Shane Bieber has decided to take his $16 million player option and stay with the Blue Jays. I’m shocked. I was sure he would opt out and get more money, even if he went with a short-term contract. Apparently, he liked his Jays teammates and wants to stay with them, at least for another year, […]
4 months ago | 4 reads
2025 was year-four of Kevin Gausman’s fourth year of his five year contract. In his first three seasons, he had a 38-30 record and a 7.4 BWar, in 93 starts, with a 3.45 ERA. 2024 was a step down from the other two, so we were interested in how 2025 would go. Was he aging? […]
4 months ago | 5 reads
MLB announce the ‘finalists’ for the major awards of the year. There is only one Blue Jay in the running, John Schneider is one of the three finalists for Manager of the Year. He and Steven Vogt of the Guardians and Dan Wilson of the Mariners are the final three. Schneider, of course, took the […]
4 months ago | 11 reads
Happy Monday. I will admit, I’m ok with no longer having GameThreads and Game Recaps hanging over my head every day. Getting into the off-season routine will take a few days; there is enough to discuss about the season just passed to carry us through to the new year. The Jays have four days where […]
4 months ago | 6 reads
Former Blue Jays reliever Paul Quantrill turns 57 today. He spent six seasons with the Jays and pitched in 386 games, sixth in team history for games (and no one will be passing him soon). His best season with the Jays was 1997, when he had a 1.94 ERA in 77 relief appearances. He had […]
4 months ago | 4 reads
With a few sleepless hours between us and the end of the World Series, I want to give a hat tip to several Blue Jays players. Yesterday’s game hurt, but this was an incredible ride and a fantastic team. I learned a lot about how a team that pulls for each other can do more […]
4 months ago | 5 reads
Now that the World Series is over, as tear-inducing as it was, the off-season starts, and off-season things happen. The morning after the World Series is decided, players can file for free agency. For four days, they can only negotiate with their current team, then, on the fifth day, God (or the commissioner) lets them […]
4 months ago | 4 reads
Dodgers 5 Blue Jays 4 (11 innings) Frustrating game, but the Jays did an amazing job this year. A two outs short of a win in Game Seven. I’m not doing a ‘normal’ recap today. Just random thoughts: I feel so lucky to get to do this. This was a tough loss, but it was […]
4 months ago | 5 reads
Our last GameThread of the year. Kind of sad. It has been a fantastic ride. We’ve seen some things we’ve never seen before. The winner will be showered with praise. The loser will be taunted and booed until my throat is sore. Well, no but I would like it if you won, Blue Jays. But […]
4 months ago | 15 reads
Whatever happens tonight, this has been a great ride. I’m thinking that the Jays will win tonight. Paul Molitor and Jack Morris throw out the first pitch (pitches?) tonight. Morris is an interesting choice. I’ve never been a fan of his, and his work in the booth hasn’t helped my opinion of him. I think […]
4 months ago | 6 reads
There isn’t all that much to talk about. They just have to win today. Shohei Ohtani is starting for the Dodgers, on short rest. Max Scherzer goes for the Jays. But we will see a lot of pitchers tonight. It is a Johnny Wholestaff day. I was looking at the Athletic’s 2025 predictions for the […]
4 months ago | 9 reads
11 Years Ago Alex Anthopoulos traded Adam Lind to the Brewers for Marco Estrada. I wasn’t overly thrilled about the trade. He appeared to be a mediocre 5th starter/long reliever/swingman type. I expected a little more for Lind. I worried about Estrada’s tendency to give up home runs. The AL East seemed the wrong place […]
4 months ago | 7 reads
Dodgers 3 Blue Jays 1 The Dodgers scored their three runs in the third inning. With one out, Tommy Edman doubled. With two outs, we intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani. Will Smith followed with a double scoring one. Freddie Freeman walked. And Mookie Betts singled home two. That was the only inning Kevin Gausman had any […]
4 months ago | 10 reads
I’d be good with this being the last game of the year. Lineups, George is bad in there. But the bar is high George, if you wait until the second pitch to homer, that’s too long. First pitch homers only George. Today’s Lineups DODGERS BLUE JAYS Shohei Ohtani – DH George Springer – DH Will […]
4 months ago | 7 reads
This is going to be a long day, still over six hours until Game 6. I really have nothing to say. I don’t like making predictions. Yesterday, someone, finding out I run this place, said, ‘That must be fun.“ I said, ”Only on days I have something to say.” Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been excellent this […]
5 months ago | 2 reads
Fred McGriff turns 62 today. McGriff was born in Tampa, Florida. The Yankees drafted him in the 9th round of the 1981 amateur draft. Don Mattingly blocked his way to the majors for the Yankees. The Jays acquired McGriff, Dave Collins, Mike Morgan, and cash in exchange for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd. That trade […]
5 months ago | 12 reads
The first thing my wife said to me this morning was, ‘It wasn’t a dream.‘ She knows me. One of my first thoughts this morning was ‘That was the sort of World Series start we should have had from Roy Halladay”. If, you know, we had a front office that could have surrounded him with […]
5 months ago | 4 reads
Marco Scutaro turns 50 today (sorry Marco, but it only gets worse from here). Many of my favourite Jays have birthdays in October. We picked up Scutaro in trade from the A’s back in November of 2007. In the post about the trade achnegy said: I am not surprised at who this trade partner is […]
5 months ago | 7 reads
Blue Jays 6 Dodger 1 WHAT A GREAT GAME. You know it is going to be a good day when the first and third pitch your team sees leave the yard. Davis Schneider hit the first pitch of the game over the left field wall. Just his second hit of the World Series byt was […]
5 months ago | 9 reads
Blue Jays 6 Dodger 1 WHAT A GREAT GAME. You know it is going to be a good day when the first and third pitch your team sees leave the yard. Davis Schneider hit the first pitch of the game over the left field wall. Just his second hit of the World Series byt was […]
5 months ago | 8 reads
Just Win. The lineup, sans Springer. I was hopeful he’d be able to play. He could pinch hit or pinch run, but I’d say pinch hitting is far more likely. Davis Schneider leads off and plays left field against the lefty. Schneider is 1 for 10 in the ALCS and World Series. But Barger stays […]
5 months ago | 5 reads
I hoped Springer would play. Apparently, he did batting practice, ran on the field, and seemed pretty good, but they decided to have him sit and hope to play on Friday. Davis Schneider leads off and plays left field. Bo Bichette is DH. And the Dodgers have shuffled their lineup, trying to find some offense. […]
5 months ago | 4 reads
You have to like it when a plan comes together. The Jays picked up Shane Bieber hoping that he would be a piece of the rotation if we make it to the playoffs. Now he’s made four playoff starts. The first one wasn’t good, but, since then two wins, and a 3.00 ERA. Last night […]
5 months ago | 3 reads
Jesse Barfield turns 66 today. Jesse Barfield was one of my favourite players. He was a 9th-round pick in the 1977 amateur draft, the first year the Blue Jays (and the Mariners) participated. MLB gave them the last two choices of each round (the big-hearted folks they are). Jesse made it up to the majors […]
5 months ago | 6 reads
Tonight was game four, but actually the fifth complete nine innings of baseball in this series. The Jays didn’t look as tired as I feel, though, with a convincing win thanks to solid pitching and steady offence up and down the lineup. Eight of the nine starters reached base and they outhit LA 11-6. The […]
5 months ago | 11 reads