Blair & Barker

Blue Jays analyst Madison Shipman (1:15) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to look at the importance of their final series before the All-Star break, Shane Bieber vs. the Padres in San Diego, Alejandro Kirk's recent at-bats, George Springer in the clean-up spot, home run props, Kazuma Okamoto performing above expectations, and if there are any concerns with Daulton Varsho. Then, the guys head to t...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker react to the Blue Jays trading Tommy Nance to the Twins before they welcome Hall of Fame closer and Padres executive Trevor Hoffman (3:13) ahead of the Jays' series in San Diego. He discusses what makes Mason Miller elite, how the role and profile of the closer have changed since his playing days, and what the Jays can expect from the Padres in their final series before...

MLB Network insider Jon Morosi (0:58) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker in the second hour of the off-day edition. They look ahead to the All-Star game and which pitchers will get the start, the state of the trade market, the Jays' deadline plans, Aaron Judge's absence taking a toll on the slumping Yankees, and whether we'll ever see another pitching career like Justin Verlander's or Max Scherzer'...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays' 10-0 shutout series win on the road against the Giants, Dylan Cease's near no-hitter, whether the momentum from Vladdy's slump-snapping homer can carry over to the Jays' next series against the Padres in San Diego, and the introduction of the home run 'dragon'. Then, special assistant with the San Diego Padres, former MLB manager and catcher Scott S...

MLB Network's Sean Casey (0:50) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to discuss the Blue Jays' recent stretch and whether they still have a chance at making a run, what the All-Star break can do for Vladdy Jr., Sean Keys' potential, and how players deal with trade rumours at this time in the season. Later, four-time World Series-winning manager Bruce Bochy (26:45) joins the guys to discuss the challe...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays series opening loss to the Giants in San Francisco, if the team would have reconsidered 'running it back' after a World Series clinch and losing Bo Bichette in free agency, if the Jays should decide to move expiring contracts at the deadline, the struggling offence and swing decisions, and what went wrong in Kevin Gausman's start against his former t...

Former pitcher and MLB Network Radio host Jensen Lewis (0:45) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to kick off the second hour. They discuss the Marlins' decision to pull Eury Pérez after seven perfect innings, whether Miami is 'for real,' the Padres' offensive struggles, why it's still too early for the Jays to start thinking about selling, and whether Aaron Judge's absence has exposed the Yankees'...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap a disappointing weekend series for the Blue Jays in Seattle, the offence going quiet, and why that could dictate the franchise's direction at the trade deadline. Then, Sportsnet's Shi Davidi joins the guys (29:57) to share his thoughts on the lack of scoring against the Mariners, why it's up to the players to perform to the best of their ability versus manager Joh...

Ahead of the Blue Jays series-opener in Seattle, Mariners play-by-play voice Aaron Goldsmith (0:58) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker. They discuss the Mariners' frustrating season so far, what's behind Cal Raleigh's regression, their power-centric offensive approach, the rotation's 'piggy-back' drama, and what they'll be targeting at the trade deadline. Then, Jeff and Kevin look at the American L...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker begin their Friday edition discussing the Blue Jays' upcoming road series against the Seattle Mariners, game plans for Dylan Cease and attacking Luis Castillo, George Springer's playing time vs. Sean Keys, and the need for a successful outing from Shane Bieber. Then, Blue Jays manager John Schneider stops by (27:00) to share some updates on Anthony Santander and Max Sch...

ESPN insider Jeff Passan (2:51) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker on Hour 2 of the off-day edition to weigh in on the Jays' disappointing June, who they should be targeting at the trade deadline, why Dylan Cease isn't a true No. 1 starter, and how he's handicapping the Wild Card race in the American League. Later, Jeff and Kevin dive deeper into the state of the AL before taking your calls and que...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker look back at the Blue Jays' 9-3 win on Canada Day over the New York Mets, promising swings from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the potential for Spencer Miles in a starting role, Sean Keys' first career home run, and how the team can ride their momentum into Seattle against the Mariners. Then, MLB insider and reporter for Sportsnet Ben Nicholson-Smith joins the guys (28:20) to...

