Episode 29 feat. Chris Henderson - AL East Title, Manoah being DFA'd, Blue Jays Playoff Preview

We had Chris Henderson from Blue Jays Nations as our guest to talk about the Blue Jays season and upcoming playoffs. We talked about winning the AL East Division for the 7th time, what turned around for the Jays, biggest surprise this season, what was the moment that turned around for the Jays, unsung heroes, Yesavage being a pleasant surprise in the rotation, Springer having a bounce back year, Manoah being DFA'd, playoff preview, and many more!

Where you can find Chris Henderson:

1. X:@Baseball4Brains
2. X:@thejaysnation
   

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to another edition of the Blue Jays Ave.
Podcast. We have a special guest in here
who's a writer for Blue Jays Nation.
Chris Henderson, welcome to the show.
You're you're a longtime friend,friend of ours, and we are
honored and privileged for you to do this.
So just let the world know what you do and everything else.
My pleasure fellas. Thanks for having me on.

(00:21):
You know, I'm a long time Blue Jays fan and writer and you
know, these days I'm doing a bitof work with Blue Jays Nation,
but I've been involved with JaysJournal and various other
outlets in the past and so just happy to be talking about the
success of the Jazz these days. My pleasure, you guys are, you

(00:54):
guys have always been fun. Wednesday interact with on
Twitter. You know how it is.
Sometimes there's great, great people in the Blue Jays
committee, you know, Blue Jays circle in there.
And then other times there's other people you don't want to
interact with. So happy to interact with you
guys. Absolutely.
You know, just, you know, being a Blue Jays fan for such a long
time, Rob and I, and this is a great time to be a Jays fan now,

(01:14):
especially the way baseball's going this year.
So let's get this thing started here.
So so the Blue Jays have won thedivision for the first time in
10 years, a decade. And looking at the way the
season's gone, like nobody expected to Jerry's, I wouldn't
think you you expected it. But So what are your what are

(01:36):
your expectations for the Blue Jays heading into the season?
And how shocked were you that the Jays not only won the
division of LE, but got the number one seed throughout the
AL? Yeah, as much as I'd like to say
I predicted that, I definitely didn't.
You know, I I thought, I thoughtkind of best case scenario was
they might be competing for a wild card spot or something like

(01:59):
that. Maybe 85, you know, 87 wins.
But, you know, in the off seasonI really felt like they hadn't
done enough. You know, they felt like they
needed more, you know, more of abigger boost in the pitching
staff and probably another batch.
Even with the guys that they didbring in, I still felt like they
had kind of, you know, shortchanged themselves a little

(02:20):
bit. But then I was, you know, I was
wrong. And even the guys that they did
bring in, like Santander and Scherzer and Hoffman, you know,
they all helped to some degree, but it was mostly internal
improvements that there was a bunch of stuff I didn't see
coming. I didn't, certainly didn't see
George Springer having the best year of his career at in his mid
30s, let's put it that way. Yeah.

(02:43):
So remarkable turn out from lastyear, considering from last year
to this year. Last year they finished, I
believe it was 74 and 88. And this year, you know, we're
sitting at 94 and 68. So it's, it's just, it's been,
it's been remarkable. So what I ask you, having that

(03:04):
20 game improvement, what workedfor them this year?
So well that didn't really that they didn't really go for them
last year. What what's what's been the key
to their success this season? You know, I, I think there's
probably a lot of answers to that question, but one of the
main things that really stands out to me was just the way they
used their roster and really puttheir guys in positions to to

(03:27):
thrive. You know, like whether that was
platoon matchups, you know, using a guy like David Schneider
almost exclusively against lefties and, and you know, he's
a lefty masher, you know, and then guys, there was just a
bunch of guys that stepped up that that I didn't really see
the control, you know, guys I believed in, but guys I didn't
expect. I got us some Barger hitting 21
home runs and show low Perfeito hitting 350 for a while.

(03:51):
And you know, Gurnee Clement turning out to be one of the
most valuable players in the American League.
When you look at the the war situation, you know, George
Springer, Alejandro Kirk having a big bounce back season, like
the internal improvements were were very thorough.
You know, they these guys, almost everybody had a better
season than last year. And I really feel like the

(04:11):
coaching staff did a great job of setting setting up the roster
for success. As much as I was a critic of the
coaching staff in the past, I have to give them full credit
for this year. I think they did an excellent
job. So I want to ask you a follow up
question to that. So if you look at the way, like
you said, 20 game improvement, remarkable turnaround, did you

(04:31):
think that the other team was gonna improve by that much or
heading into this year? Because I thought they would
improve, like you said, I thought they were playoff team,
maybe go wild card. But what were your expectations?
What what did you think the improvement was like overall
that you thought, OK, you made these moves, You got Jimenez,
you got Sun Thunder, you got Hoffman, you got a whole bunch

(04:52):
of guys. Sure, but how much of an
improvement because they want 74games that they were in last
place that missed the playoffs altogether.
But how many games did you thought that they were going to
improve prior to the season? I think I wanna say that I
predicted 85 wins for the team before the season started and I
I felt like that would be a reasonable improvement from the
year before. 10 wins is a is a big jump.

(05:15):
And so when you're looking at twenty wins, that's an
astronomical jump. And you know, we're we're
talking about a team that went from one of the bottom feeders
in the American League to the top team in the American League
and with largely the same kind of core group that, you know,
that that struggled last year. They just, you know, a lot of
guys took a step forward and theformula just worked.

(05:36):
You know, whether that was, you know, internal improvements.
I think the, I think the difference in the coaching
staff, especially on the offensive side, I think was
significance. Popkins did an excellent job
getting the most out of a lot ofthese guys.
And, you know, I'm excited not only to see what they can do
here in the playoffs, but I'm also just excited about the
future. This is a nice young core that

(05:58):
yeah, I feel like they're getting a lot of good stuff out
of. Yeah.
That's true. There are so many surprises with
this organization this year itself, but if you had to say to
yourself, and what's the one that you thought was the biggest
shocker or the biggest surprise for the Jays this year?
Um, you know, I would say, I would say that probably George

(06:23):
Springer, you know, I didn't expect, you know, I, I last year
at the end of last season, he looked like he was cooked.
And I remember I wrote an article probably just before the
season started talking about howthere was some depth guys in the
outfield like guys like Barger and guys like Loperfido that
could challenge him for a, for astarting spot or a spot on the
roster playing time at least. And I mean, the guy, I, I feel

(06:47):
like he should certainly finish top five in the MVP voting in
the American League this year. He was, you know, without George
Springer, I don't think there's any way the Blue Jays are a
playoff team. But beyond that, like I said, I,
I really was shocked by just theleap that a guy like, you know,
Addison Barger took Nathan Lucas.
I, you know, I've never been, I've never been overly, you

(07:09):
know, I've always thought of Nathan Lucas as a nice depth
piece. If somebody gets hurt, you can
come in and be a competent player.
But I mean, the guys hitting second in the lineup now and,
and he's just a very smart hitter.
There's just so many of these guys that I thought were kind of
fringe big leaguers that are, that are legitimate contributing
pieces of the puzzle. And, you know, it's pretty
widespread. Yeah, you mentioned Nathan

(07:31):
Lucas, there were there were times last year where or even in
the off season where you're questioning is this guy really
worth a roster spot almost, you know, and and and he comes out
and just has this unbelievable season.
And you know, a lot of people atthe trade deadline we're we're

(07:51):
saying about go against Stephen Kwan and this and I find a lot
of similarities between their two games.
Would would you agree with that?Like would you kind of calm and
like Steven Kwan light type kindof.
Yeah, yeah, I don't like that. Maybe even better.
Yeah. I mean, you know, I can't even I
have to go back and look at whatQuance final stats were for this
year. But I mean, Lucas, the guy just

(08:13):
battles in the in the batters box.
I mean, he just he makes pitchers work.
He gives a chance, like especially hit in front of a guy
like Gladdie. You know, he's he's wearing out
that picture a bit before beforeglad he gets to the plate and
he's making him throw all his pitches and show what he's got.
And you know, he's just a steadypresence, just doesn't make
stupid mistakes. You know, he's not.

