Deep Left Field with Mike Wilner

Guests: Blue Jays pitchers Max Scherzer and Spencer Miles, Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke This week in Deep Left Field, we go over the Blue Jays' week that was, which featured a sweep of the Athletics and an ugly series loss to the sad-sack Colorado Rockies, with a special emphasis on Cody Ponce's catastrophic knee injury and what that means for the rotation. Then we hear from two Jays pitchers at the absolute opposite ends of the spectrum. Max Scherzer is starting his 19th season in the big leagues and is ticketed for immortality in Cooperstown when he's done. Spencer Miles is a rookie, selected in the Rule 5 draft, who still hasn't hit the 25-inning mark as a professional. Incredibly, the two hurlers are linked by a Missouri snowstorm. They both tell us that story. Also, Pickering's own Denzel Clarke made an opening day roster for the first time in his career, after playing for Canada at the World Baseball Classic for the second time. We catch up with the centre field magician as we look out at the stands where he saw his first big-league game. All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Toronto Star columnists Gregor Chisholm and Mike Wilner gathered on the field of the Rogers Centre during batting practice, to discuss the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays and what might be in store during the 50th season of Toronto Blue Jays baseball.

Guest: Blue Jays opening day starter Kevin Gausman Kevin Gausman is going to meet the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of his first opening day start as a Blue Jay, but you'll get to hear from him first here in Deep Left Field! In an in-depth, wide-ranging conversation, the 35-year-old discusses rebounding from the shortest off-season he's ever had after throwing more pitches than anyone else in the major leagues last year. He also talks about the impact Toronto has made on him over the course of the five-year contract that ends this season, his new teammates, the honour of pitching on opening day and more. We also look at the Jays' season-opening roster, officialized Wednesday, discuss club president Mark Shapiro's media availability and open up the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays outfielders Addison Barger and George Springer Today's episode of Deep Left Field DAILY features a couple of Blue Jays sluggers who had unexpectedly great seasons and made massive contributions toward the Jays winning the American League East and getting to within inches of a World Series championship last fall. George Springer came off the worst year of his career to lead the Jays with 32 home runs and finish third in the majors in OPS - behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. In the post-season, his go-ahead three-run home run in Game 7 of the American League championship series propelled the Jays into the Fall Classic and stands as one of the biggest round-trippers in Jays history. Addison Barger didn't even make the team out of spring training last year, but wound up hitting 21 home runs, third on the Jays behind Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In his first career post-season, he belted the only pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history and hit .480 over the seven games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Springer and Barger join us to talk about that magical playoff run and to look ahead to the new season that begins Friday night. All that, plus your thoughts in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays pitchers Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage Today, Deep Left Field checks out the Blue Jays' starting rotation - or, at least, people who will be pieces of the rotation at some point this season. Dylan Cease got the richest contract the Jays have ever given to a pitcher, and the 30-year-old right-hander will be second out of the gate when the season opens, starting Saturday afternoon against the Athletics at Rogers Centre. Cease joins us to talk about choosing Toronto, what he expects from his seven years here and fills us in on several of his interesting hobbies. We also hear from Shane Bieber and Trey Yesavage, two pitchers who joined the Jays late last season and made a huge impact on their run to the World Series. Both of them will start the season on the injured list. Bieber talks about picking up his player option to stay with the Jays and how his winter went after giving up the World-Series-winning home run in Game 7 while Yesavage takes us through his meteoric rise and record-setting post-season. All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Blue Jays manager John Schneider Deep Left Field is going DAILY for the lead-up to Blue Jays' opening day on Friday, and we kick off the week with an in-depth conversation with John Schneider, who just signed a two-year extension that will keep him as Blue Jays manager through the 2028 season. Schneider, who is about to begin his fourth full season as Jays' skipper and his 25th as a member of the organization, joins us to talk about how dreams of Game 7 of the World Series interrupted his sleep during the winter, how he remembers the playoff run, how he has grown as a manager and much more. In the wide-ranging conversation, we touch on the post-season brilliance of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Trey Yesavage, among others, the departure of Bo Bichette, how Schneider thinks the Jays can improve on what they did last year among many other things. The mailbag is always open at [email protected] - make sure to have your voice heard during this busy week of daily podcasts!

