The trade deadline has passed and the Blue Jays made a deal right up against the clock, picking up big-armed back-end reliever Louis Varland from the Minnesota Twins to help bolster their bullpen, at the cost of prospect pitcher Kendry Morales and young, promising outfielder Alan Roden. They also got Ty France in that trade, for some reason.   I'm joined by my Toronto Star colleague Gregor Chisholm to go over the Jays' moves at the deadline, including the surprise acquisition of two-time all-star and perennial (when healthy) Cy Young candidate Shane Bieber as well as reliever Seranthony Dominguez and the trade of Will Wagner to San Diego for minor-league catching depth.   As well, we'll go over all the moves made by the Jays' rivals and see how they stack up as August begins with Toronto in first place overall in the American League and holding a 3 ½ game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East.   All that, plus your comments and questions as well!

Guest: Blue Jays pitcher Chris Bassitt   They added to their bullpen Tuesday by acquiring Seranthony Dominguez from Baltimore, but a dozen more trades were made across the majors on Wednesday and the Jays weren't involved.   Big Toronto targets Jhoan Duran and Ryan Helsley, a couple of huge relief arms, and slugging third baseman Eugenio Suarez all came off the board, going to Philadelphia, the New York Mets and Seattle, respectively. Who's left for the Jays to pick up on the last day? We go over that list for you, as well as examine the trades that were made to see if the Jays could have made more compelling offers.   Also, Jays' starter Chris Bassitt joins us to talk about the keys to the team's success so far this season and his influence on how the players are handled.

Guest: Blue Jays Associate Manager DeMarlo Hale       The Blue Jays got swept in their Tuesday doubleheader in Baltimore and they've lost four in a row, but they've still got the best record in the American League and a four-game lead in the AL East. There is, quite literally, no need to panic.   Between games of the double-dip, they made their first deal of Trade Deadline Week, acquiring big-armed reliever Seranthony Dominguez from the Orioles - he suited up for the O's in the opener and pitched for the Jays in the nightcap - but they're going to need to do some dealing over the next couple of days to plug the holes that are starting to pop open.   The ugly 16-4 loss in Tuesday's first game got the Jays to the two-thirds mark of the season, and when that happens, we go to associate manager DeMarlo Hale for a check-in, as we do after every third of every season. He offers his insight as to what's going on with a team that, when we spoke before Sunday's game in Detroit, had won an astonishing 21 of 26 games. Now it's 21 of 30.

Guest: Blue Jays outfielder Joey Loperfido   With the Blue Jays holding first place overall in Major League Baseball and the trade deadline coming up on July 31, Deep Left Field is going daily for Trade Deadline Week!   Today, we're joined by Jays outfielder Joey Loperfido, who was traded at last year's deadline in the Yusei Kikuchi deal, coming to Toronto along with Will Wagner and Jake Bloss, to discuss the difference between last year and this year. From his perspective, there doesn't seem to be much.   We also look at the Jays loss in Baltimore on Monday, how George Springer's injury might affect the Jays' deadline strategy, Emmanuel Clase coming off the board because of a gambling investigation and more!

Guest: Toronto Blue Jays Manager John Schneider

The Blue Jays continued to extend their lead in the AL East this weekend by taking three of four from the Detroit Tigers, in Detroit. With the best record in Major League Baseball and the MLB trade deadline coming July 31, Deep Left Field is going to have updates every day throughout. We'll start this Trade Deadline Week with our conversation with Jays skipper John Schneider.

Guests: Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, former Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion, New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay   The Blue Jays came out of the all-star break and picked up right where they left off, sweeping the San Francisco Giants then taking two of three from the Yankees as part of a 5-1 homestand. This week in Deep Left Field, we sit down with Kevin Gausman, who threw seven brilliant innings in Monday night's win over the Yankees, to discuss the first-place Jays, who moved into a tie with the Houston Astros for the best record in the American League with their win on Wednesday.   That Wednesday win was the seventh straight sellout at Rogers Centre, and Jays fans are becoming a big part of the story. Edwin Encarnacion remembers what it was like at the dome when the Jays were rolling in 2015 and 2016, and he joins us to compare those teams and those atmospheres to this one.   Also, Yankees television broadcaster Michael Kay created a firestorm with his comments about the Jays not being a first-place team and not even playing that well on his radio show a few weeks ago. We gave him a chance to clarify, apologize or double down - join us to see which route he chose.

Guests: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee of Kim's Convenience and The Mandalorian, Second City Veteran/TV Writer Pat Smith       This week in Deep Left FIeld, we get you set for the unofficial second half of the baseball season which, for the first time in over three decades, will begin with the Blue Jays in first place. We present a round table (maybe triangle) with Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Pat Smith to discuss the feelings around this first-half surge, what to hope for - and what to actually expect - at the trade deadline, how much credit to give to Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins, the very unVladdylike first half of the season of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and much more!

Guest: Blue Jays outfielder Nathan Lukes   The Blue Jays have swept their way into first place by beating the New York Yankees four straight – the first time that has ever happened in Toronto. The Jays scored 36 runs over the four-game sweep, coming from behind twice and rebounding from blowing an eight-run lead once, in four intense games in an incredible atmosphere at Rogers Centre.   Since May 27, the Jays are 23-10 – tied with the Houston Astros for the best record in the major leagues over that span – and they have turned an eight-game deficit in the division into a one-game lead. It's the first time they've been in first place outside the first three weeks of a season since 2016.   Nathan Lukes put the Jays on top to stay in Thursday's finale with a two-run double that ended an epic 14-pitch at-bat. The Jays' leadoff man - for that game, anyway - joins us to talk about that big hit and more!

Guests: Blue Jays reliever Chad Green, outfielders Davis Schneider and Myles Straw      This week in Deep Left Field, we talk to three of your first-place Toronto Blue Jays. Davis Schneider, who homered twice in Wednesday's win and is hitting .400 in the Yankees' series through the first three games, talks about the run he's been on, the run the team has been on for the past six weeks and how they're doing it in the absence of some big pieces. We catch up with Myles Straw to talk about his impact in the field and on the bases, especially with Daulton Varsho on the shelf, and to discuss the fresh start he's gotten in Toronto. And Chad Green discusses his roller-coaster season so far, his message to Mason Fluharty upon the rookie getting optioned to Buffalo and the Jays' bullpen through the first half of the season.