(08:34):
Maybe he doesn't have the elite talent to hit a ball 500 feet,
but he just doesn't. He plays the game the right way.
Maybe that could be that's for adecade in the minor leagues.
He's just, you know, learn how to do that overtime.
But I like, you know, I'm I'd behappy to see Nathan Lucas be a
regular next season again. And I did not expect to be
saying that a year, a year ago. Yeah, me neither man.

(08:56):
It was really shocked about that.
But if there was a moment duringthe season where you thought
that the alias was there for thetaking and there were a lot of
great moments of season, a lot of highs, you know, not, you
know, there were some lows, but I mean, I think there were more
highs than lows. But if you were to pick, you
know, you know, a spot in this season where you just thought,

(09:17):
you know, OK, it's it's come that this can be ours, you know,
what would that be for you? That's a great question.
You know, I think I've been up Blue Jays fan for so long that
some of us that have been following this team for a couple
decades or more, we get booty Jade at the times, you know, you

(09:39):
almost expect expect the worst at times.
But when we got to, you know, the post deadline about a week
after the deadline, cause it for, you know, even at the
deadline, I felt like I watched what the Yankees did and loaded
up their bullpen and I thought, oh, no, you know, this isn't
gonna go well. But you know, this the way that
they played in early August was really the the point in the

(10:00):
season that I started to really believe that, OK, this team not
only is going to make the playoffs, but I think they've
got a chance to make some noise.And especially when you saw, you
know, we saw the it's disintegrated since.
But around that time, I'm seeingthe depth in our pitching staff
was just something that we haven't seen for a long time.
You know, when you've got when you're pushing a guy like Eric

(10:22):
Lauer out of the rotation because you don't have room for
him the way he was pitching to me, that was a that was that was
the point where I'm like, OK, weactually have the the horses to
do this. And, you know, the Yankees are
looking vulnerable. The Rays and the Orioles are
having a bad year. You know, I think a lot of

(10:42):
things just lined up well for the Blue Jays this year.
Oh, it's so funny you brought that up like the the way you
said it about this team. But when I had the moment and if
you remember that four-game series against the New York
Yankees, like they had the 8 game lead, I think when they
were 25 and 22nd, 27 against theYankees that.

(11:03):
That but right there. Yeah, I think to me, and I
posted this in our our our Twitter and that George Springer
Grand Slam man, I felt like thatwas that was a turn of events.
Like like the moment they got that four-game winning score,
they swept the Yankees in the four games through series in the
history of the fragile. I was like, OK, OK, they things

(11:27):
are about to take off. And man, not only they took off,
they were they went on a 10 game-winning streak.
And I was like, yeah, OK, this is this is the team here.
So, yeah, I mean, it's incredible.
You could mention so many moments out there that this year
itself just said like this, there was there was a time that
the division would like Gosman'stwo hit shutout against the

(11:50):
Asteroids was a big one too. Like you could imagine, there's
so many moments and it's remarkable that remarkable that
it took like, you know, there's so much.
But the next question I want to ask you is who would you say are
the unsung heroes of this team? And The thing is, like you could
mention a lot of guys. Like it took a whole collective

(12:13):
effort of 26, maybe up to 30 guides, guys who got sent Dell
got brought up. But if you have to mention, you
know, unsung heroes of of this team this year, who, who would
they be? You you, I think you hit the
nail on the head. I think the lists could be super
long, just especially with guys that that performed outperform
their expectations in a big way,right?

(12:35):
To me, I mean, I think you couldlist a whole bunch of people,
but I think Ernie Clements is a guy that's certainly fits that
description. Just the the flexibility that he
gave the lineup by being able tobounce around, played pretty
much any position you ask him toplay and just having an, you
know, an amazing attitude. There was points in the season

(12:56):
when he was kind of more platooning and then later in the
year he was kind of more of a full time starter.
But you just every time you saw her and Clement on the field, he
was giving you 110% and just setting the right tone.
So I mean, he would be one guy that really stands out to me.
Probably if I had to pick one, might be him.
But you know, there's others too.

(13:16):
I mean, like some of the ones I mentioned, like Barger and
Loperfido Schneider. I mean, there's so many guys
that that really outperformed, outperformed any expectation
that I had for them. And then, you know, like, I have
to throw this one out there too because, yeah, the Blue Jays,
you know, we tied, tied the Yankees at the end of the at the
end of the the regular season for wins.

(13:38):
And we're not, we're not doing that without Tracy Savage, what
he brought to the table in the last couple of weeks.
You know, I, I thought, I thought, you know, this guy
could be a useful bullpen arm for the, for the stretch run.
I think he, you know, throwing as hard as he does and strike
out stuff. But when they kind of kept him
in the rotation, I thought, OK, I'm not sure how I feel about

(14:01):
this, But I mean, he's, he's looked great man.
I mean, he looks, I don't know how you could, you have to give
him a start in the playoffs. I don't know how you, you go any
other way. So I, you know, I think you
could list probably 13 of, of 26guys on the roster that would be
unsung heroes. But those are ones that stand
out to me. So when the Blue Jays, I think

(14:21):
it was August 11th that they announced they were promoting
trade of Savage AAA at that point in time, did you think
that there was a possibility that Trey was like that?
They did you feel like that theywere setting him up, that if you
pitched well in AAA down the stretch, that a cop was a
possibility to possibly be pitching in this playoff

(14:42):
rotation? Or did you feel that there were
guys ahead of him? Or do you feel that they were
just, like I said, you did, you just feel that they were setting
themselves up down the stretch that, you know, if he pitched
well, that and everything goes right, that that this was a
possibility that he could possibly pick cause he's pitched
really, really well. So what are your thoughts on
this? You know, when he, when he got

(15:04):
called up to, to AAA at that point in my head, I might even,
I think I might even written an article about it.
I, I thought they were, yes, that they were seeing if he
could perform at the next level.And if he could, I fully
expected that, that he'd be a part of like a, you know, a
bullpen down the stretch. And and if he pitched well
enough, possibly going to the playoffs as a bullpen piece.

