthe people were saying the Jays
need to get 2 bats, they ended up getting one.
But Barger seems like he's a founding player, and how
(26:22):
important of a player is he moving forward, especially the
way he's playing right now? Oh yeah, he's huge.
He's basically he's given the Blue Jays the production they
were probably expecting from Anthony Santander, right.
He like Barger, is that left-handed power bat.
He's not a switch hitter like Santander, but he can pull us.
(26:43):
Barger can play the outfield, Hecan play third base, both
positions pretty capably. And the thing was he had he was
kind of the odd man out in spring training, had a pretty
decent campaign in the spring and seemed like he would
probably be a shoe in to make the roster.
But I think just because of the crunch you know, you've got,
(27:04):
you're trying to fit Miles Strong on the roster, who I
believe doesn't have options andother guys like David Schneider
and whatnot. Barger was on the outside
looking in, but I also felt likelast year, you saw the draw
tools, right? Like you saw the bat speed, you
saw the arm. And it felt like if you give
(27:24):
this guy enough runway, he's gonna make a difference.
And luckily because of it's funny, because of the Santander
injury, that is given Barger thewindow and the opportunity to
establish himself as an everydayplayer with the Blue Jays.
So I, I hope that he's here to stay and this production is, is
(27:46):
here for good. But wouldn't this be an
incredible development story forthe Jays, right?
Because they just haven't had very much success developing,
drafting and developing everydayposition players.
It always, it feels like, oh, the Dodgers.
The Dodgers know how to do this.The Yankees know how to do this.
Why can't the Jays draft and develop everyday position
(28:07):
players? And for, for, for who are we
talking about? Addison Barsh?
Yeah, for Addison Burger to comein and, you know, be one of the
top three hitters on the on the team this year out of nowhere, I
mean, that's huge. All of a sudden now the
(28:28):
priorities shift for this team. You know, they're probably, I
mean, there may be looking for abat at the trade deadline, but I
don't know. That's not a priority anymore
because you're having guys like Barger contribute every day and
have a huge game. Like he was 4 for four in
today's game. That was a dynamic for him.
So it's it's like found money right now.
(28:50):
And if if Santander comes back at some point this year, it's
it's going to be hard to shoehorn all these guys in.
But that's a good problem to have.
Yeah, not to mention that Varsho, I think he'll probably
be the first guy to be back in Jimenez.
He was starting to turn the corner until he had that ankle
injury. So I mean, if you look at this
team itself, like you look at the depth of this team, you look
(29:12):
at you look at, like you said, any contribution.
And it seems like this front office is a little bit more
patient. Because remember that trade last
year with Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner and they were saying
like, oh, you can't fix these guys.
These guys can't stay healthy. But I mean, when you look at it
like, look at the benefits from last year's trade to this year.
I mean, you get to Brayden Fishers, you low profile has
(29:36):
been a big factor since you got called up.
Will Wagner has been clutch. Like, how important are all
these guys like moving forward with the depth they're
providing? Even you could mention David
Schneider as well. Yeah, and even Jonathan Johnson
clause, I know he's down in the he's down the Miners right now,
but you know, he got a few big hits for the Blue Jays earlier
this season. Yeah, it's funny how all these
(29:59):
guys that the the Jays acquired at the trade deadline last year
when they had no chance of contending or becoming role
players for the team. This year, in the back of my
head, I wonder because as you said, there's kind of going to
be a roster shift here with guyslike Varsha coming back.
I wonder or is this like a showcase for them to the Jays to
(30:21):
potentially present like a loperfido or who knows, Nathan
Lucas, Miles Straw, David Schneider as a as a potential
trade? Like could they be included in a
trade because all of those guys are having pretty decent seasons
right now. I think you could make the case
that subtracting once you get Varsho back and subtracting one
(30:42):
of these guys off the roster, ifthat makes your team better, I
think the Blue Jays should absolutely do it.
But these all these guys are really contributing.
So I'm interested to see how this plays out over the course
of a full season. The thing with the loperfido was
he was always heralded for his power numbers.
But really, again, this may be aDavid Popkins thing, but he's
(31:04):
hitting more to contact hitting for average this year.
He's really, it seems like everybody's kind of buying into
this philosophy. So it's it's been fun to see.
It's a definitely a much different and a much more
dynamic Jays team than we've seen the last couple years.
Who would you say is the MVP of this team?
(31:26):
Because like you mentioned earlier in this episode that
Ernie Clement mentioned about Lauer being under consideration.
