Bat Flips and Maple Dips - A Toronto Blue Jays Podcast

Spring Training games are underway!  Justin and Patrick bring you the latest Blue Jays news and also discuss the Correa and Story signings.  The guys dive in to the latest Jose Ramirez rumours. The Guardians have a scout shadowing Alejandro Kirk currently and the guys debate whether or not moving Kirk is a good idea. They also discuss DH usage, and if it makes financial sense to trade fo...

Matt Chapman is a Toronto Blue Jay! The team traded 4 prospects including Kevin Smith and Gunnar Hoglund to Oakland for the platinum glove third baseman. This gives Toronto an elite defender and adds another 25+ HR hitter to the already deep lineup.  Justin and Patrick break down the trade and discuss the benefits of having a vacuum cleaner at the hot corner in the AL East.  The Jays did...

The Blue Jays have signed Yusei Kikuchi to a 3-year deal worth $36 million. The move solidifies the rotation and gives the Jays one of the best rotations in baseball.  The Jays have been linked to Freeman, Correa, and Bryant and are said to want to sign one of the three. The big needs are still on the infield, particularly at third base.  Justin and Patrick break down the signings, rumou...

Major League Baseball and the Major League Players Association have reached an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement!  That means that Baseball is BACK! Justin and Patrick highlight the details of the CBA and what it means for the next five years.  The guys then dive into the Blue Jays needs as free agency and trades are now open!  Thanks for sticking with us through th...

After 10 days of negotiations in Florida and no new deal between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, MLB has officially cancelled Opening Day and the first two series of the season.  The blame almost solely rests on the owners and MLB, with the MLBPA being far more flexible in their asks during negotiations. Do not believe the MLB PR spinning. They are the...

Justin and Patrick are back with another episode of BFMD! The guys start off with Super Bowl predictions and their thoughts on The Book of Boba Fett.  MLB owners and the MLBPA have about two weeks left to come to an agreement before the start of the regular season would be delayed. The easiest way forward is for the two sides to come to an agreement.  The Blue Jays depth chart is shaping...

In part 2 of the prospects series, Justin and Patrick count down the Toronto Blue Jays top 15 prospects according to FanGraphs. The top of the system isn't as jammed as it once was but there are still some very big names near the top.  On base god Leo Jimenez tore up the Florida League this past year, and Jordan Groshans put together a very good season in New Hampshire. The star of the system...

In the first part of a two-part series, Justin and Patrick to get you up to speed on the Toronto Blue Jays top 37 prospects according to FanGraphs.  The guys start the countdown from 37-16 in this episode and also touch on some off the list players to keep an eye on.  Why is Samad Taylor ranked so low? Can Adam Kloffenstein rebound in 2022? Will Kevin Smith take the third base job? ...

In the third and final part of the BFMD Baseball Hall of Fame series, Justin and Patrick make cases for and against the final 15 players on the BBWAA ballot.  Starting with Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez, the guys go over stats, suspensions, accusations, and character of the candidates.  Should Curt Schilling ever get in to the Hall? What about Omar Vizquel?  At the end of the sho...

Welcome to part 2 of the BFMD 2022 Hall of Fame series. Justin and Patrick are here to break down the first 15 names on the BBWAA ballot and make a case for and against some of the more controversial players.  Do the guys think Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens should get elected? What about David Ortiz?  How seriously should candidacy of Mark Buehrle be taken? Can Andruw Jones gain the 40%...

In the first episode of a 3-part series, Justin and Patrick highlight the players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Early Baseball Era and Golden Days Era Committees.  The guys kick off the show with some holiday talk, Zelda Breath of the Wild, and some other ramblings.  Stay tuned for part 2 when the guys will talk about the first 15 candidates on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot...

Justin and Patrick are back with the 2021 hitting and fielding grades for the Toronto Blue Jays.  Unlike previous years where we struggled to hand out As and Bs, this year is full of them! Which catcher got the best grade? What did we think about Grichuk and Springer?  Tune in to hear all of the grades and a teaser for our next episode!

Kevin Gausman is officially a Toronto Blue Jay! He will wear #34 which was worn by his idol Roy Halladay as a member of the Phillies. The Jays have retired is #32 worn in Toronto.  Justin and Patrick discuss the choice to go with Gausman over Robbie Ray who signed in Seattle. Marcus Semien and Corey Seager are Texas Rangers, Max Scherzer got PAID and the Mets also signed Starling Marte. ...