(15:26):
We look at like a guy like DavidPrice when he broke into the
league with a raise in 2008. He was a crucial bullpen arm for
the raise in that in that playoff stretch.
And, you know, in my head, the perfect scenario was he Savage
would come in and be that guy, you know, maybe, maybe who knows
how many bullets or how many innings he had left, You know,
because this being his first professional season, I wasn't

(15:47):
sure if they would, you know, how much rope they give him or
if they'd want to shut him down,depending on how many innings
he'd throw and all that kind of stuff.
In my head, a bullpen role made a lot of sense.
And so that was kind of like in my head, I thought that was the
best case scenario. The guy comes along and strikes
out some guys in the 7th inning for us and, you know, sets up
Dominguez and and Hoffman for late in the game.
But, but he's been even better than that.

(16:09):
He's exceeded, you know, my expectations already.
And I'm just excited to to watchhim pitch in the playoffs and
watch the the kids career play out because he's he's going to
be a good one man. Let's just say once the ALDS
start, and like you said, I agree with you with Trey Savage
starting in the rotation in the playoffs, what what game would

(16:32):
you start him? Because obviously you have
Guzman won, but some people think that with your service,
you Savage, let's just say if it's either Boston or New York,
well, we'll get to that later inthe episode.
But like with the environment over there, what game would you
rather start? Would you rather start in Game 2
or or or You think he's more than fine pitching on the road?

(16:54):
Yeah, that's a good question. You know, I'd be if I were in
John Schneider's shoes right now, I'd be probably losing a
lot of sleep about how to. Line up my starters.
Because I mean, I think you makean argument you, you know, you
hit on a great points to give a young kid, inexperienced kid
like that a home crowd behind him in a game Two could make a
lot of sense. I think it depends on if Chris

(17:16):
Bassett is is available and someof that they want to use in the
rotation in that round. Because in my head, Bassetts
probably your number four guy, but you look at his home room,
home and away splits. I think there's a strong
argument for making back giving basket the ball in Game 2 to
keep him at the Rogers, you know, on the mountain, the
Rogers Centre rather than on theroad.
So I mean, I think it depends ona who they're planning.

(17:37):
Like I think it's the locks and the rotation for the playoffs or
Gosman Bieber and you Savage. I think those are your your top
three. And from there we'll see.
You know, if they want to use Bassett, I don't feel like
they're going to user based on the way that his season
finished. He just he just struggled, man.
And so I don't know. I mean, I, I, I wouldn't go as

(17:58):
far as giving Bassett new Savagethe ball in game one and two
because they, you know, to have them at home.
But, but I'd certainly consider it, you know, I, I, I might
consider bringing using Bieber and game three and, and using
one of those two guys in Game 2 just to, you know, give them
that home crowd because you could see Savage was feeding off
of that last this past week. He, you know, he could see it

(18:19):
was making a difference. And he talked about the postgame
interview, too. So I want to talk about the two
rookie relievers and man, you could even be mentioned as as
unsung heroes as well as BraydenFischer, Mason, Florida,
goodness gracious, man, like those two guys.

(18:39):
I don't know what would their bullpen be without those two,
even though the bullpen stepped up in a big way this year.
So what are your thoughts about it?
We know that Fisher was from theDodgers for Kevin Biggio.
Mason Flirty was drafted 2022 and boy, those guys stepped up
big bad rookie and they're only rookie.
So talk about their seasons and how big of a factor were they?

(19:02):
I mean, you know, those are two guys that kind of flew under the
radar for what they brought to the table.
And you're right, I think they both could qualify as unsung
heroes. Flew Hardy.
I didn't have a a ton of faith in early in the year, but man,
the way he finished, I think he was like one for the I think
batters were like one for the last 35 against them or
something like that. So I mean, he's he's pitched
himself into a position where I think he's going to be an

(19:25):
important arm in the playoffs, especially if we're playing a
team like the Yankees that have,you know, left-handed hitters
that are that are, you know, potential trouble.
You got Bellinger, you got Jazz Chisholm and, you know, list
goes on. And there's some solid
left-handed hitters in the Red Sox lineup too.
So I feel like flu Hardy's gonnahave an important role And I but

(19:45):
you know what? He's pitched so well lately that
I feel like he's ready for it. And as far as Fisher goes, man,
I mean, I could see a world where he's the closer next year.
He just got that kind of, you know, he's got that kind of
stuff. And I feel like, you know,
obviously Hoffman is the de facto answer there, but we, I
think most, most people have been following the team are.

(20:06):
Care of just the up and down season that Hoffman's had.
I wouldn't be shocked if a guy like Fisher pushed him for that
job next year. I don't think that's gonna
happen in the playoffs. But yeah, you know, I think
Fishers pitched himself into a scenario where, you know, he can
be used as a high leverage, highleverage arm important spots,
which is not something you say every day for you for rookies.

(20:26):
So to have two of them in the bullpen contributing the way
they are, I think the Jays are very fortunate.
You mentioned about George Springer has had one of the best
seasons of his career and he's been unbelievable this year.
The bounce back he's had at age 36 is just uncanny.
It's something you don't see everyday.
So how big is is George been to this team, not only on the field

(20:49):
in the clubhouse and and really what would they do without him
this year and his contributions and really like all around, you
know, on the field, off the field, like, like just how
integral of a piece is he to to this organization?
Man, I think he's the glue this season.
You know, I, I honestly don't think this team is in the

(21:10):
playoffs without him. Not let like, let alone, let
alone winning the division and finishing first in the American
League. I'm not sure that they're even
in the playoffs without him. Like, he was just such a crucial
veteran leader. And you just watch the the
energy that he brings to the field and to the dugouts, just
the positive attitude. I mean, he's this season, he was

(21:30):
everything that we hoped for when the Blue Jays signed him
four years ago. You know, and I thought at this
point, OK, they got great value or five years ago, I guess they
got really good value out of himand, you know, 22 and he was
decent at 23, struggled last year.
You know, when you signed some of these veterans to these
longer term deals, you know, like, take a guy like Russell
Martin, you kind of do that knowing that the last couple of

(21:53):
years might not be very good. And so I felt like we were at
that point with Springer where, you know, he may or may not even
earning a regular playing time this season and then to become,
you know, the best hitter on theteam this season.
And and this is a team that was badly lacking someone to hit at

(22:13):
the top of the lineup, you know,and I didn't think Springer was
that guy anymore. And so, you know, to lose,
especially down the stretch, to lose Beau, I know Beau moved
down into the clean up spot, butto see, you know, Springer and
Lucas hitting 1-2 and and doing such an effective job of it was
not something I expected. And I don't think this team is
in the playoffs with it without George.
I really don't. Since you mentioned about

(22:36):
Bouchet and you know, he had a great bounce back gear and then
unfortunately he had that injuryon September 6.
Well, I remember that because it's it's my birthday.
So yeah, so he was injured againto New York Yankees and the
office has a really been the same since.
And importantly enough now that they got the bye week and they

(22:57):
don't play till Saturday. How important is Bouchet in that
lineup and, and how much of A game changer he is?
And you know, he he's going to be something we're going to talk
about down the road in the offseason about signing him.
But like, as a player in that lineup, how much does he changes
the landscape of that offence? A lot, you know, I mean he's he

(23:21):
was, I would argue that he was probably the best hitter on the
team prior to his injury. It was kind of him and George
were, you know, neck and neck asfar as I was concerned.
And there was a lot of games that both came up huge for the
for the guys. And you know, there was quite a
few wins that I don't think theyget without him.
So to get him back is would obviously be massive.

