Blue Jays Happy Hour

A disappointing 2026 season for the Blue Jays is in the books, Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro have already put a bow on it with their annual end-of-season media conferences, and we're forced now to look back one last time to a season of bad vibes, to praise Brett Bateman for saving the whole thing to the extent that it could have been saved, to try to make some news from Atkins' word salad, and to look ahead to the reshaping of the team that's to come—including a surprising second base target—and (hopefully) a full schedule of baseball in 2027.PLUS: Vlad, Schneider, the Springer-Scherzer love-in finale, the Japanese market, and a whole lot more!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **

The Blue Jays have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, and their season is now winding to a close. But rather than talking about playing out the string, or looking back on a season of disappointments, we're mostly talking about the latest Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flap, and the disproportionate response to it!Plus: John Schneider thoughts, things to watch for in the final series of the season, and a whole lot more!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **

The Blue Jays can afford to spin their wheels no longer. Or, well, if we're being real, they couldn't afford to spin their wheels the way they did over the last week either—squandering multiple opportunities and losing multiple winnable games, just as they've done far too often all season. But here we are. Three massive weekend games with the Texas Rangers, then we'll see on Monday just how much hope remains.Can Dylan Cease hold it together? Will Vladdy finally show up? Should John Schneider use his bench more? Does Anthony Santander exist? Are we ready to talk about Ernie Clement? The AL mid-off continues! And this week we're talking about all of it—plus a quasi-traditional vibe check, a rotation check-in, and a whole lot more!** FOR AD-FREE EPISODES AND WEEKLY BONUS SHOWS, FIND US AT patreon.com/BJHH **

The 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 **

The 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 **

They'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 **

Alejandro 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 **

Instead 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 **

The 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 **