Kirk's probably been the most consistent player both ways.
I mean, he was an All Star this year.
George Springer has refound his success once again after a
couple down seasons and he lookslike the old George of George
(31:48):
once again. And then like you said, you
could mention about Barger, you could mention about Clement.
Who's found success. I mean who?
Who would you be the MVP or MVP's of the Sewer Co?
MVP's. Well, so I'll give you the nerd
answer first because I'm just looking at the war totals.
WAR leader on the Jays right nowon Fan Grasses, Alejandro Kirk
(32:12):
at 3.1 WAR, You know that a lot of that is rooted in defence and
defence is still, it's an important facet of the game.
But to me, I kinda wanna say this all.
Give you a few. Uh, I'll say Ernie Clement as
(32:33):
one, a dude who has come in and played many positions and still,
you know, performs really well as an everyday infielder.
I thought coming into the season, third base was probably
the one area on the team where the Blue Jays really could have
improved. Like this is a situation where
(32:55):
you really miss a guy like Matt Chapman.
Obviously he's gone and playing for the Giants now, but I don't
think anyone's Clement has filled that void as being as a
third baseman and also filling in at shortstop and 2nd and
first base as well. Yeah, I'll say George Springer
too, right? Another guy I completely wrote
off, I wrote a piece earlier this season for Blue Jays
(33:18):
Nation. One of my preseason or my bold
predictions was the Jays are gonna release George Springer
this year just because he was having such a poor year last
year and had a really bad springtraining.
And you know, he's 35. He's not the bat speed was was
slowing down too. And I just assumed Jays are
going to, you know, just buy himout like like the Yankees did
(33:40):
with DJ Lee Mayhew. And as you said, he's
rediscovered the fountain of youth, Um, hitting, hitting home
runs, seeing the ball really well, taking walks, you know,
striking out a decent amount, but getting off really good
swings as well. And you know, if I have to pick
one more, I don't know if I wantto say Eric Lauer, but the the
(34:05):
highest WAR total on the the pitching staff has been Crisp
Bassett, one dude who not a lot of people are talking about.
You know, he's pitched deep intoa few games here and there, but
not a guy who's really going to overpower and strike out a ton
of guys. But overall, he's been really
valuable and pitched some prettyimportant games for the Blue
(34:25):
Jays this year. So I guess if I had to pick my
top three, it's it's it's Clement, Springer and Bass.
Can't go wrong with that. OK, let's talk about John
Schneider here and I think this is probably an important year
from being a free agent after it's he doesn't have a contract.
(34:45):
He was hired in the middle of the 2022 season, so pretty much
around three years now. He's been hired now after the
Montoyo firing and they did end up winning 92 games in 20/22/23.
It was a bit of a down year overall, but they were still
playoff team. And last year was probably his
disappointing year as a manager.And this year, this might be his
(35:08):
best start or best season as a manager thus far in his early
career. How do you look at a guy like
John Schneider as this manager and and moving forward?
Does he deserve to get another contract and also mention about
him potentially being a Manager of the year candidate?
(35:30):
Yeah, it's funny how you can kind of go from worst to 1st and
all of a sudden everybody's, youknow, there was people who were
calling for his job last year and now it's like, hey, can we
sign this guy? We can't sign this guy to a
contract extension fast enough. But he's pulled.
I'll give the, I'll give him credit.
He's pulled all the right leversthis year.
It seems like he's made. I don't.
(35:50):
I really can't think of very many decisions where I was
wondering what he was doing or second guessing pitching changes
or matchups or things like that.He's really done a great job and
this is probably this is the do with the coaching staff as well,
but they put a lot of players ingood positions to succeed,
whether it is playing matchups or whatnot.
(36:14):
Moving guys around the diamond haven't been a ton of like
everyday aside from maybe you'velied not a you and Bo it's
short. You're cycling a lot of guys in
and out of the lineup, making sure that they you maximize
every single ounce of war out ofthese guys.
(36:34):
And I, yeah, I would say he probably John Schneider probably
warrants a an extension. You know, he had a rough exit
from the the wild card series inin Minnesota.
And I think that was a real teachable moment for him.
You know, I think the Jays, theygot cute and they tried to play
(36:56):
matchups and, you know, they wanted to get Coochie out of
there, even though Barrios was was cruising.
And I think that was probably something that was predetermined
way before the game even started.