(23:42):
I'm kind of, I'm kind of, I'm bracing myself, I guess maybe
I've mentally prepared myself for that.
He may not be available for the ALDS, you know, I know he's
trying to get back in time and I'm sure that if he's capable
that that that they will have him in the lineup.
But, you know, I think he's a he's a guy that's that makes

(24:03):
Gladdy better. I think he's a guy that makes a
bunch of his teammates better and obviously he's he's probably
the best run producer We have him on the team, you know, 94
RBI's in 139 games. He was leading the team or
leading the entire league and hits again when he, when he went
down with injury, you know, he, he almost still led the league

(24:24):
when the season was over. He's just, he was such an
important piece of the offence, especially in a season when, you
know, like thought he was OK, but it was it, you know, he kind
of made-up for those times, those periods in the season when
Vladdy was struggling. David Popkins was hired from the
Twins organization last offseason, has turned around
what worked for the Jays when they brought him in from the

(24:47):
Twins. What's worked so well to get
this team going? What has he done with this team?
And, and, and really like what'sworked when it comes to to the
approaches and stuff like that when it comes to David Popkins
getting this offence to finally reach that potential.
That's a great question. That's something that I've been

(25:09):
meaning to do some research and dig into a little more just to
see if there's, you know, more published answers out there.
But in my mind, just from havingwatched it, I really felt like,
and no disrespect to Don Mattingly, he was kind of the
guy, you know, the last couple of years before Popkins was
hired, I always felt like Mattingly's approach was that he
was trying to get hitters to match his philosophy.

(25:34):
And what I watched this year wasthat it, it felt like Popkins
and their philosophy with the hitting coaches this year was to
let guys, you know, pursue theirstrengths.
You know, so for a guy like, youknow, say David Schneider, he's
not a slap of all the other way kind of guy.
He's a grip it and RIP it and try and pull it kind of guy.
And I felt like there was just more, more of more freedom for

(25:58):
the guys to really just use the the strengths that they have
and, and, and I really felt likeit made them thrive.
And I mean, in some cases that you saw stuff kind of going the
other way. You saw some some guys that were
using the whole field a little bit more and whatever the case
may be, but I really felt like they were given their freedom
to, to do their thing under Popkins.
And it obviously worked. I mean, you, you look at guys

(26:20):
like Springer and Kirk and the shaft and most of them had
bounce back years or better years than they did when
Mattingly was kind of the the the head brain of the hitting
operation. So I feel like if out of all the
moves they made last offseason, that might have been their most
valuable 1. Yeah, because I know that they
had Yomo Martinez and I think a lot of people were just forcing

(26:43):
their frustrations about him being a hitting coach because,
like, it just didn't workout forhim, right?
Like it's like for a guy like him, he was there for a few
years. I mean, they did lead the league
in offence in 21 and they were pretty decent 2022 with the
lineup they had. But in 23 and 24 it was down
years and they had to fire him. And and you know, you look at

(27:04):
the the way this often says now,right, They're not really a
power hitting team, right? But they do hit for power when
they need to. How versatile is this lineup
with with now with Popkins? And then do you give credit to
Louie now and Eddie and Hunter Mentz as well?
You know, I think anything when it comes to coaching Staffs,
especially with the Blue Jays, from what I've seen it, it

(27:26):
really seems like a collaborative team effort.
So in my head, and I could be wrong on this, I I really felt
like it was when Popkins was brought in, they kind of changed
the philosophy a little bit of the approach that some of these
guys were taking at the plate. And from there, you know, I
think that that the whole, the whole coaching staff just did a
great job of bringing out the strengths of these guys.

(27:47):
It just seemed like, you know, they didn't put people in
positions to fail very often. You look at the splits for, for
guys like, you know, Schneider or Clement or Loper feet, well,
Loperfido is actually great against lefties, oddly enough.
But a barger, you know, they really set these guys up to, to,
to succeed. And I I felt like that was a
crucial part of the equation. Let's talk about John Schneider

(28:10):
for a bit because for for a manager like him, we knew that
there's rumors that his job was on the hot seat and being with
this team and being with this organizer.
He because he replaced CC Montoyo in the summer of 2022.
And you know, he was he managed Vlad Bo, you know, the young

(28:33):
kids, right? And they felt like he was going
to be a manager one day, whetherit's with the Blue Jays or or
any other organization. So the question is how much of A
importance now is with John Schneider?
Because the players even mentioned like he's such a big
presence in that clubhouse and now you would have to think he

(28:54):
gets an extension. But how important was he this
year that he turned around and managed better than the last
couple of years? And is he the lead candidate for
manager of the Year? That's a great question.
You know, I think you, I think you saw a difference.
At least I I felt like I did in Schneider's demeanor this year,
he seemed more confident. He seemed more, you know, I

(29:17):
don't know if the front office gave him a little bit more
leeway to do his thing. You know, that's one criticism
that's been kind of thrown at the Blue Jays front office that
they've been over the last number of years is that they've
done some micromanaging. And sometimes, you know, the fan
base, myself included, would question if, you know, some of
the calls that were made. Was that even Schneider's
decision? But this year, it just felt like
he was trusted more. You could see that the the team

(29:40):
trusted him more. And as they succeeded, you could
see that, you know, people started buying in more and more
to what the coaching staff was preaching and what these guys
were kind of doing, the leadership that was there.
So I mean, if you asked me a year ago what what I thought
would happen with the leadershipof this team, I thought by by
September of 2025, we'd have an interim GM and an interim head

(30:03):
coach and we'd be looking for for new people over the winter.
But I think everybody's going toget extended at this point.
I think, you know, barring some sort of monumental collapse in
the playoffs that's embarrassingor something.
I feel like they're it'd be crazy if they didn't extend
Snyder and I feel like Atkins isprobably going to get an
extension too, which I don't think if you pulled the fan base

(30:26):
back in April, I don't think many of us would have predicted
that. Yeah, because you know, we talk
about Schneider, let's just say he would have been fired because
like like last year, like we didn't know what the clarity of
this organization was from top to bottom because Shapiro's
contracts expires after this year.
Ross Atkins has one more year left and I assume they'll

(30:47):
they'll be back. And they have a whole bunch of
guys like in that organization, they hired David Bell sale of
James Clark, they have Mike Moroff, like the list goes on.
But which John Schneider also they have tomorrow Hail, who's
an associate manager who's been around the league.
He's a well respected guy as well and he was with the Blue
Jays during the 1516 years as well, right for for a bit when

(31:10):
Jim Gibbons was like, how much of a importance is he in the
face as well in that clubhouse? That's a great question.
And you know what? I don't really know the answer
to that one, right? I can't even really even
speculate, but I feel like he's made a difference.
You know, Halo has been the guy that's been considered for the
head, you know, the head bench boss job in the past.

