Deep Left Field with Mike Wilner

Guests: Chicago Cubs pitchers Kevin Gausman and Trent Thornton; Blue Jays third baseman Josh Smith This week in Deep Left Field we travel to the north side of Chicago to see Kevin Gausman in his new digs at venerable Wrigley Field. The hope was to see Gausman square off against the team that traded him less than a week ago, but he felt that might be a bit too much. Instead, we got what might be our last conversation with the right-hander for a while. He compares Wrigley to the Rogers Centre, reiterates his love for Toronto but also says how happy he is to be in a winning situation in Chicago. We also speak to former Blue Jay and now Cubs pitcher Trent Thornton, who raves about his new team's acquisition of Gausman and looks back at his own Jays days, plus one of the new Jays acquired at the trade deadline, infielder Josh Smith, joins us to introduce himself to the masses. All that, plus your Bluejays comments and questions in the mailbag at deepleftfield@the star.ca!

Guest: Toronto Star baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm

The trade deadline has passed and the Blue Jays were very busy indeed.

After picking up right-hander Jameson Taillon and trading beloved starting pitcher Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, the Jays made four more trades on Monday's deadline day.

They dealt away embattled former closer Jeff Hoffman and one-time MLB Defensive Player of the Year Daulton Varsho, along with left-hander Adam Macko and former top prospect Arjun Nimmala and they picked up potential all-star starter Jose Soriano, utility player Josh Smith and a whole bunch of very similar-looking young players, both pitchers and position players, plus one kid who stands out from the rest, a 20-year-old left-hander who throws 99 miles per hour named Dasan Hill.

Gregor Chisholm and I break down the Jays' deadline and explain what they were trying to accomplish and how we think they did. We also take a dip into the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Blue Jays associate manager DeMarlo Hale This week in Deep Left Field, we check in with DeMarlo Hale to assess the second third of what continues to be a disappointing and frustrating Blue Jays season. The Jays won 25 of their first 54 games, then 24 of the next 54, so they head into the final third of the season (in which they're 1-0 so far) leaning heavily toward being sellers at the August 3 trade deadline. Hale talks about what's gone wrong, what can and can't be fixed, and what he's looking for from the team over the season's final third. Also, we dive into the mailbag at [email protected] for your thoughts on Kevin Gausman's potential exit, the effect of Bo Bichette's departure, the upcoming trade deadline and more!

Guest: Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman With the Jays' season spiraling, seemingly out of control, losing seven of their last eight games to fall 10 games under .500, it seems inevitable that they will be sellers at the August 3 trade deadline. Their most attractive commodity on the trade market is Kevin Gausman, and the five-year Blue Jay joins us for an honest, open and very emotional conversation as he deals with the potential that he has made his final start at home for the Jays. You might want to grab a tissue or two, Gausman certainly could have used some. As well, we take a deep dive into the mailbag at [email protected] for your questions, comments and thoughts, including ones about the upcoming deadline, the Jays' uninspiring play of late, the role of the front office in the swoon and the tragic passing of Duane Ward.

Guests: Blue Jays World Series champions Tom Henke, Juan Guzman, Todd Stottlemyre

In this special bonus episode of Deep Left Field, we take you to this past weekend's celebration of the Blue Jays 1992 and '93 World Series championship teams that culminated in the unveiling of a statue of Joe Carter in mid-leap after hitting the walk-off home run to win the '93 fall classic.

This episode was supposed to be a happy one, catching up with a few Jays legends, but the tragic death of Duane Ward cast a pall over the weekend.

We pay tribute to "Wardo," a great friend and iconic Blue Jay, and then share conversations from Saturday's media availability with pitchers Tom Henke, Juan Guzman and Todd Stottlemyre, who have five Jays World Series rings between them.

Those conversations all took place before anyone knew that Ward had passed away.

Guests: New York Mets 3B coach Tim Leiper, Houston Astros bench coach Omar Lopez This week in Deep Left Field, we jump into the unofficial second half with a little international flair! Recorded during the annual all-star break Wilner Family Vacation - this time to Denmark and Sweden - we bring you Tim Leiper! The long-time third-base coach for Baseball Canada and first-base coach of the Blue Jays in the glory years of 2015-16 now makes his full-time home in Huntsville, Ontario. Also, we talk to Astros bench coach Omar Lopez, who managed Team Venezuela to an incredibly unexpected gold medal finish at the World Baseball Classic! The mailbag is always open at [email protected]!

Guests: Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement, manager John Schneider, associate manager DeMarlo Hale, pitcher Bowden Francis

This week in Deep Left Field, the Blue Jays are about to head into the all-star break and they'll be very well-represented at the midsummer classic.

Ernie Clement was the American League's leading vote-getter and he joins us to talk about his upcoming trip to Philadelphia that will also include teammates Dylan Cease and Louis Varland.

The entire Jays' coaching staff will be there as well, serving in the same role for the AL, and we talked to skipper John Schneider and his right-hand man, DeMarlo Hale, about going to the all-star game.

Also, we're joined by rehabbing right-hander Bowden Francis, the last Blue Jays pitcher to take a no-hitter into the ninth inning before Cease did it in San Francisco on Wednesday.

All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guests: New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette, Blue Jays pitchers Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty, Jays bullpen coach Graham Johnson This week in Deep Left Field, we have our first-ever conversation with Bo Bichette while he's wearing a uniform other than the Blue Jays'. Drafted by the Jays in 2016, making it to the big leagues in 2019 and a Toronto mainstay and fan favourite ever since, Bichette belted a three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series and then did not get the off-season interest from the Jays that he was looking for. He returned to Toronto as a New York Met this week and joins us to discuss his time here and his new start in Queens. Mason Fluharty and Braydon Fisher took time out from their busy schedules, leading the major leagues in pitching appearances and all, to join us in Deep Left Field, and so did their bullpen coach, Graham Johnson, otherwise known as the guy who slaps Louis Varland in the back awfully hard before the Jays' closer comes into each game. All that, plus the mailbag at [email protected]!

The Blue Jays have lost six games in a row after finally reaching the .500 mark, each loss pretty much an agonizing repeat of the one before. Fall behind early, increase the deficit, rally late but still wind up losing, rinse and repeat. To suggest it's been a rough week for Jays' fans would be a massive understatement, and so we here in Deep Left Field had to put together an emergency bonus podcast to help get you through. The star of this show is you - your thoughts, comments, frustrations and venting received in the mailbag at [email protected] and on Bluesky @wilnerness.bsky.social. There's nothing to be happy about with the Jays right now, so let's talk about it!

Guests: Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber, infielder Luis Urias; Houston Astros outfielder Joey Loperfido

This week in Deep Left Field, we talk to Shane Bieber after his first start of the season, coming almost three months after opening day. The former Cy Young award winner opens up about working his way back to full health and his disappointment in that first outing, with hopes for better in the second half.

We're also joined by Joey Loperfido, a favourite in the Jays' 2025 clubhouse - and a great contributor when given the opportunity - who was traded back to the Astros this spring for Jesus Sanchez. As it turns out, we gave Loperfido the DLF bump, unfortunately for the Blue Jays.

And we'll play "Meet The New Guy" with Luis Urias, who the Jays acquired from Arizona earlier in the week. The 29-year-old homered in his first game before making a huge base running blunder in his second.

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