Blue Jays Happy Hour
by Blue Jays Happy Hour
Andrew Stoeten (The Batflip, formerly the Athletic, National Post, Blue Jays Nation, Drunk Jays Fans) and Nick Ashbourne (Sportsnet and Yahoo Sports) team up every week to discuss all things Toronto Blue Jays! AD-FREE AND WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES AVAILABLE AT patreon.com/BJHH stoeten.substack.com
Episodes
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BONUS: 2026 in Review: Trey Yesavage
Throughout October over on Patreon we've been taking extended looks at the seasons had by various members of the Blue Jays—like this one on Trey Yesavage, which we offer to you in full as a taste of what you're missing if you're not with us over there. Please enjoy! And if you're interested in...
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Jazzed for 2027
A disappointing 2026 season for the Blue Jays is in the books, Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro have already put a bow on it with their annual end-of-season media conferences, and we're forced now to look back one last time to a season of bad vibes, to praise Brett Bateman for saving the whole thing…
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What Vlad Said
The Blue Jays have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, and their season is now winding to a close. But rather than talking about playing out the string, or looking back on a season of disappointments, we're mostly talking about the latest Vladimir Guerrero Jr. flap, and the...
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Go Hard or Go Home
The Blue Jays can afford to spin their wheels no longer. Or, well, if we're being real, they couldn't afford to spin their wheels the way they did over the last week either—squandering multiple opportunities and losing multiple winnable games, just as they've done far too often all season. But…
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Sactown Beatdown
The Jays did themselves—and the vibes surrounding them—no favours this week, dropping two of three to the battered Athletics in Sacramento. Fortunately, the Orioles did do them a favour, taking a pair from Cleveland, meaning they're right back where they started the week, a game back of the third...
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They Let the Jays Get Hot
The Blue Jays have started September the way they ended August, taking a crucial series in Cleveland—including the biggest game of the year (so far) on Thursday afternoon—to pull within a half game of the Guardians in the AL Wild Card race, while also securing the tiebreaker against them. Vlad…
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Playoff Push
They're in the thick of it now. The Blue Jays have made it to the cusp of September still within striking distance of a playoff spot. But the field they're competing with is large, which means that the margin for error could be very small. And even with a number of games still left against teams...
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Captain August
Alejandro Kirk is on a tear and finally looking like the hitter we’ve been waiting for all season. And, along with a surprisingly stable rotation, a lockdown bullpen, and unheralded pick-ups punching well above their weight, he’s keeping the Blue Jays in the thick of the American League playoff...
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McAdoo'in It / Bate's the Man
Instead of closing up shop and selling off all their veterans at the trade deadline, the Blue Jays picked up some interesting new toys to play with. And so far it’s worked! They now sit just 2.5 games back of the final AL playoff spot, despite continuing to receive far too little from their...
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The 2026 Trade Deadline Roundup!
The Blue Jays successfully pulled off a buy/sell hybrid trade deadline, but did they successfully reshape their roster with a view to 2027 while still keeping them basically in the same place in terms of their likelihood of making a late run toward the 2026 playoffs? This week we ask exactly…
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The 2026 Trade Deadline Preview!
The Blue Jays are not in the position they wanted to find themselves as the trade deadline approaches, but there's nothing that can be done about that now. They'll have some big decisions to make, as they mostly begin to look toward 2027. Does that mean a full-on, 2024-like sell-off is on its…
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Was 2025 a Fluke?
This week we briefly wrestle with the question of the moment when it comes to the Blue Jays, before talking about the grim state of the team, visiting Transaction Corner, discussing the state of the rotation, and generally starting to look toward the upcoming trade deadline—and not in the good…
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Dragon's Den
The Blue Jays have a magic dragon! They also have a marquee starter, Shane Bieber, who has raised a lot of questions with his early performances since returning from injury last month. And this week we talk about all that, the trade deadline, Vladdy, Spencer Miles, Jonathan Clase, and a whole lot...
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Keys to the Season
Perhaps you've heard, but Sean Keys has had a meteoric and completely unexpected rise through the Blue Jays system so far this year, reaching the majors by the end of June and making his name known throughout the nation on Canada Day with an impact home run to help propel the club to a series win...
