Jays Talk Plus: Big Apple Bound + #FistBumps4ALS w/ Sarah Langs

Sho Alli and Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays' 11-6 loss to the Orioles in Dunedin. They get into the start from Yusei Kikuchi, who gave up five earned runs early on before settling down - any worry there at this point in the spring? They chat about the bullpen, including Chad Green and Erik Swanson - how much does Green have to do in order to change his place in the bullpen order? With split squad action also happening in Sarasota, they get to Ernie Clement banging a three-run bomb off Corbin Burnes, and debate Brian Serven vs. Payton Henry as the organization's third catcher. Plus, with a busy week now wrapped up, they also chat about Ricky Tiedemann's outing, Joey Votto signing a minor league deal, and Josh Donaldson calling it a career.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli and Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays' 3-1 loss to the Red Sox in Spring Training action down in Fort Myers. They take your texts, and get to the second spring dinger from Alejandro Kirk - is this a sign he might be closer to his 2022 offensive form? They chat Addison Barger, who made some impressive throws from the outfield - how much more does he have to do in order to be in consideration for the Opening Day roster? Plus, they discuss some Ricky Tiedemann updates from Dunedin, and how he could be close to live game action in the coming days.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli and Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays' 6-2 Spring Training loss to the Braves down in Dunedin. They take your texts, and get to the work at the hot corner by Isiah Kiner-Falefa - is he ready to be the (almost) everyday third baseman? Plus, Danny Jansen looks ready for the regular season - how much are expectations for him tempered by his injury woes of the past? Afterwards, they chat about the pitching, including a start from Chris Bassitt, and a solid 2.1 IP from Bowden Francis. If Alek Manoah isn't ready for the regular season, could Francis be relied upon as the team's fifth starter?

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli and Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays' first road game of the Spring campaign, a 12-6 loss vs. the Yankees in Tampa. They take your texts, and chat about buying and selling Jays narratives following two spring games. Julia focuses on Davis Schneider after a terrific diving grab in left field - could that be a home for him this season? Sho gets to Orelvis Martinez and his eye at the plate - is there any chance he breaks camp with the team? Plus, they chat about the multi-inning relief options available to the team, and discuss how Cody Bellinger being re-signed by the Cubs could have a domino effect on Matt Chapman's potential contract status.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Sho Alli and Julia Kreuz break down the Blue Jays' Spring Training opener vs. the Phillies in Dunedin! They take your texts and get to what they saw out of the names to watch on the mound, including starter Chad Dallas, and relief options Nate Pearson, Zach Pop, and Yosver Zulueta. Plus, what are they buying this early in the spring campaign? They get to Pearson showing off a splitter, Orelvis Martinez at the plate, Bo Bichette's potential for stealing more bases, and the importance of Daulton Varsho getting in an early groove.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates

Blake Murphy and Ben Nicholson-Smith reset the Blue Jays offseason in the aftermath of Shohei Ohtani signing with the Dodgers. After a debriefing from the Ohtani chase and the lessons learned, they examine what the top of the free agent market now looks like, including a dramatic drop-off after Ohtani. They also discuss a number of available position player free agents, explore the idea of adding pitching and dealing from a position of strength, and get to possible trade targets from teams who might need to shed some salary by March.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates

Blake Murphy and Jeff Blair react live to the breaking news regarding superstar free agent Shohei Ohtani signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the Jays were believed to be a finalist. They welcome Sportsnet MLB Insider Shi Davidi (6:53) to discuss how the Jays' front office will approach the rest of free agency. Then, Bill Shaikin (36:11) of the L.A. Times shares what the Dodgers are getting in Ohtani, what led to the decision, and more. Next, Ben Nicholson-Smith (51:21) joins the show to discuss which free agents the Jays could look towards next. Finally, Blake and Jeff talk about the creativity we could see from the Jays front office. 

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by Blue Jays Central’s Caleb Joseph ahead of Mark Shapiro’s end of season media availability to discuss what they expect to hear from the Jays’ President and more on how the season ended. After Shapiro addressed the media and announced GM Ross Atkins will be returning in 2024, Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi joins Blair and Barker with his thoughts on how Shapiro handled the questioning (01:07:50).

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Blake Murphy kicks off the final Jays Talk Plus of the season with a full recap of the Blue Jays’ unceremonious exit from the 2023 MLB playoffs. The Athletic's Kaitlyn McGrath promptly addresses the prominent issue at hand, soon to be known as ‘The Berrios Ultimatum’, before taking a look ahead to the looming offseason (12:47). Later on, Blake welcomes former MLB pitcher John Axford to offer his unique viewpoint on the pitching change, and shed some light on the influence of analytics in pre-game choices and when it becomes more fitting to empower the player over the game situation (36:54). In the second hour, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel helps us understand impulsive decisions made at the team level, the importance of trusting the investments made in players to carry out their roles effectively, and how analytics can be communicated more effectively from top management down (51:52). Next up, former Blue Jays Bullpen Coach Matt Buschmann provides an inside look at the behind-the-scenes decision-making processes that fans typically aren't privy to, such as the intricacies and various "what-if" scenarios considered (01:06:34). To wrap up this season of Jays Talk Plus, MLB.com's Jon Morosi helps us put a final bow on the team’s early exit from the playoffs, before shifting the focus to team-specific offseason matters including player movement and free agent options (01:24:25).

Thank you all for listening - see you next season!

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker wrap up the Blue Jays' 2023 season following the 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. They take your calls, and discuss the decision to yank José Berríos in the fourth inning for Yusei Kikuchi. Does John Schneider wear that decision? Should he have defied the higher-ups if it was a decision from above him? They chat about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. getting picked off at second base, and a missed Matt Chapman frozen rope down the line - how many missed opportunities can there be in tight ballgames? Plus, they discuss what comes next and what kind of changes are on the horizon for 2024.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.