Guests: Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah, former Blue Jays beat reporter Kaitlyn McGrath

Our first episode of 2025 brings a check-in and a farewell. Alek Manoah, rehabbing from mid-June Tommy John surgery, joins us to give an update on the state of his elbow and the timeline for his late-season return. He also shares his thoughts about the Jays’ slow off-season to this point and the lack of a contract extension for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Also, departing Jays’ reporter Kaitlyn McGrath, late of The Athletic, shares her memories and stories of being on the beat through the team’s rise in the early part of the decade and recent fall.

Guests: Second City alumni Sandy Jobin-Bevans and Pat Smith, Actor/Director Stu Stone

2024 was a rough year for the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans, and the way this off-season has gone so far, it doesn’t seem as though 2025 is going to be much better. For our final episode of the year, we convene a roundtable of Canadian stars of stage and screen, in front of and behind the camera, to discuss where the Jays stand as the calendar flips and what it means that the fanbase seems to have completely lost faith in the ability of the front office to get the team back on track.

Guests: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm, Sports Info Solutions Mark Simon

The Blue Jays had their busiest Winter Meetings in years: making a trade, signing a free agent and grabbing a pitcher in the Rule 5 draft. Gregor Chisholm joins us to discuss all the Jays’ doings in Dallas, and whether it’s the right move to continue to drill down on run prevention at the expense of run creation. They made the best defence in MLB even better by picking up Andres Gimenez, but did they make a below-average offence worse? And we drill down on Gimenez – the best defensive infielder in the game – with Fielding Bible guru Mark Simon.

Guests: Jack Graney Award winner, legendary Toronto Star columnist Dave Perkins; Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Matt Hague

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame has handed out its annual media award, and we’ve got this year’s winner, Dave Perkins, to talk about his extraordinary career covering baseball for three decades for the Toronto Star. Matt Hague joins us as well, to talk about his year as the Blue Jays’ assistant hitting coach, his decision to leave for Pittsburgh and how much of an effect coaches can actually have at the big-league level.

Guests: Kim’s Convenience star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Baseball Prospectus Editor-In-Chief Craig Goldstein, Comedian Chris Calogero (“Husky Boy” stand-up special on YouTube), Andy Kindler (Everybody Loves Raymond, Bob’s Burgers)

This week, we bring together an all-star panel to make their pitch for superstar free agent outfielder Juan Soto. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee represents Blue Jays fans, Craig Goldstein stumps for his Dodgers, Chris Calogero makes the case for the Yankees and Andy Kindler argues that Soto should cross town and come play for his Mets. Who will land the off-season’s biggest prize? We get you closer to the answer!

This week, we talk to one of the outstanding young Canadian players working his way to the major leagues. Owen Caissie was named minor-league offensive player of the year by the Canadian Baseball Network for his terrific season with the AAA Iowa Cubs. We celebrate both that award and his being placed on the Cubs’ 40-man major-league roster with the 22-year-old from Burlington, Ontario.

We also look ahead to the deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players and see which Blue Jays are on the bubble, and fill you in on the newest member of the Jays front office.

Listen here or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can at thestar.com/subscribingmatters.

Guests: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm

The Hot Stove season is upon us and the Blue Jays have a whole lot to do in order to get back into playoff contention. Gregor Chisholm joins me to discuss the task ahead of them. Will they sign Juan Soto? Will they extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr.? What other big bats are available for them this winter? Is this the right front office group for the job? We answer these questions and more in this Deep Left Field Off-Season Primer!