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PREVIEW - 232b. - Faded Rivals
** THIS IS A SHORT PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, PLUS AD-FREE EPISODES OF THE MAIN SHOW, SUPPORT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** With the Texas Rangers in town, in this week's Patreon-exclusive bonus episode we're talking all about the Blue Jays'...
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Vladdy Corner (and Other Indignities)
The Jays are coming off maybe the most frustrating series of a frustrating season, losing two of three at home to the Astros in ugly fashion. They continue struggling to pull themselves above the .500 mark whenever they get a chance, and more and more the righteous anger of the fan base—which is...
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PREVIEW - 231b. - Reunion Island
** THIS IS A SHORT PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, PLUS AD-FREE EPISODES OF THE MAIN SHOW, AND AVOID EVER SEEING THESE PREVIEW SHOWS IN YOUR FEED AGAIN, SUPPORT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** For this week's Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, we...
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Vibin'
In an episode recorded just before the Blue Jays completed their sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway, we were already feeling some good vibes starting to poke through. Kirk is here, Bieber's on his way back (as are Barger and Yimi), Springer's started turning it around, and the back-end of the...
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PREVIEW - 230b. - Catching Conundrum
** THIS IS A SHORT PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, PLUS AD-FREE EPISODES OF THE MAIN SHOW, AND AVOID EVER SEEING THESE PREVIEW SHOWS IN YOUR FEED AGAIN, SUPPORT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** With Alejandro Kirk set to return from the IL this…
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Could Be Worse?
The Blue Jays continue to tread water, bobbing up and down in the murky waters of a comprehensively underperforming American League. And though they seem to have a Max Scherzer problem on their hands, they'll soon have a catching problem on their hands, and they definitely have Vlad- and...
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PREVIEW - 229b. - The Anthopoulos Era
With the Jays just having visited Atlanta, for our Patreon-exclusive bonus episode this week we decided to look back at the Blue Jays tenure of Alex Anthopoulos—the Atlanta GM who, I assume you remember, was formerly the architect of the Blue Jays. ** THIS IS A SHORT PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S...
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Hoff-man: Into the Schneider-Verse
The last four, momentum-sucking games haven't been great for the Blue Jays, and this we're going to have to talk about it. Yes, from a mess to the masses, it's time for yet another round of Hoffmania. With a healthy heaping of Schneider discourse thrown in for good measure. Like a riot, like a...
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McAdoo About Nothing
The Blue Jays seem to be pointed in the right direction lately. They haven't lost a series to a team other than the Rays since they left Arizona back on April 19th. They seem to have escaped a nightmare injury scenario after Dylan Cease and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. both exited their finale against…
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Yankee Blues
The Blue Jays have a worse record all-time at the new (2009) Yankee Stadium than they do at cursed Tropicana Field, and this in this episode—recorded before yet another frustrating loss on Tuesday night—we talk about all about where these Blue Jays are at in the middle of this vital four-game set...
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PREVIEW - 226b. Our Favourite Pitchers to Watch
We're back to remembering some guys for this week's bonus episode, talking about our favourite Blue Jays pitchers to watch over the years! ** THIS IS A SHORT PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, PLUS AD-FREE EPISODES OF THE MAIN SHOW, AND AVOID EVER...
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A Legacy of Disgruntlement
The Eric Lauer era is over. Long live 2025 Eric Lauer! But, unfortunately for the Blue Jays, the 2026 version of Lauer—the version that could barely crack 91 on his fastball—was clearly not going to a the rotation's saviour for a second season in a row, resulting in him being designated for...
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PREVIEW - 225b. Picking Our Official Prospect of the Podcast!
** THIS IS A SHORT PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, PLUS AD-FREE EPISODES OF THE MAIN SHOW, AND AVOID EVER SEEING THESE PREVIEW SHOWS IN YOUR FEED AGAIN, SUPPORT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** The Blue Jays' farm system isn't yet among the best in…
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Bumwatch!
The Blue Jays are coming off a frustratingly typical series sweep at the hands of the Rays in the dreaded Trop. And with nine games now separating them and the Yankees, plus eight-and-a-half between them and the Rays, we've reached the point where another AL East title may already be untenable....