Guests: Blue Jays relievers Tyler Rogers and Chase Lee, shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala This week in Deep Left Field, we dive into Canada's Pool A victory at the World Baseball Classic, the first time Team Canada has ever advanced beyond the first round of the WBC. Their reward is a quarter-final win-or-go-home match-up against a humiliated Team USA on Friday the 13th. Then we introduce you to a couple of new Blue Jays: Taylor Rogers, the submarining right-hander signed to a $37 million (US) contract in December, has been one of the best set-up men in the game for the past five years. Now his home ballpark has his name on all the trash cans. Chase Lee was acquired in a much more below-the-radar transaction, a December trade with the Detroit Tigers, but he's someone you'll want to get to know. A sidearm righty who didn't make his college baseball team as a freshman but had a 1.098 WHIP as a rookie in the big leagues and also has a degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Also, meet Arjun Nimmala, one of the top-100 prospects in all of baseball and the Jays' first round pick in 2023! All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Team Canada pitcher Michael Soroka, Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Russell Martin This week, Deep Left Field comes to you from spring training once again and we present an all-Canadian episode! Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.) joins us for his first-ever Deep Left Field conversation without an interpreter. We talk to Vladdy about the Jays' magical playoff run last season and what he thinks of his team going into 2026 as his half-billion dollar (US) contract kicks in. With Team Canada having played a pair of games to prepare for the World Baseball Classic, which begins (for them) Saturday morning in Puerto Rico, we get the inside scoop on their attempt to finally break through and make it out of the first round of the WBC. Michael Soroka (Calgary, AB) will start that first game against Colombia. He and former Blue Jay Russell Martin (East York, Ont.), who will be coaching first base for Canada, fill us in on everything you need to know about the red and white! Plus, we open up the mailbag at [email protected]! 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/subscribe.

Guest: Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman In this special bonus episode of Deep Left Field, from Blue Jays' spring training in Dunedin, Florida, we look back at the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series with the man who was on the mound for the Jays and gave up the first-ever ninth-inning game-tying home run in World Series history. Jeff Hoffman said that day that he'd cost his teammates a World Series ring, and he reflects on that moment in an open, vulnerable and candid conversation - the first such interview he's done since last year's crushing loss. We open up the mailbag at [email protected] as well, for your comments and questions!

Guests: Blue Jays outfielder Myles Straw, shortstop Andres Gimenez, infielder Leo Jimenez, outfielder Eloy Jimenez Deep Left Field returns to Dunedin, Florida for Blue Jays spring training and this week we present a confluence of *imenezes, each of whom has been making news in the early days of camp, but first, a chat with Myles Straw about the Jays repatriation of Max Scherzer, who agreed to a one-year deal early Thursday morning. Andres Gimenez will be the Jays' starting shortstop this season. It's a move back to his original position, and one he played very well in the absence of Bo Bichette down the stretch and into the playoffs. Gimenez talks to us about shifting back to the other side of second base and what he needs to do to improve his offence. Leo Jimenez is out of options, and in a make-or-break position to break camp as the back-up infielder or be put through waivers after a lost 2025 because of illness and injury. We catch up with the youngster, who was solid for the Jays in 2024, to talk about how he's dealing with the pressure. And we play "meet the new guy" with Eloy Jimenez, a one-time top prospect who exploded onto the big-league scene with 47 home runs over his first 173 career games before running into the injury bug - hard - for five years. Here on a minor-league contract, he's off to a sensational start to the spring. All this plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Former Blue Jays catcher and broadcaster Alan Ashby; Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm This week in Deep Left Field, we head down to Dunedin, Florida as the Star's Gregor Chisholm wraps up his week at Blue Jays spring training. We check in with Gregor about what he's seen from the Jays and get his thoughts on, among other things, how Kazuma Okamoto has been looking, why Anthony Santander didn't have his shoulder surgery much earlier and how Eric Lauer feels about being overlooked for a spot in the Jays' rotation once again. Also, we get into the wayback machine as the Jays get set for their 50th anniversary season and talk to Alan Ashby, who caught 124 games in the Blue Jays inaugural season, 1977. All that plus a dip into the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 Inductees Stubby Clapp, Kate Psota, Paul Runge, Bill Stoneman, Devon White This week in Deep Left Field, we speak to every living member of the just-announced Class of 2026 for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. They will be inducted in a ceremony in St. Marys, Ont. on June 20. Devon White, the greatest centrefielder in Blue Jays' history. Stubby Clapp, perhaps the living embodiment of the Canadian national team player. Kate Psota, one of the first superstar women's players in modern history. Bill Stoneman, who threw the first of his two no-hitters for the Montreal Expos in the ninth game in franchise history. Paul Runge, a St. Catharines, Ont. native who spent a quarter-century as a major-league umpire, including working the 1993 World Series between the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies. All those immortals of Canadian baseball, plus your thoughts in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm, former New York Post baseball columnist, now journalism professor and author Ken Davidoff This week in Deep Left Field, we talk labour. Baseball's Collective Bargaining Agreement expires this year and the stage is set for another off-season lockout, just like we saw five years ago. There's no question that the 2026 season will be played, but questions about 2027 loom large and we have convened a Deep Left Field panel to try to answer them. What do the owners want? What about the players? How united is each side? Will there be a work stoppage - the first since the 1994 strike - that delays the start of the 2027 season or worse? My Blue Jays beat partner Gregor Chisholm and longtime Yankees' columnist Ken Davidoff, author of the new book "101 Lessons From The Dugout" join me and we try to figure things out. All this, plus your thoughts and questions in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Former Blue Jay Russell Martin, Mets pitcher Jonah Tong, Athletics' outfielder Denzel Clarke This week in Deep Left Field, we take you to New York City to hear what Bo Bichette had to say at the media conference that introduced him as a New York Met. We also go back to the Baseball Canada awards banquet to hear from Canadian baseball luminaries, including new Bichette teammate Jonah Tong, Denzel Clarke, who made MLB's catch of the year in Anaheim as a rookie last summer and Russell Martin, who discussed having two of his old teams facing off in the World Series (and having to pretend to be rooting for both). Plus, my take on the Cooperstown Class of 2026 and your thoughts in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee of Kim's Convenience, The Mandalorian and more Bo Bichette agrees to a three-year contract with the New York Mets, ending the Bichette-Guerrero era with a thud. Reaction from Blue Jays' fandom has been all over the map, from devastation to "good riddance" and everywhere in between. We reach out to Canadian icon and huge Jays fan Paul Sun-Hyung Lee to discuss his feelings about Bichette moving on, what the Jays could have done differently and where they go from here. Plus, we open the mailbag at [email protected] for your thoughts on the move!

