Bowden Francis' gem, Joey Votto's retirement, and more!

The 2024 season has mercifully come to an end. Playoff baseball will start this week and Toronto Blue Jays won't be involved, as the team finished last in the American League East with a 74-88 record. We looked back at the final series of the year against the Miami Marlins before getting into the three ups and the three downs from the season as a whole. After that, we looked at Toronto's financial commitments going into 2025 and their off-season priorities, which include fixing the bullpen, adding power to the lineup, finding another catcher, and getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. signed.  FOLLOW BLUE JAYS NATION!Website: https://bluejaysnation.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejaysnation/?hl=enX: https://x.com/thejaysnationTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebluejaysnationFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theBlueJaysNation/SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!Betway - https://betway.com/en-ca/ #BetTheResponsibleWay #BetwayCanadaReach out to [email protected] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!Visit www.nationgear.ca for merch and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Toronto Blue Jays continued their stretch against National League opponents this week with a series loss to the New York Mets and a sweep over the St. Louis Cardinals. We talked about all of the notable stuff from the week, including Davis Schneider breaking out of a difficult stretch at the plate, Bowden Francis taking another no-hitter into the ninth inning of a start, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. becoming the youngest Blue Jay to reach 500 RBI. After that, we looked back at the quote from Bo Bichette about wanting to spend his career with Vladdy and the Blue Jays and at the praise from Mets star Francisco Lindor about Blue Jays prospect Arjun Nimmala.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Toronto Blue Jays had a difficult week against two playoff hopefuls in the National League, as they dropped four of five games against the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves. We talked about Spencer Horwitz's big week, which saw the rookie mash three home runs and increase his on-base plus slugging percentage to .827 on the season. We also talked about the continued struggles of Toronto's decimated bullpen, as Chad Green blew a couple of saves against Philly and Atlanta. After that, we took a look around the AL and NL Wild Card races and at the Tank-a-Thon standings for the 2025 MLB Draft Lottery. Finally, we looked ahead to this week's series against the red-hot New York Mets.FOLLOW BLUE JAYS NATION!Website: https://bluejaysnation.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejaysnation/?hl=enX: https://x.com/thejaysnationTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebluejaysnationFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/theBlueJaysNation/SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!Betway - https://betway.com/en-ca/  #BetTheResponsibleWay #BetwayCanadaReach out to [email protected] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!Visit  www.nationgear.ca for merch and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Toronto Blue Jays wrap up a grueling week with eight games in seven days, returning home after a labour day day-off as the Philadelphia Phillies head into town.We talked about the Danny Jansen game and the scorecard anomaly that it was including the two "debuts" you never knew happened. Plus, Bowden Francis stays hot as he allows one hit in 7.0 against the BoSox. And the Jays finally blew off some Postseason steam against the Minnesota Twins as they put up at 15-spot in Minny.After that, we talked about the future of George Springer and where we fits, (or doesn't fit), in the future plans of the Toronto Blue Jays. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Toronto Blue Jays had a winning homestand this week, as they dropped a three-game set with the Cincinnati Reds before sweeping a four-game set with the L.A. Angels.We talked about the back-to-back home runs that Joey Loperfido and Addison Barger hit to walk-off the Angels and how both young hitters have improved as their seasons have gone along. We also talked about the excellent pitching performances put forward by Bowden Francis lately and where he fits heading into next season.After that, we talked about Joey Votto's decision to retire, John Schneider's name on a list of managers who might be on the hot seat, and some updates about Jordan Romano and Bo Bichette.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a solid week for the Toronto Blue Jays, as they swept the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on the road before dropping two of three in a l0w-scoring weekend series at Wrigley Field. We talked about all of the notable stuff on the field from last week, including Will Wagner's Major League debut, the two seven-inning performances put forward by Bowden Francis, and and difficult run that Davis Schneider is having at the plate. After that, we looked at the report from Bob Nightengale that the Blue Jays are planning to entertain trade offers for Bo Bichette this winter and Toronto being one of the possible free-agent landing spots that Jon Heyman suggested for Juan Soto. Finally, we looked ahead to this week's series with the Cincinnati Reds and wondered if we'll see Joey Votto get called up to face his former club.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Toronto Blue Jays started the week by winning their first series victory over the Baltimore Orioles since all the way back in 2022 but finished with a series loss to the lowly Oakland Athletics over the weekend. We talked about the notable things from last week's slate of games, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr. seeing his hitting streak snapped at 22 games and Luis De Los Santos picking up his first big-league hit and RBI. After that, we looked at some interesting quotes from President and CEO Mark Shapiro's media availability, including what went wrong in 2024, a vague vote of confidence about Ross Atkins staying as general manager, and what we can expect as the team tries to retool to be competitive in 2025. We also talked about the latest Vladdy contract speculation from Jeff Passan, who used Rafael Devers and his 10-year, $313.5 million contract as a comparable.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Toronto Blue Jays had a rough time with the top two teams in the American League East this week, as they won just two of seven games against the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees. We talked about the games in Baltimore and New York, the debut of Joey Loperfido, Addison Barger hitting his first big-league home run, Aaron Judge getting intentionally walked in the second inning, and whether there's any reason to worry about José Berríos.After that, we talked about Joey Votto's debut with the Buffalo Bisons and what the plan is for Toronto's top two draft picks. We also looked at Yusei Kikuchi's first start with the Houston Astros, the historic losing streak of the Chicago White Sox, and the draft lottery standings.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone and the Toronto Blue Jays netted themselves quite a haul as sellers.Traded away to contending teams were Yusei Kikuchi, Danny Jansen, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Justin Turner, Kevin Kiermaier, Yimi Garcia, Nate Pearson, and Trevor Richards. Coming back to the Blue Jays are Jake Bloss, Joey Loperfido, Will Wager, Charles McAdoo, Jonatan Clase, Jacob Sharp, Josh Rivera, Yohendrick Pinango, Cutter Coffey, Eddinson Paulino, Gilberto Batista, Jay Harry, RJ Schreck, and Ryan Yarbrough. We talked about the trades that the Blue Jays made and what they mean for this upcoming off-season and the 2025 campaign. After that, we looked around at some of the other major moves that were made over the past few days.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That was certainly an eventful weekend. The Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Texas Rangers and pulled off their first sweep since late May. They also made three trades, as Yimi Garcia was dealt to the Seattle Mariners, Nate Pearson was moved to the Chicago Cubs, and Danny Jansen was traded to the Boston Red Sox. We talked about the series against Texas, the three trades that the Blue Jays made, and looked at the deals that other teams have made. After that, we looked ahead to this week's four-game set against the Baltimore Orioles.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.