Blue Jays Happy Hour

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Blue Jays Happy Hour

Blue Jays Happy Hour

137 episodes

3 days ago

Andrew Stoeten (The Batflip, formerly the Athletic, National Post, Blue Jays Nation, Drunk Jays Fans) and Nick Ashbourne (Sportsnet and Yahoo Sports) team up every week to discuss all things Toronto Blue Jays! AD-FREE AND WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES AVAILABLE AT patreon.com/BJHH

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All content for Blue Jays Happy Hour is the property of Blue Jays Happy Hour and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Andrew Stoeten (The Batflip, formerly the Athletic, National Post, Blue Jays Nation, Drunk Jays Fans) and Nick Ashbourne (Sportsnet and Yahoo Sports) team up every week to discuss all things Toronto Blue Jays! AD-FREE AND WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES AVAILABLE AT patreon.com/BJHH

stoeten.substack.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show more...

Episodes (20/137)

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Don't Walk, Hit Dingers

After an episode last week that felt about as grim as any show we've recorded in-season for this podcast, the Jays brought us—and themselves—back to life. They've won five of six since we last spoke, and if not for three ugly bullpen blow-ups could be on an eight-game winning streak. Alejandro Kirk and Daulton Varsho have been especially aggressive at the plate, and it's paying dividends as the club has averaged 6.5 runs per game over that span. But can the good times keep rolling?

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5 days ago

43 minutes 43 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Sensible Desperation

The vibes around the Blue Jays would certainly feel a whole lot better if not for two stomach-churning late-inning losses in Anaheim this week. But they did lose those games. And though the immediate fault lies with the bullpen for failing to close out leads, the relievers would be in much better shape if the offence could build a lead bigger than one or two runs every once in a while, or if the back-end of the rotation wasn't down to relying on guys pulled off the street. Will Jonatan Clase and José Ureña prove to be the answers they've been looking for? Probably not!

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1 week ago

48 minutes 23 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Back From the Brink?

It's been an awful couple of weeks for the Blue Jays, who looked like they were about to suffer their ninth defeat in ten games on Wednesday before embarking on a massive, home-run-powered, six-run comeback that reminded all of us what they ought to be capable of. And that entirely changed the tone of the conversation around the team—at least for a day.

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2 weeks ago

43 minutes 59 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Not a lot of Levers

The Blue Jays have lost five straight, their power output has somehow been worse than expected, and they don't have a lot of levers to pull. The vibes? They're bad. And this week we talk about our confidence levels of the big three at the top of the lineup turning things around, where solutions beyond their best four starters and relievers will come from, and a whole lot more!

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3 weeks ago

42 minutes 14 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Heads Above Water

The Blue Jays couldn't afford to dig themselves an early hole this season, and they've managed to avoid doing exactly that. Chris Bassitt, Jeff Hoffman, and Yimi Garcia pitching like the best starter, closer, and setup man in baseball will certainly help in that regard. But whether their success will prove durable—whether enough offence will come, whether the rotation will hold, and whether the bullpen can continue to live up to an impossibly high standard while being relied-upon heavily—remains to seen.

PLUS: Putting an over/under on Max Scherzer's innings pitched, figuring out the roster once Nathan Lukes returns (a conversation we had before Davis Schneider was optioned down to Buffalo), check-ins on Barger, Wagner, Clement, and more!

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1 month ago

46 minutes 37 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

A Blue Jay For Life

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is now under contract with the Toronto Blue Jays for the next 15 years, and all it took to make it happen was a mere half-a-billion dollars. Everybody gets what they want except the pocketbook of a rich weirdo who couldn't spend all his money in a thousand lifetimes anyway. That's a win-win-win in my book!

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1 month ago

37 minutes 59 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Positive Vibes Only

The Blue Jays split a four-gamer with the Orioles to start the 2025 season, and then swept the Nationals at home. Max Scherzer may be out, but with performances like we've been seeing from the likes of Andrés Giménez, George Springer, and Easton Lucas, his absence has barely been felt so far. And so for this week's episode, knowing precisely what the answer would be, we went for a quasi-traditional Vibe Check. And folks, the vibes are good. (For now.)