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PREVIEW - 224b. Let's Remember Some Rookie Pitchers
** THIS IS A SHORT PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, PLUS AD-FREE EPISODES OF THE MAIN SHOW, AND AVOID EVER SEEING THESE PREVIEW SHOWS IN YOUR FEED AGAIN, SUPPORT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** With still-rookie-eligible Trey Yesavage back in the...
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Spring in Their Step
George Springer and Trey Yesavage are back, José Berríos is on the way, the bullpen feels in great shape, Kazuma Okamoto is making strides, Jesús Sánchez is providing power, Ernie Clement can't stop hitting, and the Blue Jays are winners of three series in a row. The Blue Jays are building...
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PREVIEW - 223b. Closer to the Heart
** THIS IS A SHORT, FREE PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, VISIT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** This week, with a certain struggling closer front of mind, we chatted more generally about the role, and some of the reasons we think it seems to have been...
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Glowering Lauer
The Blue Jays finally won a series this week, and with Nathan Lukes finally getting over a case of vertigo he somewhat selfishly played through, their offence has started to look downright functional at times. And yet the biggest story around the Jays—outside of the ongoing Jeff Hoffman saga…
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PREVIEW - 222b. Remembering Some Legends
** THIS IS A SHORT, FREE PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, VISIT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** For this week's Patreon-exclusive bonus episode, with Max Scherzer's wobbly start to the season front of mind (*recorded before his Arizona start*), we...
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Treading Water?
The Blue Jays bats showed signs of life on Tuesday, but went immediately back to sleep in consecutive 2-1 losses to the Brewers in Milwaukee that sent to club to its fifth straight series defeat. Their hitters are struggling, and even on the pitching side—where help is on the way—a strong...
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PREVIEW - 221b. Blue Jays Likeability Ratings
** THIS IS A SHORT, FREE PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, VISIT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** This week, to take our minds off some of the doom and gloom, we went through the Jays' active roster and rated each player based on likeability to see if...
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Corbinistas
The Jays avoided a total bottoming-out of their vibes with a 4-3 win over the Dodgers on Wednesday, avoiding a sweep, but with a Patrick Corbin start on the horizon, a lengthy injured list, and a sputtering offence, the real worry isn't so much what happened over the last week or so, but what...
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PREVIEW - 220b. Pumping the Brakes on ABS?
** THIS IS A SHORT, FREE PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, VISIT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** We're in the early stages of MLB's newest rule change, and while we've seen the ABS challenge system in the minors for a while now, it's a different thing...
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Rating the Superhunks
The 2026 Toronto Blue Jays season has begun, and though the team has already had its share of setbacks—the Cody Ponce injury, all the returning guys expected to carry the load offensively coming out flat, Brendon Little—they've played well on the whole, and were just one hit from several huge...
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UNLOCKED: First Impressions of New Ballpark Eats!
The Jays have added several new items to the menu at Rogers Centre for 2026, and this week in our Patreon-exclusive bonus episode—which we've unlocked for all listeners—we went through each and every one of them to answer the question: Would we actually eat this? Be sure to check us out at...
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Extension Reaction Reactions
Blue Jays manager John Schneider and GM Ross Atkins were both heading into the final year of their contracts, and so before the 2026 season kicked off, the team did the only thing they possibly could, extending both of them for multiple additional seasons. Some of the reactions to this were oddly...
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Stress Fracture
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...
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Ramping Up Slowly
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…
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PREVIEW - 216b. - Spring Storylines Revisited
** THIS IS A SHORT, FREE PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK'S PATREON-EXCLUSIVE BONUS EPISODE. TO HEAR THE EPISODE IN FULL, VISIT US AT PATREON.COM/BJHH ** 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...
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The Ghost of Elvis (Luciano)
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! ** FOR AN AD-FREE VERSION OF THIS—AND...
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Spring to the Max?
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...
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Sprung!
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...
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WAR Projection Over/Under Draft!
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.…
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Suck and Blow
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...
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Tuckered Out? Or In?
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…
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Hello 'Moto
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...
About this show
Andrew Stoeten (The Batflip, formerly the Athletic, National Post, Blue Jays Nation, Drunk Jays Fans) and Nick Ashbourne (Sportsnet and Yahoo Sports) team up every week to discuss all things Toronto Blue Jays! AD-FREE AND WEEKLY BONUS EPISODES AVAILABLE AT patreon.com/BJHH
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Blue Jays Happy Hour