Guests: Former Blue Jays catcher and broadcaster Alan Ashby; Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm

This week in Deep Left Field, we head down to Dunedin, Florida as the Star's Gregor Chisholm wraps up his week at Blue Jays spring training. We check in with Gregor about what he's seen from the Jays and get his thoughts on, among other things, how Kazuma Okamoto has been looking, why Anthony Santander didn't have his shoulder surgery much earlier and how Eric Lauer feels about being overlooked for a spot in the Jays' rotation once again.

Also, we get into the wayback machine as the Jays get set for their 50th anniversary season and talk to Alan Ashby, who caught 124 games in the Blue Jays inaugural season, 1977.

All that plus a dip into the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2026 Inductees Stubby Clapp, Kate Psota, Paul Runge, Bill Stoneman, Devon White

This week in Deep Left Field, we speak to every living member of the just-announced Class of 2026 for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. They will be inducted in a ceremony in St. Marys, Ont. on June 20.

Devon White, the greatest centrefielder in Blue Jays' history.

Stubby Clapp, perhaps the living embodiment of the Canadian national team player.

Kate Psota, one of the first superstar women's players in modern history.

Bill Stoneman, who threw the first of his two no-hitters for the Montreal Expos in the ninth game in franchise history.

Paul Runge, a St. Catharines, Ont. native who spent a quarter-century as a major-league umpire, including working the 1993 World Series between the Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies.

All those immortals of Canadian baseball, plus your thoughts in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm, former New York Post baseball columnist, now journalism professor and author Ken Davidoff

This week in Deep Left Field, we talk labour. Baseball's Collective Bargaining Agreement expires this year and the stage is set for another off-season lockout, just like we saw five years ago. There's no question that the 2026 season will be played, but questions about 2027 loom large and we have convened a Deep Left Field panel to try to answer them.

What do the owners want? What about the players? How united is each side? Will there be a work stoppage - the first since the 1994 strike - that delays the start of the 2027 season or worse?

My Blue Jays beat partner Gregor Chisholm and longtime Yankees' columnist Ken Davidoff, author of the new book "101 Lessons From The Dugout" join me and we try to figure things out.

All this, plus your thoughts and questions in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: Former Blue Jay Russell Martin, Mets pitcher Jonah Tong, Athletics' outfielder Denzel Clarke

This week in Deep Left Field, we take you to New York City to hear what Bo Bichette had to say at the media conference that introduced him as a New York Met.

We also go back to the Baseball Canada awards banquet to hear from Canadian baseball luminaries, including new Bichette teammate Jonah Tong, Denzel Clarke, who made MLB's catch of the year in Anaheim as a rookie last summer and Russell Martin, who discussed having two of his old teams facing off in the World Series (and having to pretend to be rooting for both).

Plus, my take on the Cooperstown Class of 2026 and your thoughts in the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee of Kim's Convenience, The Mandalorian and more

Bo Bichette agrees to a three-year contract with the New York Mets, ending the Bichette-Guerrero era with a thud. Reaction from Blue Jays' fandom has been all over the map, from devastation to "good riddance" and everywhere in between. We reach out to Canadian icon and huge Jays fan Paul Sun-Hyung Lee to discuss his feelings about Bichette moving on, what the Jays could have done differently and where they go from here.

Plus, we open the mailbag at [email protected] for your thoughts on the move!

Guests: Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement, general manager Ross Atkins

The face of the "Glue Jays," Ernie Clement, moves from the infield out to Deep Left Field to join us on the show this week. He talks about the immediate aftermath of Game 7 of the World Series in the clubhouse and gives his thoughts on the Jays' magical season and his magical post-season that fell just short. As well, Ernie fills us in on the pitch he made to Bo Bichette to stay with the Jays during Bichette's wedding.

Also, the 2025 Blue Jays were given a Special Recognition Award at last weekend's Baseball Canada awards banquet. Ross Atkins joined me on stage to accept the award and for an interview, which you can hear here.

Plus, as always, we open the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Former Blue Jays all-star slugger Justin Smoak

This week in Deep Left Field, we find out about the Blue Jays' new free-agent acquisition, Kazuma Okamoto, from someone who played with him.

Justin Smoak, a five-year Jay and an all-star in 2017, when he hit 38 home runs, played his final professional season in Japan in 2021 as a teammate of Okamoto's, and joins us to give his up-close-and-personal scouting report on the Jays' $60 million (US) man, as well as some memories of playing with 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

You'll also hear highlights of Okamoto's introductory news conference, where the six-time Japanese all-star talked about what brought him to Toronto and how he expects to contribute and also showed off his sneaky sense of humour.

And, as always, we open up the mailbag at [email protected] to hear from you!

Listen here or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can at thestar.com/subscribe.

In this special bonus episode of Deep Left Field, we take an in-depth look at the Blue Jays first real foray into the Pacific Rim, the signing of six-time NPB all-star Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million (US) contract.

Who is Okamoto and what does he bring? How does his signing affect the Jays' roster - who goes where? And, of course, what about Bo Bichette?

The answers to all these questions, plus a dip into the mailbag at [email protected], are all here for you on our first special bonus episode of 2026!