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1 month ago

45 minutes 36 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Still Undefeated

The 2025 MLB season is nearly upon us, and the Blue Jays have a fighting chance in an ultra-tight American League in which every team still has the same record. But merely meeting their projections won't be good enough, and succeeding will rely on some good stories from a group of position player prospects older than Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and health from a starting rotation with an average age of 34. This week we talk about what it will take for the Jays to have a successful season and how an unsuccessful one might play out, why the team chose Roden over Barger and parted ways with Ryan Yarbrough, the reasons to really like Alejandro Kirk's contract—plus predictions for the season and more!

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1 month ago

47 minutes 34 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Food for Thought

We start this one off with an obligatory check-in on the Vladdy circus—and circle back on it at the end because of Mark Shapiro's surprising admission of optimism on still getting an extension done—and some of the goings-on in Dunedin, before heading full on into Food Talk. That's right, it's our annual review of the Jays' newly announced ballpark food offerings!

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2 months ago

59 minutes 40 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Another Vladdy Conversation

New reporting suggests that the contract talks between the Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. stalled out with a gap of just $50 million over 14 years. Does that change how we feel? Is anybody being reasonable here? Can they still perhaps salvage this now that both sides can be credibly seen as ridiculous? This week we focus on the biggest story of the Jays' season—so much for not being a distraction!—plus some injury updates, bullpen talk, and more!

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2 months ago

44 minutes 14 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

A Time for Hope and Optimism

We mostly take Nick's advice this week and "focus on the season." Though big picture concerns about the franchise aren't going away anytime soon, the Jays have a talented group in camp, are already seeing some positive stories, and potentially have the makings of a fun and relevant team. It may not work out that way, of course. But if you can't get hopeful in March you've got real problems.

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2 months ago

46 minutes 30 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Springing Springer

Spring has finally sprung for the Toronto Blue Jays, who have several high-profile players potentially in camp for the last time. Could one of those be George Springer, who—unless he's able to reverse the sharp offensive decline he's seen over his last two seasons—faces an uncertain future with just one more year on his contract after this one? That's just one of many storylines discussed on this week's episode, with others including Max Scherzer's arrival, the futures of Vlad and Bo, youngsters to watch, the revamped bullpen, the positional puzzle, and more!

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2 months ago

42 minutes 12 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Vlad to the Bone

You had one job, Ross and Mark! And in this Vlad-centric episode, we discuss how and why they failed at it.

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3 months ago

39 minutes 36 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Ending on a Positive Note?

Like this very podcast episode itself, the Blue Jays' offseason may be ending on a positive note. January signings of Anthony Santander and Max Scherzer—the latter only made official this week—have put the club back firmly into the American League playoff mix. But they aren't out of the mushy middle yet. And with projections that may seem a bit too bullish—for example, Alejandro Kirk, Andrés Giménez and George Springer have produced wRC+ marks of 95, 90, and 100 respectively over the last two seasons combined but are somehow projected to 114, 106, and 108 according to FanGraphs—and playoff odds that place them behind 10 other American League teams, it feels like there's very much still work to do.

There's work that can be done, of course. Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso remain available on the free agent market. But can the Jays actually reel them in? How would we feel if they don't? What else might they look to do to flesh out their roster. And, of course, what of Vlad.

This week we discuss all this, and more!

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3 months ago

41 minutes 15 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

The Blue Jays have finally added some desperately needed power to the middle of their lineup, signing switch-hitting Orioles slugger Anthony Santander to a five-year, $90 million deal—with an opt out, a potential sixth year, and a whole bunch of deferred money. This week we talk about what the signing means and how Santander fits. Plus, what's next for the Jays, which free agent targets make the most sense, whether a trade of significance could still happen, what happened with Roki Sasaki, and why on earth are they paying Myles Straw?

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3 months ago

46 minutes 57 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Don't Hassle the Hoff('s Medicals)

Jeff Hoffman is the Blue Jays new closer, but not after a couple of failed physicals elsewhere—potentially an odd choice given that medicals seemed to be a big part of the rationale for the club parting ways with the popular Jordan Romano. PLUS: Roki Sasaki's decision seems to be imminent, and as of the time of this recording the Jays hadn't been ruled out of the running for the man with the "Japanese-style delivery." Also: Vlad stuff, another swing-and-a-miss on Corbin Burnes, an Alek Manoah update, and more!