Former Mets manager Terry Collins (4:00) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker following the Jays' series-opening win over the Mets. Terry weighs in on whether moving Vladdy Jr. in the Jays order will help the struggling star, his philosophy on managing ageing stars, and the challenge of following up a World Series run. Then, Jeff and Kevin listen to John Schneider's pre-game availability, in which he...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker look back on the Blue Jays' 2-1 win over the Mets to open the series and snap a six-game losing streak. They discuss Trey Yesavage's command bouncing back, Sean Keys betting clean up in game two, Patrick Corbin being moved to the bullpen, and what to expect from Kevin Gausman as he looks to get back on the rails. Then, they reflect on Bo Bichette's reception in his retu...

SportsNet New York's John Harper (2:03) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to chat about the Mets firing manager Carlos Mendoza with interim Andy Green stepping in, former MLBer Albert Pujols having potential interest in the gig, how Bo Bichette had acclimated himself in the New York sports environment, and the Mets' trade deadline needs. Then, we hear Blue Jays manager John Schneider's pre-game av...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker get set for the Blue Jays' series against the Mets as Bo Bichette makes his return to Toronto. They discuss the Jays being swept by the Rangers, Vladdy's continued struggles, the rotation starting to scuffle, Albert Pujols' recent comments on Vladdy's mechanics, the Alejandro Kirk/home run jacket incident on Saturday, and whether the Jays should start to consider a soft...

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan (1:34) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to kick off the final hour of the week. They discuss the New York Mets firing Carlos Mendoza, Albert Pujols' candidacy as manager, the Jays' playoff hopes, peculiar results in the fans' All-Star Game voting, the MLBPA pushing to ban prop bets, and how the proposed five-year maximum length on contracts will impact pending free ag...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker begin the show reacting to the news of the Blue Jays calling up left-handed power-hitting prospect Sean Keys to the main roster, if there's a spot on the roster for him to become an everyday player, why it's a different team when George Springer and Vlad Jr. aren't having success at the plate, and the lack of quality starts from the starters, especially from Kevin Gausm...

MLB Network's Jon Morosi joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker following the most recent round of meetings between MLB and the MLBPA. They discuss how the labour negotiation process has evolved in the social media era, the players' demands, the Jays' top need ahead of the trade deadline, and whether George Springer's spot is at risk. Then, Jeff and Kevin listen in on John Schneider's pre-game availabi...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker begin the show discussing the Blue Jays' 3-1 loss to the Houston Astros, the decision to go for a pick-off play from Jeff Hoffman, Trey Yesavage's outing against the Astros, how the poor offensive performances have affected the team, and whether the guys prefer adding a run producer vs. an arm at the trade deadline. Then, the guys head to the Back-Leg Line to hear from...

Jeff Blair is solo on the second hour, and he kicks it off with Sportsnet's voice of the Blue Jays, Dan Shulman (1:10). They discuss Trey Yesavage's rookie-season grind, Shane Bieber's shaky season debut, and whether the bullpen solution can be found internally. Then, Jeff listens in on John Schneider's pre-game availability ahead of the Jays' second game against the Astros. Later, former Blue Jay...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by Blue Jays EVP and general manager Ross Atkins (0:45) to chat about how he's assessed his team with the amount of injuries this season, how wide open the AL East could be, Kazuma Okamoto's transition to the MLB, the growth in Ernie Clement's game on both sides of the field, how the organization is supporting Vladdy through his down year, if Jesús Sánchez ca...

Jeff Blair is solo on the second hour of the Monday edition. He kicks it off by welcoming in The Athletic's Jayson Stark (3:03) to discuss his recent conversation with Nolan Ryan about Jacob Misiorowski's velocity, Bryce Harper's cycle, whether the Astros can catch the Mariners, and the Giants' rocky start in the first year of Buster Posey's tenure as President. Then, ahead of the Jays' series-ope...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker recap the Blue Jays' weekend series against the Chicago Cubs, Jays acquiring infielder Luis Urías from the Arizona Diamondbacks for cash considerations and sending outfielder Yohendrick Piñango down to Triple-A Buffalo, Kevin Gausman getting torched against the Cubs, if there's signs for a turnaround this season for the Blue Jays or Houston Astros, Kazuma Okamoto's stab...

Jeff Blair is solo for the post-game edition following the Blue Jays' win over the Boston Red Sox to secure the series sweep in Fenway. Jeff recaps the game before listening to John Schneider's post-game availability. Then, Sportsnet insider Ben Nicholson-Smith (7:39) stops by to share his takeaways from the series, including Trey Yesavage's control, what the sweep means for the Jays, whether Vlad...