(31:31):
He's gonna guy that's been around the game and is obviously
respected. And I remember when he was
hired, reading that, there was reading the reactions from some
of the players and they were excited to have him in the fold.
So I'm, I'm, I'd love to ask that very question to John
Schneider and to Ross Atkins. And you know, I'd love to get an
answer of that off record because I mean, I know what I
feel like they'd say to the media as it is.

(31:53):
But you know, I, I feel like he's done.
He's obviously contributed something.
I've been really impressed with just the, the coaching staff
this year. And, you know, I feel like
they're, they're getting the most of these guys.
So about 6 days ago they activated Anthony Santander and
they kind of shocked Blue Jays Nation when they they designated

(32:17):
for assignment Alek Manoah. I mean, I know it shocked me.
I mean, I was kind of pissed off, to be honest with you when
they needed to. And I could, you know, it's,
it's just such a, a crazy move to me.
But Rocky even mentioned he's like the Braves are gonna pick
him up. You watch, the Braves are gonna
pick. Him I mean the same prediction
and. Yeah, man, look what happened,

(32:39):
right. And and and like, what was the
reason like that they gave up onAlec Manoa?
Like do you feel like that therecould have been another move
that they could have made in that regard or like, is it just
a James did didn't believe in him anymore?
Did he have issues with the front office?
Like, like, like what? What do you think?

(33:00):
Like why do you think that move was made at that time to to to
just cut ties with them? I have two theories and you know
Alex, one of the few players in the league that I actually, I
want to say have a relationship with, but he's one of the few
guys that actually respond to a text message to me if I message
him. But he hasn't responded.
When I bugged him a couple days after that I went down and he

(33:22):
hasn't got back to me. So my guess is he was not happy.
I'm quite confident I'd put all,pretty much everything I have
betting on that. But my, I have two theories. 1
I, I feel like, you know, he made 2.2 million this year just
to be rehabbing from his Tommy John surgery.

(33:43):
And chances are, you know, if hewent through arbitration, he
had, he has two trips or arbitration left before he's a
free agent after two more seasons.
So he's probably going to be making 2 1/2 three million next
year. Like I doubt he would have much
of A raise. But, you know, my guess is that
maybe the Blue Jays felt like they could spend that 3,000,000
better, which seems like a crazything to say when we're talking

(34:07):
about level starting pitcher. But the the reality is, is that
he didn't look very good coming off surgery.
His velocity was down and he wasgetting hit around in the minor
leagues. And so I wasn't surprised that
they, you know, didn't bring himup this year, didn't try to
force him onto the big league roster to help this stretch run.
But I was really shocked that they didn't give him, you know,

(34:28):
an offseason to to work out, to come into spring training,
trying to win a job. It just I did not expect them to
be cutting ties. And you know, my other, my other
theory is that maybe he wasn't, maybe he wasn't very happy about
being just being stuck in the minor leagues.
And you know, I know he spoke out when he was, you know, pre
brief prior to having a surgery when he was demoted in 2024.

(34:53):
I know he was very unhappy and there was some strain in the
relationship between the organization and him at that
time. So who knows?
I think it's possible that theremay have been a bit of a falling
out or a disagreement or something there where there were
organization just looked at it went OK.
I don't know if this is private.Person, Yeah.
He's surprised, but you know what, I feel like most

(35:13):
professional athletes are they, you kind of have to be, have to
believe in yourself in order to succeed at that kind of level.
And I do think that some of his early career success maybe maybe
went to his head a little bit early on.
I, you know, I don't know what that was.
I don't, I don't know. The Blue Jays managed him very
well prior to his downfall. But I was with you.

(35:35):
I was, I was very upset about it.
So I'm still not very happy about.
It I'm not either. Yeah.
You know, but these are the kindof guy that that I hope he goes
to Atlanta and just shoves. I know too man.
I'm with you. I hope he goes there and just
just dominates, man. At least he ended up with a good
organization, not some, you know, terrible organization.

(35:56):
So, yeah, and he's not in the all Easter, even in the American
League, so that makes it a little less painful, too.
But absolutely, it's, you know, I'm glad that Anthopoulos
decided to give him another chance.
And I feel like the Braves have a chance to get a real a real
deal there. Yeah, because like, so I asked
Jay Jackson about this, right? Well, we we're connected to him.

(36:16):
We too. He's he he's good people too.
He he'll respond to you immediately.
And yeah, yeah. Yeah.
So, so I asked him So what was the reason?
And and you know, he was teammates with him a couple
years ago and he knows what Manoa is.
And they said both sides were really getting along and both
had to move on. And I think that prorated
contract of that 2.2 million, I think that was something to do

(36:37):
with like their payroll. Because I was reading some
something what I think ordered dwelling or somebody from sports
that wrote and said that they had to, they had to, they were
like 22 million over to to a certain point that they, they
would have to drop down draft spots.
And he probably was the most realistic person to cut with

(36:58):
that situation. And like I said, I, I don't
think both parties got along. And I think the whole thing
started, if you remember a few years ago that that with Manoa,
they offered Manoa contract whenhe was pre ARB.
And he he didn't, he wasn't happy about the offer.
And I think it just, it just wasn't the same because they
send him out to a ball and he was, he was very boisterous

(37:19):
about it, right. So yeah, so we'll see.
I mean, I hope for the best for him.
And I think for him, I think he will bounce back.
Jay Jackson thinks he's going todefinitely bounce back, right?
So. Yeah, I I think he will too.
I mean, he's, he's, he's got talents and, and I think there
was a lot of things that kind ofwent S on him in the last couple
of years. So, you know, maybe in a new

(37:41):
environment and the fresh start will be what he needed to, who
knows? But it's it's just it's
disappointing. That's one thing that I I can't
say that I've been happy with when it comes to the Blue Jays
this year is for everything that's gone, right.
I've been a little disappointed to see the some of the asset
management. I mean, just D effing him and
Aravis Martinez when they were both Once Upon a time, both had

(38:02):
a lot of value. It's that's a tough pill to
swallow, but it happens I guess.It's so funny you mentioned
about Rovers Martinez, because with the rovis Martinez, the
moment, I think Barger just ran away with the role, the way he
played. And I know with Martinez, the
defence has been a problem with him.
And that's something that he's gonna have to figure out if he

(38:23):
wants to survive in the majors because Washington is such a
great opportunity for him. But there's there's young kids
coming in that system. So we'll just have to see.
But yeah, with like, like I said, like with Martinez, the
power is there, just can't play defence.
And he was striking a lot, but he was still trying to figure
out what to play. And I don't think that James had
time because there are so many guys there are now ahead of the

(38:44):
curve now and it's just the farmis much better.
Yeah. Yeah, and that's part of the
equation too, right? I mean, they, they had a squeeze
on the 40 man roster. And I mean, that's right.
Ultimately why a guy like Alek Manoah was cut was the they they
had to make room for something there.
I felt like there were some guysthat were on the 40 man that
probably could have been sacrificed a little easier.