Guests: Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement, general manager Ross Atkins The face of the "Glue Jays," Ernie Clement, moves from the infield out to Deep Left Field to join us on the show this week. He talks about the immediate aftermath of Game 7 of the World Series in the clubhouse and gives his thoughts on the Jays' magical season and his magical post-season that fell just short. As well, Ernie fills us in on the pitch he made to Bo Bichette to stay with the Jays during Bichette's wedding. Also, the 2025 Blue Jays were given a Special Recognition Award at last weekend's Baseball Canada awards banquet. Ross Atkins joined me on stage to accept the award and for an interview, which you can hear here. Plus, as always, we open the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Former Blue Jays all-star slugger Justin Smoak This week in Deep Left Field, we find out about the Blue Jays' new free-agent acquisition, Kazuma Okamoto, from someone who played with him. Justin Smoak, a five-year Jay and an all-star in 2017, when he hit 38 home runs, played his final professional season in Japan in 2021 as a teammate of Okamoto's, and joins us to give his up-close-and-personal scouting report on the Jays' $60 million (US) man, as well as some memories of playing with 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. You'll also hear highlights of Okamoto's introductory news conference, where the six-time Japanese all-star talked about what brought him to Toronto and how he expects to contribute and also showed off his sneaky sense of humour. And, as always, we open up the mailbag at [email protected] to hear from you! 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/subscribe.

In this special bonus episode of Deep Left Field, we take an in-depth look at the Blue Jays first real foray into the Pacific Rim, the signing of six-time NPB all-star Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million (US) contract. Who is Okamoto and what does he bring? How does his signing affect the Jays' roster - who goes where? And, of course, what about Bo Bichette? The answers to all these questions, plus a dip into the mailbag at [email protected], are all here for you on our first special bonus episode of 2026!

Guest: Former Toronto Blue Jay and Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Ross Stripling In our final episode of 2025 (or first of 2026, depending on when you listen), an old friend comes back to Deep Left Field for a long-overdue Long Toss With Ross segment. Ross Stripling, who spent the majority of his nine-year major-league career with the Jays and Dodgers, joins us to catch up and talk about watching his two teams square off in one of the greatest World Series of all time. Strip also fills us in on what the Jays picked up when they signed reliever Tyler Rogers earlier this month, given that they were teammates in San Francisco in 2023. As always, we open up the mailbag at [email protected] so that your voice can be heard! This week, we hear some reflections on 2025 and answer questions about Jose Berrios, the still-unresolved free agency of Bo Bichette and more!

Guest: Dave Bidini, Renaissance Man With the holidays upon us, we brought the biggest baseball romantic we know into Deep Left Field to talk about the magic that was the Blue Jays' 2025 season. Dave Bidini - author of multiple books including "Baseballissimo," publisher of the West End Phoenix, Toronto Star contributor and Rheostatics guitarist - joins us to wax poetic on the year that was, the post-season run and how he's handling the Blue Jays' loss in Game 7 of the World Series. And, as always, we open the mailbag at [email protected] (our inbox is always open) to hear your thoughts including, of course, questions about Bo Bichette's still-unresolved free agency.

Guests: New Blue Jays pitcher Cody Ponce, former Blue Jays pitcher Jay Jackson This week in Deep Left Field, we meet Cody Ponce, the right-hander the Jays signed earlier this month who is coming off the greatest season ever pitched in the Korea Baseball Organization. Ponce was introduced to the Toronto media this week, and we have highlights from that conversation, including what drew him to the Jays, his relationship with Hyun-Jin Ryu, what's changed since he was drummed out of the big leagues in 2021 and his deep and abiding love for all things Star Wars. Also, Jay Jackson joins us to give us an update on baby JR, who spent the first few months of his life in the NICU while his dad was pitching for the Blue Jays and is now a healthy, happy 2 1/2-year-old. Jackson also fills us in on new Jays acquisition Tyler Rogers, with whom he pitched for the San Francisco Giants in 2021, and gives some straight talk on how he believes the Jays have handled Bo Bichette's free agency so far. Plus, we open the mailbag at [email protected] - keep those cards and letters coming!