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Blue Jays Happy Hour
2025 In Review!
Ep. 209
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** FOR AN AD-FREE VERSION OF THIS—AND EVERY—EPISODE, PLUS WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **
What a difference a year makes. It was only just 365 days ago that Jays fans were despairing, wondering why Ross Atkins still had a job after a nine year tenure that had culminated in a dreadful 2024, still smarting from Juan Soto's decision to sign with the Mets, trying to understand the Andrés Giménez acquisition, questioning whether Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could be signed to a contract extension, and feeling nothing but dread about the future, the state of the club's house of cards, and the wisdom of those in charge.
Today they're viewed by players, fans, and the industry as a whole as one of the truly exemplary organizations in the sport, and potentially on the verge of ascending to marquee franchise status, having put together a brilliant, compelling, gritty, drama-filled, fun-as-hell campaign that took them to within mere milimetres of an unprobable World Series victory.
It's been a hell of a trip around the sun, hasn't it?
And this week we're looking back on all of it—from the low expectations, through the ugly start, to the coalescing of an elite team, to one of the all-time great—and all-time heartbreaking—seasons in the history of Canadian sports. Or maybe anybody's sports anywhere.
Have a listen...
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242. Sactown Beatdown
41:08||Ep. 242The Jays did themselves—and the vibes surrounding them—no favours this week, dropping two of three to the battered Athletics in Sacramento. Fortunately, the Orioles did do them a favour, taking a pair from Cleveland, meaning they're right back where they started the week, a game back of the third AL Wild Card spot—only now there are just 15 games to go.And this week we talked all about it! Plus: Rampant doomerism, a rotation in tatters, Josh Smith, Kazuma Okamoto, the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of it all, and a whole lot more!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **241. They Let the Jays Get Hot
54:29||Ep. 241The Blue Jays have started September the way they ended August, taking a crucial series in Cleveland—including the biggest game of the year (so far) on Thursday afternoon—to pull within a half game of the Guardians in the AL Wild Card race, while also securing the tiebreaker against them. Vlad had a huge game, Cease is incredible, Brett Bateman has been an enormously unexpected surprise, and the bullpen is holding it all together. Even the rotation, which remains messy, got good news this week in the fact that Trey Yesavage is progressing from knee surgery and may be able to return before the playoffs. He’s pitching this year.And this week we talked all about it! Plus roster churn, Ricky Tiedemann, Sean Keys, John Schneider, the club’s new Hall of Excellence, and a whole lot more!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **240. Playoff Push
51:17||Ep. 240They're in the thick of it now. The Blue Jays have made it to the cusp of September still within striking distance of a playoff spot. But the field they're competing with is large, which means that the margin for error could be very small. And even with a number of games still left against teams vying for the same spot, it's going to be a challenge—especially with a rotation once again in shambles after this week's Shane Bieber news. Whichever team makes it through will have to be better than just "OK" down the stretch. Meaning that the time to get it together is now.And this week we talked all about it! Plus Vlad discourse, a semi-traditional vibe check, an update on our pre-season over/under picks, and a whole lot more!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **239. Captain August
44:38||Ep. 239Alejandro Kirk is on a tear and finally looking like the hitter we’ve been waiting for all season. And, along with a surprisingly stable rotation, a lockdown bullpen, and unheralded pick-ups punching well above their weight, he’s keeping the Blue Jays in the thick of the American League playoff race.This week we talk all about it, plus Vladdy’s imminent return, Daz Cameron, transaction corner, and the Jesús Sánchez of it all. Have a listen!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **238. McAdoo'in It / Bate's the Man
50:25||Ep. 238Instead of closing up shop and selling off all their veterans at the trade deadline, the Blue Jays picked up some interesting new toys to play with. And so far it’s worked! They now sit just 2.5 games back of the final AL playoff spot, despite continuing to receive far too little from their established stars. The rotation looks like it will become a major issue again soon, but for the moment things are looking up. And guys like Brett Bateman, Charles McAdoo, and Josh Smith have been—along with the bullpen, of course—big reasons why.And on this week’s episode we’re talking all about it! Plus a fascinating rumour that might have seen the Jays flip José Soriano before he ever threw a pitch for them, obligatory lockout talk, and a whole lot more!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **237. The 2026 Trade Deadline Roundup!
58:58||Ep. 237The Blue Jays successfully pulled off a buy/sell hybrid trade deadline, but did they successfully reshape their roster with a view to 2027 while still keeping them basically in the same place in terms of their likelihood of making a late run toward the 2026 playoffs? This week we ask exactly those kinds of questions as we go through every single one of their deadline deals.** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **236. The 2026 Trade Deadline Preview!
46:36||Ep. 236The Blue Jays are not in the position they wanted to find themselves as the trade deadline approaches, but there's nothing that can be done about that now. They'll have some big decisions to make, as they mostly begin to look toward 2027. Does that mean a full-on, 2024-like sell-off is on its way? Maybe not. And for this week's episode we entertained all sorts of different possibilities, as we examined the likelihood of each of their rental players—and several with some term left, too—actually getting dealt by 6 PM ET on Monday.** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **235. Was 2025 a Fluke?
41:30||Ep. 235This week we briefly wrestle with the question of the moment when it comes to the Blue Jays, before talking about the grim state of the team, visiting Transaction Corner, discussing the state of the rotation, and generally starting to look toward the upcoming trade deadline—and not in the good way that you'd like. PLUS: Draft stuff! And a whole lot more!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **234. Dragon's Den
51:37||Ep. 234The Blue Jays have a magic dragon! They also have a marquee starter, Shane Bieber, who has raised a lot of questions with his early performances since returning from injury last month. And this week we talk about all that, the trade deadline, Vladdy, Spencer Miles, Jonathan Clase, and a whole lot more!