(39:05):
But you know, I only have so much information, you know, I'm
not there within the workouts orunderstanding the relationship
with the players in the organization.
So, you know, in a religious case, the guy just went from a
top prospect to someone that could even hit 200 in AAA this
year. So he may, who knows, he might
be another guy that just needed a fresh, fresh start somewhere

(39:29):
else too. And you know, I wish him well
too. Now let's talk about the
playoffs, man. So this is this is the focus now
for the Blue Jays right now. So they avoided the wild cards
because they have some bad memories and bad history
throughout the years. And now they finally have got
the bye week, which well deserved and they needed this

(39:53):
because they're going to get some reinforcements back.
It seems like what the baskets with the Thai France with the
with Bouchette potentially. So looking into the ALDS.
What would you say are the flawsof this team?
Because, you know, I was listening to a lot of people
and, you know, it's great time to be DJ.
But I wanna listen to hear what they think because they're not

(40:13):
getting enough media coverage. Of of course, in Canada they do.
But like places like ESPN, everywhere else, they're not
giving them enough. And they like to talk about the
bigger sexy names, which I understand.
But look at this team. What would you say are the
concerns or the flaws of this team?
If, if if there is any. My biggest concern in the
playoffs is just the quality of the bullpen.

(40:36):
I mean, the, you know, the bullpen, the value of a bullpen,
I feel like goes up to you on steroids once you get to the
playoffs because I mean, starters usually don't go as
deep into games and we're looking at elite lineups and all
that kind of thing, right? And so that would be my primary
concern. Just seeing, you know, a guy
like Jeff Hoffman, Kino, you look at the total body of his

(40:59):
work, it's not as bad as what some of us, you know, maybe have
the memories of 2025. But he's just, he's been very
volatile and he's he's clearly the the coaching staff choice
for the closer. But it's, and it's not just
Hoffman that there's, you know, the the thankfully the bullpen
pitched well here in the last week and helped lock up the
division. But there's been a lot of guys

(41:19):
have been kind of hit and miss. And so, you know, I think it's
entirely possible that their lights out and that they're
they're one of the better reasons.
They're one of the bigger reasons that the Blue Jays
succeed in the playoffs. But to me, that's the most
vulnerable area of the of the roster right now.
I wanted to ask you about the, since we're talking about the

(41:40):
bullpen, how much do you think that workload management factors
in here when it comes to guys like Brendan Little and you know
like he had like for him for example, he had like 66
appearances. Before 79 this year.
No, no, no, I mean 66 before September even began.
Oh yeah, sorry. Yeah, yeah, early.

(42:02):
No, no, that's no, that's fine. But yeah, yeah, he had like the
most workload, the highest workload has ever pitched in his
career. And it's like, you know, him and
it seems like there's just guys that that John Schneider kind of
navigates towards that he trustsmore than others.
I think Hoffman in a couple spots, you know, you didn't
really need to use Hoffman, but they did it anyway.

(42:24):
And, and, you know, and how muchdo you think that plays a factor
into the to how the bullpen pitched in the second-half?
Yeah, I I do think it's a big factor and I'm glad you brought
that up because my jaw actually like I knew I hadn't looked for
a while and I knew littles workload was was huge.
I mean, it seemed like he was pitching every night when we
were watching throughout the season.
But when I heard them say when Iheard back say that he that was

(42:49):
his 79th appearance during the last game of the regular season,
my jaw hit the floor. I was like what?
Like I, you know, I can't I can't recall.
I mean, I know that there's beenfeel like maybe Mark Icorn had
like a ridiculous amount of appearances one year, but the
name, you know, if I, I don't know if I, if I there's ever
been a Blue Jays reliever that'shad 79 appearances, I'd have to

(43:09):
look. I mean, maybe there's been
several, I don't know. But that that takes a toll on a
guy, man. I mean, it doesn't matter,
especially when we're in the eraof like there was a time when
lefty specialist came in, pitched to 1 batter and said,
yeah, OK, they can do that everynight.
But you know, they have to do 3 outs or at least finish the
inning that they're in now. And I do think that that's a

(43:30):
significant factor. I just looked it up and icorn
had 89 games in 97. God, I knew there was one that
was just crazy, but wow. But yeah, I mean, 79 is huge.
I feel like with Hoffman, it waspretty obvious when he was kind
of overused this year. And I, you know, it's easy for
me to sit back and and criticize, but you could see his

(43:52):
velocity was down and he wasn't as sharp and he wasn't hitting
his spots as well. And so, like, I think in a
perfect world, in a perfect world, if you could only use
Hoffman every second game in theplayoffs, that would be ideal.
I don't know that they're gonna have that luxury.
But you know, if you can piece together a couple of late in
games with the likes of like SirAnthony Dominguez or Brayden

(44:15):
Fischer, you know, especially ifyou're playing someone like the
Yankees with a bunch of lefty hitters, maybe Flew Hardy and
Little and Lauer kind of contribute.
But you know, if they if they can lean a little less heavily
on some of those key guys in theplayoffs, which is usually the
opposite, it usually goes the other way in the playoffs.
I do think that will be to theirbenefit, but we'll see.

(44:35):
I mean, we'll see what we'll seehow many games they've got to
worry about what kind of control, because I mean, if they
can get into lower leverage, leverage situations, then like
run Tommy Nats out there and lethim pitch 3 innings, man, if
we're up 10 runs, just just let everybody rest.
Yeah, right. Exactly, so looking at the Wild

(44:57):
Card series right now with the Yankees and the Red Sox are
actually games going on right now.
Red Sox just took the lead to 1,but who do you think matches up
better for the Blue Jays than that scenario?
Or do you think it just doesn't matter, you just gotta just ride
with the toll? Or do you think that they match
up better with one of those teams over another?

(45:18):
You know what, that's a great question and I've had a bunch of
friends ask me the same thing over the last 48 hours and I
mean, gone to my head. I'd probably prefer to play the
Red Sox and it might just be as simple as the Judge factor.
I mean I feel like Aaron Judge can win a series on his own,
especially when it's a shorter 5game series like that.

(45:39):
But the other thing with the Yankees too is, you know,
they've got a couple of quality lefties and Max Fried and Carlos
Rodon and I, I personally like the Blue Jays lineup better
against right-handed starting pitching.
I do think that they do just fine against lefties.
A guy like David Schneider, you know, he can hit in the two spot
and be a be a contributing guy. But I think, I think if, you

(46:02):
know, if I had to make a choice,I'd probably go with Boston.
But it's, it's hard to say because I mean with Boston that
we don't even know exactly who'sgonna be starting for them.
They've got crochet starting tonight and sounds like Brian
Vale will start Game 2. But believe Lucas Giolito's out
right now. And they got a couple young
lefties early in Harrison that that could be the guy.

(46:24):
So it's, I don't know, it's probably a coin flip, But I
think Aaron Judge is the determining factor for me.
I'd I'd rather play the Red Sox.Yeah.
Yeah, I'm in the same fences with you, man.
Like the things like I look at the matchups and I was like the
these have an advantage and now we're going to get to that.
But like if you look at the teams, right, like they're
they're gonna beat each other up.
And like you said, no Giolito and the Yankees, I mean, they're

(46:47):
pitching like it's hard. They're they're bullpen is a
flaw. Like besides Bednar and maybe
Devin, but even Devin Williams has some bugaboos in the
playoffs as well, right? Like like now they're going to
beat each other up. I mean, wouldn't you think it's
like with the Blue Jays, it's like, yeah, like I'm watching
this and I'm like, let them beateach other up.
It just, you know, go, go to three games, right?