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed RHP Yimi Garcia to a 2 year deal to shore up their bullpen. They are still in pursuit of Robbie Ray, Marcus Semien and have been linked numerous times to Kevin Gausman.  Justin and Patrick break down the signings and rumours and then each list 3 free agents that they would like to sign.  We'll be back with any huge news as it breaks!

Robbie Ray is your 2021 American League Cy Young Award winner!  Justin and Patrick discuss Ray's win, Vladdy and Semien finishing 2nd & 3rd in MVP voting and then get into the JUICY news.  José Berríos is staying with the Toronto Blue Jays through his age 34 season after agreeing to a seven year deal worth $131 million. He slots in as the #1 starter currently on the roster and will p...

Justin and Patrick are BACK with a new (long) episode of Bat Flips and Maple Dips.  The guys begin with a chat about the CFL and talk Black Widow and Shang-Chi.  Jumping into the MLB the guys talk Buster Posey's retirement, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger, Hank Aaron Award and World Series.  The meat and potatoes of this episode is the annual tradition of player grading. In this episode...

Justin and Patrick return after a few weeks off to begin the Blue Jays offseason.  After a (very) brief postseason recap and World Series prediction the guys jump right into it.  Mark Shapiro's end of season press conference revealed plans to increase payroll, openness to trade prospects, and the desire to make improvements to the Rogers Centre. His pup, Cleoh, was the real star as she a...

The season is over for the Toronto Blue Jays. They did what they needed to do by defeating the Baltimore Orioles in game 162 but did not receive any help from the Nationals or Rays. They finished at 91-71 which was an outstanding record considering where this team started. They finished 4th place in the AL East with the 9th best record in baseball.  3 home cities, numerous roster moves, and b...

6 games remain. When the dust settles tonight the Toronto Blue Jays will be 1 game back of either Boston or New York for the 2nd Wild Card spot.  Justin and Patrick are back to break down a 3-4 week, the upcoming series against New York, and what needs to happen in order for the Blue Jays to play in the postseason.  Springer has heated up and the rotation got back on track over the weeke...

Coming off of a weekend series win against the Twins, the Blue Jays find themselves 1.5 games clear of the New York Yankees for the 2nd Wild Card spot in the American League. They trail the Boston Red Sox by 1 game for the 1st Wild Card spot.  Jose Berrios was dialed in against his former team on Sunday after the bats staked him to a 5 run lead. Vladdy has his average up to .321 with 46 HR an...

Justin and Patrick are back to provide an update on the AL and NL Wild Card races. The Blue Jays are one of the hottest teams in baseball this month and are currently in a playoff spot.  The guys go over the Fangraphs projections, scenarios in case of ties, and analyze the schedules of the remaining contenders. It's going to be a battle.  Also in this episode: a spotlight on Danny Jansen...

Justin and Patrick a back to break down a WILD weekend in Baltimore and to highlight Teoscar's magnificent season.  On Friday night the Baltimore Orioles ended the Toronto Blue Jays 8-game winning streak.  On Sunday the Jays left no doubt and racked up 22 runs in a 22-7 win of the first Sunday of the NFL season.  In between was a WILD doubleheader the likes of which we may never see...

Triple Crown Watch! Vladdy is now leading the AL in average and is only 3 HR and 5 RBI behind the leaders.  Winners of 5 in a row your Toronto Blue Jays have closed to within 3.5 games of the 1st Wild Card spot.  Justin & Patrick are here to break down the sweep against the A's and game 1 victory against the Yankees.  George Springer is clearly playing hurt but does his presence...

There are 30 games left in the season. The Toronto Blue Jays need at least 22 wins. That's going to be tough.  Justin and Patrick talk about that, Robbie Ray being AL Pitcher of the Month, and provide roster and injury updates.  The big topic on the day is Randal Grichuk vs Lourdes Gurriel Jr. They've both had consistent playing time over the past 75 games and their numbers are very diff...

The Toronto Blue Jays won the weekend series in Detroit against the Tigers and Justin & Patrick are here to tell you what it means for the playoff picture and for the rest of the season.  Jose Berrios bounced back, Alek Manoah rolled, and Stephen Matz continued his string of strong starts. Combine that with strong performances out of the bullpen and the Jays allowed only 5 runs this weeke...