And if, you know, if you ask John again, I'm sure he would
say, yeah, we probably shouldn'thave done that.
But that's a that's hopefully a moment where he thinks that in
the back of his mind and relies on feel rather than the the data
(37:19):
or the analytics. But yeah, I think most people
have kind of come around on him.Last year, I would, if you asked
most people, they would have said this is a the the roster is
a front office issue, right? It wasn't a John Schneider
issue. Like he didn't, he just had the
people he had. There wasn't enough talent on
(37:41):
that team. It wasn't John Schneider's
fault. He was Ross Atkins and Mark
Shapiro for not reinforcing thatroster.
But you know, they did the work this offseason and they gave
John a better, more well-roundedroster.
And for that the the Jazz are exceeding this well this year
and and so is John. Yeah, absolutely.
(38:02):
And would you give credit to Demarlo Hale, too?
I know he, he's been with the Jays in the past before.
And it's so funny that they brought him back in now in 15
and 16 and 17. And he looks like he's, you
know, he's also a big part of the success, right?
Yeah, for sure. I always, I always forget about
Demarlo, right? Because, excuse me, we saw him
(38:23):
exit and he's kind of like the, I guess like second in command
to John Schneider. You kind of maybe stepped in
where Don Mattingly kind of tooka step back this year.
But yeah, it's it's all worked. So from a fan perspective, it's
always, you never really know who's in charge of what, right?
(38:44):
Because John's like the front man.
He answers all the questions, hetalks to the media.
Most people assume that he's filling out the lineup card, but
I'm sure it's not just him. It's him in concert with Hail
and the analytics department andwhatnot.
But yeah, everything, everythingseems to be working this year.
So I don't think anyone's really, really second guessing
(39:05):
much stuff right now. How do you look at the 2025 Blue
Jays so far? Like I said, there's some
statistics that that's been talked about that's been
compared to the 90s J's, the 1516 J Well, more 16 than 15
because I know that they were under 500 after 100 games.
But the fact that they're, you know, playing at a high level
(39:29):
and you look at the run differential, I know Michael Kay
was saying something about that,but I mean, not always coming up
fruition, right? But what, what, what team right
now with the Blue Jays? Does this remind you
historically compared to the past Blue Jays?
Yeah, I'd have to go back the run.
(39:50):
The run differential by the way is up to plus 24.
So it's it's creeping up there. It's no, it's no longer
negative. So that's good.
Yeah, because the the personality of this team is it's
pitching, but it is more so their strength is bullpen and
(40:12):
then it's also defence. You know, hey, I had a lot of
like carryovers from last year, really good defensive players.
And then you added Andrew Simon is one of the best defenders in
baseball. And now they're they're
personality, as we talked about earlier, is kind of pitch to
contact, not straight out. A single is fine.
Just get on base and let the next guy drive you in.
(40:35):
So it's not quite, I feel like the 93 team was reported.
They had a lot of sluggers in that team, but a lot of pitch,
lot of contact hitters as well too.
So if I had to think of one off the top of my head, maybe it
would be 909293 because 15 they were just they just out slugged
everyone and actually sorry, maybe 2016 too.
(40:57):
Like the the 2016 team, they were much stronger pitching
staff, but their offence kind oftook a step back in 2016
compared to 2015. So if I had to give a, I'd have
to dive into the stats, but if Ihad to give you 2 teams this,
statistically they look similar to probably 93 and 2016 I would
(41:20):
say. I know that we talk about 2016,
that was a much older roster too.
This team is significantly younger.
You would say with the core and all that stuff in.
I like to structure this team isbuilt.
We'll see how this team goes throughout the way.
The next question I want to ask you is I want to talk about a
(41:42):
little bit into the farm. The draft is happened not too
long ago and it seems like the Jades got 17 and 19 signings
done and the Blue Jays farm was one of the worst the last few
years. But it seems to have turned
around. If you look at the pitching
that's been coming around with the Cal Stephens, the Gauge
(42:04):
Staniford trailer, Savage, of course, Jerome Watts, Brown,
Kendra Rojas, what kind of shapeis this farm now all of a
sudden? Because now that there's a
little bit of buzz in the systemnow being pitching heavy.
Yeah, so I'll stay out of the gate.
I'm not quite as in tune with the the farm system as others
(42:27):
who cover the Jays are. So my, my knowledge is kind of
on the periphery, but I would say they're creeping up there.
Like going into this year, therewere still a bottom 10 farm
system, but with the emergence of, you know, Yesavage has
really turned that around and he's up in AA now.