(47:10):
And they just have the day off. To the game goes to 20 innings
too. Me too.
I love it. So let's compare and contrast
now since we're we're there and talk about the Jane's advantages
compared to either team because they're gonna that's their
that's gonna be their matchup and it's gonna be in Toronto and

(47:31):
I believe and Toronto has the advantage throughout the home
field. And looking at the matchups,
looking at the advantage, like comparing to Boston and New
York, what are the advantages? Since you already brought it up,
but could you say the defence isbetter than both teams?
Could you see the lineups are better?
Do they have more versatility? Like break it down and talk to
us about compare both of those teams compared to the Jays.

(47:53):
I think the Blue Jays definitelyhave the best defence of the
three to three teams. Like I, I really, I think that's
a no brainer. They the Blue Jays just that's a
massive asset for them this year.
They've they've really turned that into a lot of wins.
And I think that's huge, especially when you watch a team
like the Yankees where they've got, or even the Red Sox.

(48:13):
I mean, you, you watch Volpi or Trevor Story throw the ball
around at shortstop, shortstop or, you know, Austin Wells is,
is a bit of a wild card behind the plate or Ben Rice, if he's
catching can be a bit of a wild card.
I guess I should say Rice is more of a wild card than than
Wells, but I think the defence is huge and I and I do think

(48:34):
depending on who they use and how they perform, I do think
that the starting rotation is a is a advantage as well.
Like when Gosman and Bieber are right, I feel like they're as
good as anyone in this in the ALEast.
And I do think that trade used Savage has a chance to be a
massive asset and especially helps because a lot of these

(48:56):
teams have never seen him before.
And so, you know, you get a guy like that starting and throwing
evenings and with that nasty splitter.
I do think that the I do think that the both the, both the
starting rotation and the defenser are big advantages for
the Blue Jays. The lineup, it depends on the
day, as we've seen over the lastcouple of weeks here, I feel

(49:19):
like some days their lineup is as good or better than anyone.
And then there's other times that that that's their Achilles
heel and and it's been their Achilles heel in the playoffs
the last couple of times. So I feel like for me
personally, I want to see, you know, somebody hit a double in
the first inning of game one andjust put that to rest and knock
in Springer when he while he's doing it.
And I'd like to see, I'd like tosee them pick up some runs early

(49:43):
in game one and just kind of getthat monkey off their back
because that's, you know, that'shistorically for this core
group, the offensive part in theplayoffs has been been an issue.
I would have mentioned somethingquick and this has to do with
Alejandro Kirkman and give credit that he came through huge
in game 162. That was the Alejandro Kirk.

(50:03):
Massive. Legacy game and he had two home
runs like and do you think he has woken up and you saw Barger
he did he hit a home run as welland George we know about
George's all time playoff playoff performer.
Man. This is the reason why the Jay
signed him and he's such a big presence to that lineup.
Like let's just say, let's just say, for instance, like no Bo

(50:25):
and with Bo, obviously with boththis giant lineup changes things
and it just it's gonna wreck have it for the rest of the
league. But without bowl, is it
sustainable for them to win a series series in the ALDS?
And I do think, and I'm I'm speculating, I'm not saying
there's any reports, but you get6 days off and you know,
hopefully we see Beau sometime during the ALDS.

(50:47):
That's the hope. But we're not sure about that.
But let's just say without both,is this lineup good enough
facing that adversity at times when they're down and can they
live up to it? Is it good enough overall?
You know, it's a great question and I I think the answer is I
think that can be we've seen enough guys step up this season

(51:11):
that, you know, we've already talked about that on this show
here, a bunch of unsung heroes, a bunch of unlikely contributors
and stars this year obviously had the you know, the collective
group is not as as not as strongwithout both.
But I'm not, you know, I, I wantto see a healthy bow in the
lineup or like at least healthy enough to contribute because I

(51:34):
don't want to see guys like, youknow, like a Nathan Lucas or
something like forced to the bench because we gotta put
Springer in Santander in the outfield corners because we got
football with DH. Like I'm, I'm fine with that all
playing out if everyone's healthy and is able to
contribute, if they feel like that's the best lineup.
But you know, I, I do think thatthere's enough guys that have

(51:57):
chipped in, You know, it, it really hasn't been a one horse
race at all. This has really been a team,
probably the best like collective like group that I've
ever seen from the Blue Jays. Because even, you know, you go
back to 2015, 2016, those were teams as well.
They were tight knit groups and stuff.
But you still had your, your standout stars, your Batistas
and your Donaldsons and your incarnations.

(52:20):
And you do have some stars on this team as well.
But it just feels like they've been a blue collar group that's
just scratched and clawed their way to the finish line then.
And I still, I still have faith with them, in them, in the ALDS,
with or without both. I agree, let's get to the rest
of the ALE playoffs. You have the Tigers who who

(52:41):
actually beat the Guardians today 2/1 with scuba shove today
I think he had 14K's. You know, you have the Blue Jays
sitting waiting, you have the the Mariners sitting waiting to
see what happens in these two series.
So how do you figure that this all plays out in the end in in,
If you had to guess, what do youthink happens going forward

(53:04):
throughout the playoffs? Just in terms of like which
teams come out of it? Yeah, yeah.
Just like, just just how do you feel like this might all play
out in the end or how are you hoping this?
I mean, I know you hope the BlueJays in the World Series of
course, but I like how do you think this will help play out in
the end and in reality? You know what, I'm as far as the

(53:27):
American League goes, the team that I feel like is the
strongest team is the Mariners. I mean, you look at their
starting rotation with Kirby andGilbert and Castillo and Woo and
like they're just so deep and their lineup is really scary now
with, you know, with Raleigh hitting sixty home runs and
Suarez and Jay Rod and like they've just they've got a

(53:50):
really good team. So my, you know, I haven't put
it up on Twitter or anything yet, but if I was to put a
bracket up, I feel like the BlueJays are going to meet the
Mariners in the, in the ALCS. You know, I, I, I, I have faith
in the Blue Jays. I probably have too much bias in
that, but. That's.

(54:11):
OK. I'm certainly hoping.
Yeah, we all. We all do.
Yeah, but I mean, I I feel like the scariest team in the AL
right now is is the Mariners. Mariners.
If you ask me, they especially as a playoff team with the
pitching they've got and then inthe, in the NFL, I don't know,
man. I mean, I just, I really don't
know what's gonna happen there. I I have a feeling that the

(54:33):
Dodgers are gonna disappoint this year.
I, I just don't, I don't know they mean that everybody knows
that they have a more firepower than anyone, but I just don't.
Clayton Kershaw just can't have a storybook ending for his play.
You know, the playoffs have always been the Achilles heel
for him. So to say I have a hard time
seeing them raising a World Series trophy to finish his

(54:55):
career. Just feels like they'll probably
lose out in the first round. But but yeah, it would be.
I don't know, You know, I don't.If I had to pick a team to come
out of the NFL, I'd probably pick Philly's.
So let's let's say in 1993 rematch of Philly.
I would love that. That would be cool.
So you're you're so so that leads up to my next question.

