Artificial Turf Wars

After nearly a month of waiting, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally made his MLB debut this week. Greg, Josh and Nick break down the first weekend of Vladdy-mania including looks at his performance on both sides of the ball, the feeling in Toronto, pinch running foibles, and the hype around the league. They also discuss Brandon Drury's hot streak, a good run against Oakland, and the idea that the Jays...

Greg and Josh go over the last week in Blue Jays land. They begin by discussing the call up of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the hype surrounding the move, expectations for the rookie and what it can mean for Blue Jays fans going forward. They also discuss some unbelievable defending in Oakland, Justin Smoak's continued hot streak, Rowdy Tellez' offensive profile, injuries to the rotation and the importa...

Greg and Josh go over the first successful week of the Blue Jays' 2019 season. They discuss the success and risk factors for Freddy Galvis' early season surge, Justin Smoak's emergence as an on-base threat, some odd baserunning and clutch fielding, the returns to prominence of Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman and potential for regression, Trent Thornton's recent struggles, Joe Biagini seizing the...

Greg and Josh go over the latest news and notes from the a 2-4 week of Blue Jays baseball. They discuss the hitting troubles against Cleveland and what could be causing some of the problems, the bright spot that has been the incredible starting pitching and late game relief work, a controversial bunt decision during the game against Boston, the incredible steal of home by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. that...

Greg and Josh cover a very newsworthy week in Blue Jays land. First they go over the Kevin Pillar trade by discussing his legacy as a Blue Jay, why it was time for him to go, and the return from the Giants. Next they talk about the acquisition of Socrates Brito and his role with the club, the extension for Randal Grichuk, the injury to Clayton Richard and the recoveries of Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Cl...

Before getting into their annual 25 in 50 breakdown, Greg and Josh discuss the trade of Kendrys Morales to the Oakland Athletics and why the Jays made the move. Then take two minutes per player to break down all 24 members of the opening day roster and the two people fighting for the last spot, Bud Norris and Javy Guerra. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

R.J. Anderson of CBS stops by to preview the Tampa Bay Rays in the final AL East Preview episode. He talks about the "opener's" contributions to the Rays' success in 2018, the lack of spending this offseason, the various strengths and weaknesses of the rotation and offence, and visits from ghosts in team hotels. Greg and Josh also discuss the rash of injuries to the bullpen (Ryan Tepera, John Axfo...

Jay Jaffe of Fangraphs stop by to preview the New York Yankees. He discussed the non-pursuit of Manny Machado, the current infield with Troy Tulowitzki at SS and DJ LeMahieu in utility role, the pitching depth, the position battle at 1B, and the up and downsides for this team. Greg and Josh also go over the latest spring news including Vlad Jr.'s injury, the rotation announcement, the successes of...

Jake English of Birds Eye View Baltimore stops by to look ahead at the Orioles as part of the AL East preview series. They go over tips when watching a terrible team and what kinds of things to look forward to from a bottom feeding club. Greg and Josh also discuss the signings of Clay Buchholz and Bud Norris, the effects of those moves both on the roster machinations and the clubhouse chemistry, D...

In the first AL East Preview episode of 2019, Matt Kory stops by to talk all things Red Sox. He goes over the inactivity this offseason, the depth in the bullpen following the departures of Joe Kelly (Dodgers) and Craig Kimbrel (unsigned), risk in the rotation, the shallow farm, and the prospects for a repeat division title. Greg and Josh also discuss Ross Atkins' latest comments on Vlad Guerrero...

MLB Player Agent Joshua Kusnick stops by to discuss the state of free agency (24:40). In a passionate interview, Kusnick talks about the way free agency is being handled (from lack of offers for certain types of players to what seem like coordinated offer timings for others), the comments from Rob Manfred, media/fan reaction to the situation, and leaving the game of baseball behind. Greg and Josh...

With the official start of spring training, Greg and Josh talk about the first news of the season. They discuss John Axford's return to the team, the signing of lefty knuckleballer Ryan "Party Time" Feierabend, Ryan Tepera's loss in arbitration and the issues with the process, and Ross Atkins' season opening comments on the rotation and the debut of Vlad Jr. They also give out a Gold Star, answer...

Blue Jays SS prospect Kevin Smith (23:50) stops by to discuss adjustments from college to the minors, handling midseason call ups, the importance of the prospect trip to Fort Benning, building team culture, and appearing on prospect rankings. Greg and Josh also talk about the signing of Freddy Galvis and its impact on the club's other infielders and pitcher trade values, Danny Barnes' DFA, Dalton...