Namal is still quite a ways away, but still the number one
(42:52):
prospect in the in this system. And I guess a lot of it kind of
hinges on what happens with Ricky Tidman too, right?
Like he was guy last year who prior to his injuries, it felt
like, oh, there's maybe a potential we see him in the
major leagues right now. So we'll have to wait and see.
And also which of these prospects get dealt at the trade
(43:13):
deadline, right? I don't think there's not a
scenario where the Jays exit thetrade deadline with all their
top prospects in hand. I just don't I don't see it like
they're not I don't think they're going to clean house
like they did in 2015. But in order to get some impact
players, you're going to have totrade some some big names like a
yesavage, potentially Namala as well.
(43:35):
So we'll have to see. But I would say around the
league, it does seem like the the reputation of this farm
system is getting better. It's not, you know, it's not
quite in the echelon of like the, the Boston Red Sox or the
Los Angeles Dodgers, right? But it's, it's, it's getting
there. And I think the fact that as we
(43:56):
talked about earlier, you're having internal success stories
like with David Schneider and also with Addison Barger, it's,
it's just lending more credibility to the farm system.
It's, it's got a long ways to go.
It's not quite where it was right before, you know,
Bichette, Biggio, Guerrero all came up.
(44:16):
But, you know, maybe we're five,maybe we're 5-6 years away from
from this farm system being in the top 10 again.
OK, the next question, so you wrote an article about 6
candidates that the Jay should target.
This is your ballpark and it's the floor is yours.
And talk about what's the most important need that Jays needed
(44:40):
target and if they need to target more than one thing.
I know you talked briefly about,but mention some names that
would make sense for the Blue Jays heading into this trade
deadline. Sure.
So if we go for rental, because I did one on rental starters, I
also did one on controllable starters if I had my pick of a
rental starter. Right now, my topic was Merrill
(45:04):
Kelly having a really good season.
He's averaging 5.8 innings per start.
Not a ton of red flags there. I believe he's 36 years old, so
he's a bit of a veteran, but hadsome success in the World Series
with the Dbacks a couple years ago and he's a free agent at the
end of this year. So, you know, probably you're
(45:27):
not having to part with a top five prospect to get him.
Maybe that's someone I think would be really kind of raise
the floor of the Blue Jays starting rotation.
Another interesting name was Mike Soroka, who's on the
Washington National. He's got a career heist
strikeout rate right now. His ERA, Don't look at it.
(45:51):
It doesn't look good but is expected.
URA is about two runs lower thanhis actual ERA.
So you know, maybe it's some badbatted ball luck, maybe he's
getting bad habit or whatnot, but he's still striking out a
ton of dudes as well when we go to controllable starters.
And again, this is all with the caveat that we don't know who's
(46:13):
buying and who's selling can really change a lot over the
next couple of weeks. I circled my top get wish list
guy would be Jacob de Grom. You know it's going to be he's
got a ton of money on that contract, 2 plus years left with
a conditional option year. But I think if you're looking
(46:34):
for an impact starter, a number one guy who could pitch you, you
know, game one of the ALDS, thatis the guy that you want to get.
The other thing too is when you go and if you get a Jacob
degrom, that means you're competitors can't either.
So the Yankees, the Tigers, the Astros, they all have to go get
(46:55):
their second best option rather than their first best option.
So I think that's kind of like apie in the sky scenario.
Another guy circled with Chris Bubik of the the Kansas City
Royals. They turned it back into a
starter this year and he's had areally good season, was named an
All Star. They lowered his arm angle a
(47:16):
little bit and seems to be having a really, really good
success with that despite a lackof velocity.
And then I may do, I may write another piece about this.
But I feel like now, especially with the way the success that
Eric Lauer is having as of late,I've kind of done in 180, which
maybe goes to show you how oftenthis changes in front offices,
(47:37):
their priorities. But I think impact the bullpen
arm might actually be the biggest, biggest thing the Blue
Jays could do at this trade deadline.
So that would be if you're goingto get a manual Class A Meeson,
Miller, Griffin, Jax, Johann Duran, any of these relievers
(48:00):
who are would immediately, I don't know if you bring them in,
they become your closer, but would just, you know, raise the
ceiling that much more on your bullpen.
So if you had to ask me right now, what would be the number
one need for this Jays team? I honestly think it is high
leverage reliever. And then after that it is a
(48:22):
starter, maybe mid to upper tierdepending on depending on what
you're willing to give up. Right, because I know that it's
a crucial time of the year and you look at other teams are
going to be competitive right inboth leagues and it's and it's
gonna be a sellers market once again.
And it's all depending on what the asking prices are.
(48:43):
And that's I think that's what'simportant, like you said, like
so I want to talk a bit about the front office here.
And I think this is an importantpart for the especially Mark
Chaparro. His contract expires after this
year and I believe Frost Atkins has one year left on his deal.
But talk in depth about them. I know that James click spinning
(49:03):
with our organization lookup hasbeen there forever, right?
So and then and then you had theMike Mirage, Joel Sheehan,
Sandra Trout. I mean, they just hired David
Bell, like how important now is with Mark Shapiro now having a
crucial year, you know that Edward Rogers wants to win and
(49:24):
show the willingness by slappingthat extension with flat given
an extension to Kirk signing Santander and they're in first
place in such a long time. And, and, and he envisioned
something similar to what 15 and16 were having, winning baseball
and having a massive crowd. And now now with Shapiro, do you
(49:44):
see him still continuing with with this team long term?
And how? How do you envision that?
Yeah, I would think so. I kind of think they'll be given
the rope to kind of see this outa little bit longer, right?
It's a little bit opposite to what we see in our friends over
(50:04):
the Toronto Maple Leafs, right? Like they they've made so many
coaching changes, GM changes, president changes in the same
the same 10 years that that RossAtkins and Mark Shapiro have
been no in power in the Blue Jays.
And you know, the Leafs have hadsome playoff success, but by
(50:28):
their measures, it's been a failure.
And the Jays still have not. You know, they've been to the
playoffs. They haven't won a game, they
haven't won a series. I think that maybe changes if we
see this team make a deep playoff run.
The thing for Mark, right, like he, I don't want to say he was
brought in primarily for the forthe stadium renovations, but I
(50:49):
think the Jays saw what Shapiro spearheaded in Cleveland at
Progressive Field, being able torenovate that ballpark and they
wanted to get that done in Toronto.
And you know, it's been done. Ballpark looks great.
They've made that, renovated that stadium as much as they
(51:10):
possibly can. So now the focus is on the
primary focus is on the team, making the team better.
And I don't think, I also don't think the organization would
have given the road for the front office to sign Vlad to a
$500 million contract and not see this through a little bit
(51:30):
longer to kind of maybe potentially sign a deal with Bob
Shad as well and maybe sign someother big contracts too.
So to me, I feel like, yeah, they're, they're probably are
extensions on the horizon here for, for Ross Atkins and Mark
Shapiro. Because if they weren't, if they
(51:51):
weren't fired a few years ago after that Twins series, then I,
I kind of felt like, well, they're probably gonna be here
for a long time. So whether you're a fan or
whatnot, I know some fans just kind of loathe everything they
do And, and I get it. But I think overall, you know,
they've produced a lot of winning ball ball clubs here.
They just haven't had success inthe playoffs.
(52:12):
So I think that is the next big box to check for this
organization. I think that's important too
because the way now that you know, this team hasn't won a
playoff game since 2016, which is 9 years and counting.
So it's a significantly amount of time.
So so now that did this extensions were done and we saw,
(52:36):
like I said, Edward wants to winand I know that Mark will not
jump the gun. And looking at everything at the
team as a whole, because people complained about Moreno and
Gurriel traded for Varsho, who is going to be a free agent
after next year. And you look at boats for you
mentioned about him potentially getting extension and then you
(52:56):
look at Bassett and shirts are in Chad Green, all free agents,
but there is financial flexibility at the same time.
And I think with Barger being a pivotal piece of this franchise
is so intricate at this point. So let me ask you this, how do
you envision this team long term?
Like now that it's all of a sudden this this team has pulled
(53:18):
the 180 from last year. This is something they have
envisioned the last few years that hasn't happened till
finally now in the Vlad Bo era. Like how do you look at this
team long term? Yeah, I think they're gonna
continue to be. They're gonna flex their
financial muscle in the MLB landscape.
(53:39):
I think that's always been one of their competitive strengths
against other teams, especially against other teams in the
division where you're seeing teams cry poor that ohf we can't
sign this guy for $5,000,000 like the Jays.
I mean, they signed Scherzer to,I assumed it was when he went
down, I was like, oh, that's it,that's it, that's it for the
(54:01):
year for him. That's $15 million gone.