FOLLOW BLUE JAYS NATION!

Website: https://bluejaysnation.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejaysnation/?hl=en

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TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebluejaysnation

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theBlueJaysNation/

SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!

Betway - https://betway.com/en-ca/ #BetTheResponsibleWay #BetwayCanada

Reach out to sales@thenationnetwork.com to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!

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4 months ago

48 minutes 18 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

After a quick opening digression to discuss Vlad's recent contract comments and the offseason so far, this week we dive into what we've learned in 2024—about the franchise, the front office, and its most important players—looking backwards and forwards, as your Toronto Blue Jays enter a pivotal year teetering on the edge of the abyss.

FOLLOW BLUE JAYS NATION!

Website: https://bluejaysnation.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejaysnation/?hl=en

X: https://x.com/thejaysnation

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebluejaysnation

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theBlueJaysNation/

SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!

Betway - https://betway.com/en-ca/ #BetTheResponsibleWay #BetwayCanada

Reach out to sales@thenationnetwork.com to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!

Visit www.nationgear.ca for merch and more.

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4 months ago

1 hour 40 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Giménez, García, Guerrero

The Jays made a trade just after we recorded our previous episode, but have been kind enough not to do much else since. So this week we review the Andrés Giménez deal, touching on Nick Sandlin, who—along with the newly re-acquired Yimi García—is part of a bullpen that may be more complete than fans realize. Plus: the biggest question hanging over the franchise: the future of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

All that and so much more...

FOLLOW BLUE JAYS NATION!

Website: https://bluejaysnation.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejaysnation/?hl=en

X: https://x.com/thejaysnation

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebluejaysnation

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theBlueJaysNation/

SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!

Betway - https://betway.com/en-ca/ #BetTheResponsibleWay #BetwayCanada

Reach out to sales@thenationnetwork.com to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!

Visit www.nationgear.ca for merch and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 months ago

48 minutes 38 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Mid-Meetings Madness

The Winter Meetings are on, Juan Soto and Jordan Romano are gone, and the Blue Jays have entered their pivot. In is former interim closer Yimi García, and—though we didn't know it at the time of this recording—glove-first-except-for-that-one-season second baseman Andrés Giménez. But as deck chairs get shuffled, big questions—Will they be able to sign Vlad?, Can they actually land Corbin Burnes?, What's up with Ken Rosenthal's weird anti-Blue Jays thing?—loom large...

FOLLOW BLUE JAYS NATION!

Website: https://bluejaysnation.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejaysnation/?hl=en

X: https://x.com/thejaysnation

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebluejaysnation

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theBlueJaysNation/

SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!

Betway - https://betway.com/en-ca/ #BetTheResponsibleWay #BetwayCanada

Reach out to sales@thenationnetwork.com to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!

Visit www.nationgear.ca for merch and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 months ago

48 minutes 38 seconds

Blue Jays Happy Hour

Spending the Unicorn Budget

The Juan Soto saga will continue on through MLB's traditional quiet period for American Thanksgiving—no, he is not joining the Boston Red Sox, as some were fooled into thinking was happening this week—which means that we're obligated to check in on the race for his signature. Plus, we've got some big name pitching signings to talk about—Snell to the Dodgers, Kikuchi to the Angels, Fernando Rodney to... the Intercounty League?—as well as a minor signing for the Jays, plenty of talk about payroll, ambition, unicorn budgets, and a whole lot more!

FOLLOW BLUE JAYS NATION!

Website: https://bluejaysnation.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejaysnation/?hl=en

X: https://x.com/thejaysnation

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebluejaysnation

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theBlueJaysNation/

SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!

Betway - https://betway.com/en-ca/ #BetTheResponsibleWay #BetwayCanada

Reach out to sales@thenationnetwork.com to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!

Visit www.nationgear.ca for merch and more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5 months ago

50 minutes 49 seconds