Blue Jays Happy Hour

This week, in yet another pitching-heavy show, we react to the news that José Berríos has a stress fracture in his pitching elbow and will miss the start of the season, though he aims to pitch through it. Plus! The knock-on effects on the rest of the rotation, the announcement of Kevin Gausman as the club's Opening Day starter, Dylan Cease's importance to the rotation, Daulton Varsho's fascinating spring, and more!

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We recorded this one before news broke that José Berríos will be seeing Dr. Keith Meister—the Keith-meister!—for a second opinion on his inflammed right elbow, but I don't think that changes a whole lot about the episode, or our concerns over the Jays' slow-building pitching depth. So have a listen as we discuss Berríos's flagged MRI, Trey Yesavage's deliberate ramp-up, the progression of Shane Bieber and Yimi García, Scherzer the potential saviour—and the dangers of believing in anyone's age-41 season—plus Vladdy continuing his October momentum at the WBC, an odd IKF-related announcement from MLB, and a whole lot more!

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Exactly a year ago we discussed some notable performances coming out of Dunedin in the early-ish days of camp, and each of us gave a rating from 1-10 based on the degree to which we thought what we were seeing at the time mattered, or would be reflective of what we were to see once the season started for real. In this week's bonus episode, we revisited those stories and ratings, both to see how well we gauged them at the time, and to try to assess just how much or little the information we're getting at this time of year is actually meaningful.

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This week, in a heavily pitching-focussed episode, we talk "phantom IL" stints, keeping eight starting pitchers happy, Max Scherzer's intangibles, early Cody Ponce impressions, Trey Yesavage's innings, European prospects, Joe Mantiply, Nate Garkow, and more!

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Could Max Scherzer actually rejoin the Jays? Are we ready to talk about Eloy Jiménez? Do we still like the Jésus Sánchez trade? How do we feel about the bullpen in light of Yimi García's injury? Will Ricky Tiedemann ever get built up as a starter after yet another setback?

It's still early enough in the spring that there are some pretty fascinating questions still up in the air down in Dunedin, where the Jays continue to ready themselves for the beginning of the 2026 season a month from now.

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Spring has sprung for your Toronto Blue Jays, who are gathering in Dunedin to begin the drive for a second straight American League championship—and, ideally, more—as we speak (or, you know, as you read this). But that's not all that's been sprung this week in Jaysland. The team has sprung some fairly significant news here at the dawn of camp, announcing that the shoulder that torpedoed Anthony Santander's first season now requires surgery that may make his second year a write-off as well, that Shane Bieber continues to be dealing with fatigue in his surgically repaired arm and will be brought along slowly, that Bowden Francis is going under the knife and will be out for the season, and—though this was more a Sportsnet thing than a Jays thing—that the legendary Buck Martinez has decided to hang up his microphone, announcing his retirement after an incredible career in Major League Baseball that began before Woodstock.

Not great, Bob!

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With the offseason all but over, and the season approaching fast, this week we decided to look ahead to 2026 by each drafting a team of Blue Jays players based on their projected 2026 WAR according to ZiPS, and choosing whether our selected player will end the year over or under that mark. Whoever is right by the most WAR at the end of the year wins! Let us know who you think made the best picks!

Plus, a Framber rumour, and (finally) a proper statue!

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Kyle Sucker—heh!—and Blow Bichette—get it?—are significantly wealthier today than they were a week ago, having freshly signed incredibly lucrative high-AAV, opt-out-laden free agent contracts with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets respectively. But are Blue Jays fans the suckers here for expecting more from their front office? Did Ross Atkins and company blow their opportunity to truly become one of the game's elite franchises?

DISCUSS!

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The top of the free agent market may finally be moving. Rumours about offers from the Mets to Kyle Tucker, and the Phillies meeting with Bo Bichette, indicate that a conclusion to their free agent sagas may soon be ending. Though, even if they do, there's still plenty of work to do—not just for the Blue Jays, who have a real chance in these next few years to ascend long-term to marquee status among MLB franchises, but for a pair of division rivals whose status may be slipping if they can't pull off a big finish to this winter: the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

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The Big Oak Era has begun! The Blue Jays have finally made a big splash in the Far East, signing the first ever position player to be posted by the 22-time Japan Series champion Yomiuri Giants, Kazuma Okamoto.

A player of great intrigue for many reasons—including how he'll fit with the Blue Jays defensively, whether his improved strikeout rate in 2025 was for real (it jumped from a still-excellent 15.9% down to an unbelievable 11.3%), how well his ability will translate overall, and how much of a marketing win in Japan his acquisition will prove to be for the Jays—Okamoto was unveiled by the club in a press conference on Tuesday, where he charmed in both Japanese and, briefly, English.

If he can contribute even just a little more than half of his 2025 wRC+ of 210 in the big leagues, he'll be an outstanding addition on a Jays club where his high-contact/low-strikeout skillset should fit right in. And his arrival doesn't even appear to have taken the team out of the running for top free agent Kyle Tucker or a reunion with homegrown star Bo Bichette.

Fun times!

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