And you know, some teams that's half their payroll.
So I think long term, I think they're going to continue to
spend like, why would you spend 500 million on Vlad and not
continue to double, triple and quadruple down?
I think, you know, they were, weheard them being aggressive
(54:23):
after Shohei Otani a couple years ago.
I don't know how far they got with Juan Soto last year, but
they were in the in the conversation.
You know, we heard them talking to Corbin Burns as well, too.
So all I think it takes is one guy and they got Santander, who
is, you know, a premier free agent.
(54:44):
Hasn't worked out as of yet, butI think we're slowly starting to
see the tide shift and they're going to continue to be
aggressive in free agency. And I think that's probably
especially on the pitching side because there's a ton of
turnover coming in the starting rotation.
Like as you said, Bassett, Scherzer, free agents at the end
(55:07):
of this year, Gausman at the endof next year.
Embryos can opt out I believe after the end of next year.
So there's some turnover coming.They're going to need to fill
those spots. Alec Minor was, you know,
probably going to be one of those guys, but you still need
some top end talent. So I think they're going to
(55:27):
continue to spend, hopefully draft wisely, and have some good
internal success stories like we've seen this year with a
Loperfido, Schneider, Barger andwhatnot.
No, I think I think it's so important.
And and The thing is like, like you said, like I remember when
(55:48):
the 80 to 90s Blue Jays, there were two different teams, like,
and there was a dramatic shift in between that timeline.
And I could see something like this with this team moving
forward. Like could you see that the same
way? Because like you said, these
guys are really, really young too.
Like, and one thing you got to give credit to Edward Rogers in
this front office is that they're patient and they're
(56:11):
willing to go patient. Like how much credit would you
take on this front office being patient for guys like David
Schneider struggling coming backand being the player he is or
Mark Maestro becoming the playerthis year and Loperfido, his
strikeout rate is down 14%. They fixed him and they will wag
their come. I mean the contribution like
how, how important is that patients with with this
(56:32):
organization to to have a founding success?
Yeah, I think that. Excuse me?
I think that tells you the difference between kind of like
the patients with a fan and thenalso the patients with with
like, fantasy baseball managers.Yeah, for example, like for me,
(56:52):
I have a fantasy baseball team and if a guy I have has a bad
month, I drop him, you know, like, and I think fans are can
be very similar. Like we saw David Schneider have
really, really tough start to the season.
Most people assumed, OK, we'll just DFA and get rid of them.
But he's bounced back. So I think patience can be a
(57:15):
virtue, but it can also be a fault at times, right?
Like you maybe give guys too much rope, but at the same time,
you also don't want to let go ofDavid Schneider.
And then, you know, he joins thethe Tampa Bay Rays and becomes
an everyday player there and becomes an MVP candidate because
that's exactly what would happen, right?
(57:35):
Like it's that's that's a Toronto sports thing.
So I know from the fan side, people don't want to hear the
you have to be patient and you kind of have to wait.
And because these are assets, right?
Like you just don't want to givepeople away for free.
So I think that is at times, like I said, it's a, it's a
virtue times, it's a fault. But these guys in the front
(57:59):
office, they know what they're doing.
We're just kind of on the periphery and we don't know
everything that's going on in the background.
Ian, we appreciate you taking the time, giving us some great
insight, great information. Where can we find you in social
media and everywhere else? Yep.
(58:19):
So I'm on. I still call it Twitter.
I know I shouldn't. We all do.
So mine Twitter slash X at Bluejay hunter and I'm also on
blue sky as well if people are over there too.
Same handle as well and usually posting various whatever
articles I'm working on or just general stats that I see come up
(58:43):
from from Jays games a lot this year.
I've noticed there's been a lot of new precedents, right?
Like there's been a lot of, you know, the days haven't won this
many games in their first 90 some odd games since 20/15/2016.
So it's a lot of these are the fun numbers to look up, not last
year. Like how many strikeouts have
the Jays had in a game and lost?Oh, this is a new franchise
(59:05):
record, stuff like that. So yeah, if you want to follow
me on either of those things, feel free and I appreciate any
interactions with the with everybody.
Yeah, we thank you once again because, because like I said,
I've been a long time fall with you for for a good decade or so.
And, and make sure you follow Ian Hunter will place the
(59:29):
description below. But until next time, take care.
Be kind to each other. Signing off from the Blue Jays
Ave. Podcast on Saturday, July 19th,
2025. Yeah.
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