(55:15):
So your you think the Windows World Series from I think, I
think for at this point, I mean,when you look at the Jays, when
you look at this team, I'll giveyou this question since you
already answered that question, but what would you compare this
team to in the past? They've won seven AL East titles

(55:36):
and every time they've they've won a division, they've been to
the ALCS. So like what, Like what team?
What it, what does this team remind you?
Does it remind you of the 15 team?
Does it remind you of the 90's, the late 80s?
I know that we're a little bit younger for that, but I mean,
we've probably seen videos, but what what's your comparison to

(55:57):
to this current Jays team? They do remind me a bit of that
1516 squad, OK, Just, you know, like, I think they especially
when we look back at the 2015 team, they they weren't in the
they weren't in the playoff spoteven like leading up to the
deadline. And then they they charged hard
for the second staff. And, you know, ultimately they

(56:18):
picked that price into Lewinsky and they became a different
team. And I feel like there's some
comparison there. Like this Blue Jays team in 2025
started out pretty, pretty poorly.
At least they were underperforming.
And we're certainly not looking like the team that was gonna
come out of the American League with the best record.
And then they just kind of founda way, you know, they gelled as

(56:39):
a as a unit. And so for me, I mean, with this
group, with this core group, especially, like, you know, you
look at Springer and Bichette and Guerrero and these guys have
been around for a few years and have been to the playoffs, have
been swept out in the wild card round.
I feel like they have to win. They have to win at least one
series to satisfy the fan base. I mean, if we, if we, we have to

(57:01):
watch them get swept in the, in the ALDS, I, I think there's
gonna be a bunch of fans that are just ready to riot.
But yeah, I, I feel like they'rethis is a team that has
outperformed expectations and, and earned a lot of respect
throughout the season. And I really hope that they can,
you know, obviously I hope for aWorld Series.
But for me to be happy or satisfied or I'm not sure what

(57:26):
the word is, I would need to seeat least one one advancement in
the playoffs or it wasn't by. This team reminds me of 1989,
and here's why. Well, except that the firing of
Jimmy Williams, but I mean, that's a that that was a whole
turn of events with Sedo Gas. And the reason why I say that is
because it came down to the verylast day of the season.

(57:48):
You play those 162 and they facethe team that that was right
there with them and they ended up beating them.
And that's why it remind me of in these last few games.
And I can't recall a moment likethat.
Like I remember 15 when they wonthe division 16, they were a
wild card team. I mean, the 90s, if you wanna go
way back, like 92 was probably another close comparison too,

(58:11):
because I remember Milwaukee wasright there in the early 90s
and, and, and I remember they, they were a massive threat to,
to get the division. And it's crazy to think that
Milwaukee within the AL East. Yeah, it wasn't.
Worth the time, man. Wild times, yeah.
Not to remember. That but yeah, and I remember it

(58:33):
was like on CBC when Ken Danielshad to have that introduction to
like it's all for the marbles. It was kind of like that that
kind of reminded me. But let's see where the results
go. But that those are the times
that remind me a little bit morebecause 1516 was the window was
closing. You knew it.
That roster was aged at some point.
This team had this team is windows opening now with the way

(58:54):
the brass construction with a lot of financial flexibility.
That's why I think that that to me is more of a comparison than
the 1560. But I mean, you can't go wrong
with either answer because they're all division winners and
they all been to the ALCS. So it's interesting.
It's I think it's just interesting to compare those
times, right? Yeah, when you make a good point
about the way that the season finished the final week or

(59:18):
whatever rate, yeah, you know, Ialso have to to just say I, I
was 5 in 1989. So I'm I'm I?
I don't remember the details. Me too, like me too.
Yeah, So I wanted to, I wanted to bring up one last thing here
before we end the show. And I opened up my e-mail today

(59:38):
and I see an e-mail from the Blue Jays about intrasquad games
for, for Wednesday and Thursday,which they're $10 each.
They want the fans to be there. And I, I think it's like, how do
you feel about that? You feel like this is a great
way for them to prepare, using their week off to their
advantage and kind of keeping them fresh and preparing, you

(01:00:01):
know, to. To play in this big series
because I I can't remember a time of them ever really doing
this, but what are your thoughtson this?
Yeah, I don't remember. I, I can't recall many other
teams doing stuff like this before either.
And maybe it's like pretty normal.
Maybe we just don't remember thelast time We just wanted
division. Right?
Exactly. You know, the, the downside of

(01:00:24):
being the top team is that you get a buy and you potentially
lose some momentum, right? In this case, I think the Blue
Jays desperately needed that time off.
They needed to reset their pitching rotation.
They needed to give Beau time toheal up.
And I think the whole roster will benefit from, from 5 days
off to just let your body get right.
But I do think it's extremely important for them to try and

(01:00:49):
maintain the momentum right thatthey've had.
I, I feel like that's one thing that carried them to the
position that they're in now. So sitting around on their
laurels too much this week wouldbe a mistake.
I mean, obviously no one's gonnado that, but just, you know,
staying on the field. But I also think it's, I think
it's a smart thing to keep them connected to the fan base.
I mean, listen to these guys talk about the impact of the

(01:01:11):
fans have on the team and the kind of energy that they bring,
right? I think this is a really cool
and creative way to just keep the to keep the the fan base
engaged and to keep them connected to the team and just
to kind of keep that fire lit up.
You know, as much as I feel likeit's strange to be selling
tickets to a intersquad games, Ido think that it's I like the
idea. I do too.

(01:01:32):
I'm curious to see how it all plays out.
Yeah. Well, Chris, this was fun and
thanks for thanks for doing this.
This was awesome, man. Like great time to believe Blue
Jays fan great. This was a great episode man,
and we thank you once again for being here as a guest.
But where can we find you? In social media and everywhere

(01:01:52):
else? And my pleasure, fellows.
It's, it was a lot of fun. You could find me These days I'm
doing some writing occasionally with Blue Jays Nation.
You can always find me on Twitter or X or whatever you
wanna call it there. My, my handle is baseball 4
Brains, baseball #4 brains. Probably the most creative thing
I've ever come up with. So I always feel good about

(01:02:13):
that. But yeah, I'm usually, you know,
usually right in an article or two a week and usually live
tweeting my, my irrational feelings during the game and
stuff. So I'm always happy to always
happy to chat with fellow fans and and enjoy this beautiful run
that they're on. Hopefully we can.
Hopefully we can chat again and celebrate a World Series title

(01:02:34):
in a couple of months or something.
That would be fantastic. We thank you for cover for
coming on today and we we know we've been trying to get you on
for a while. So we wanted to have you on for
a while. So it's been fantastic to sit
here and talk baseball and and what's what's been a magical
season thus far. And let's let's hopefully has

(01:02:54):
that storybook fairy tale endingthat we all want, man.
Amen. Thanks.
Very much appreciated, happy to do it again.
It's it's always nice to nice tochat with some fellow Blue Jays
fans and other stuff. Absolutely men.
We will place the description below where you can find Chris
Henderson, but till next time, take care, be kind to each

(01:03:16):
other. Signing off from the Blue Jays
Ave. podcast Tuesday, September 30th, 2025.