Kyle Boddy of Driveline Baseball (29:10) stops by to discuss the work they do at Driveline, the fight to increase the role of analytically driven player development, and the new coaching hires for the Blue Jays. Greg and Josh also go over the Russell Martin trade and his impact on the franchise over the last four years, the signing of David Phelps, Dalton Pompey's potential future role in Toronto,...

Greg, Josh, and Nick go over the recent news surrounding the Blue Jays. They discus the signing of Matt Shoemaker and his pitching changes after returning from injury, the trade for Clayton Richard including potential uses for the lefty and how he fits into a pattern of recent acquisitions, the potential for the team to improve its infield defence, and Troy Tulowitzki's new home. They also answer...

Greg, Josh, and Nick discuss recent Blue Jays news and developments including the release of Troy Tulowitzki, the Rule 5 surprises, Randal Grichuk's future role with the club, moves within the division, and the odds of Bo Bichette cracking the roster in 2019. They are then joined by Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (26:15) to discuss reactions from the floor in Las Vegas, news of Jays' discussions with age...

Greg and Josh discuss recent news in Blue Jays land. They discuss the 40-man roster additions ahead of the Rule 5 draft, coaching staff changes, Russell Martin trade rumours, the upcoming tender deadline, and the Blue Jays' recently announced promotional schedule. They also answer a couple of listener questions, give out a Do Over to the MLBPA, and give a Gold Star to a recent MLB player. Learn mo...

Greg and Josh break down the news from the early parts of the offseason. They discuss the trade of Aledmys Diaz for Trent Thornthon, the Blue Jays' 40-man decisions and what some of them could mean for future choices, the changes to the coaching staff, and the new TV deal between Fox Sports and MLB. Finally, they answer listener questions, induct a former player into the Gold Star Hall of Fame, an...

Greg and Josh discuss the end of the World Series and Steve Pearce's heroics, the Blue Jays hiring of manager, Charlie Montoyo, and what he could bring to the table, Ross Atkins' comments about offseason direction and Statcast data use, the Arizona Fall League, Justin Smoak's Gold Glove nomination, and the Mets hiring Brodie Van Wagenen as their new general manager. Finally, they give out a trio o...

Greg, Josh, and Nick wrap up the season by pick winners in multiple categories including biggest surprise, most surreal moment, rock bottom point, favourite players to watch, best walk up song, and many more. They also give out award for best/worst hitter, best/worst pitcher, team MVP, and the Do Over of the year. A huge thanks to all the listeners for sticking it out with us during this dreadful...

Greg and Josh say goodbye to a disappointing Jays season with a look back at the news from the end of the season and the press conferences that followed. They discuss John Gibbons' departure and what type of manager the Jays are apparently looking at going forward, Aaron Sanchez' diagnosis, Ken Giles' "perfect" season, the team's depth in position players and how that will be used in the offseason...

Jay Jaffe of Fangraphs stops by to discuss Team Entropy and the chances for chaos as the rest of the MLB slate unfolds. He takes a specific look at the very tightly-packed National League which currently has five teams battling for three playoff spots. Greg and Josh also discuss the injuries to Aaron Sanchez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Roberto Osuna's return to Toronto,  continued solid performances...

Greg and Josh go over the noteworthy stories from the last week. They discuss the latest good start for Aaron Sanchez and the encouraging signs for the future, the good starts from Sean Reid-Foley and Tom Pannone in New York, Randal Grichuk's quietly very solid season, Teoscar Hernández' continued fielding struggles, the massive roster for the team right now that doesn't include Dalton Pompey, and...

Greg, Josh, and Nick take a look at the last week and a half of the Blue Jays season. They discuss the Josh Donaldson trade in depth, including looking at the legality of it, the emotional reaction, and the quality of the return: Julian "PTBNL" Merryweather. They also discuss the Curtis Granderson trade, Rowdy Tellez' incredible debut run, playing time and outlook for other Jays callups, a mini-de...

Greg and Josh discuss the latest news in Blue Jays land including just missing Jose Bautista with the Phillies, Kendrys Morales' incredible run, Aaron Sanchez' return struggles, Arizona Fall League assignments, and Josh Donaldson's confusing rehab stint. They also play Swing and a Drive and answer listener questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices