Blair & Barker

Blair and Barker begin the show by sharing their thoughts on Shohei Ohtani establishing MLB's 50-50 club before checking in on the Back Leg Line with listeners' voicemails. Then, Blue Jays manager John Schneider (27:32) joins the guys to discuss Bo Bichette's unfortunate end to his 2024 season, Bowden Francis' transition to throwing with a different catcher, Davis Schneider's mid-September turnaro...

Blair and Barker start with former Phillies GM and MLB Network's Ruben Amaro Jr. (2:12), who discusses Craig Kimbrel being DFA'd, how the Orioles can turn things around ahead of October and what the Phillies learned from last season's playoff exit. Later, Jays radio analyst Chris Leroux (27:07) ahead of the teams' second game of their series against the Rangers and what to expect from Bowden Franc...

Blair and Barker begin the show discussing the Blue Jays dropping their series opener to the Rangers in Texas and Bo Bichette's return to the lineup. Then, Detroit Tigers TV voice Jason Benetti jumps on (12:32) to chat about the team's recent surge in hopes of securing the last AL Wild Card spot and how A.J. Hinch has performed as their manager. Afterwards, Blair and Barker check in on the post-se...

Buck Martinez joins Blair and Barker (3:53) ahead of the Blue Jays' three-game series in Arlington against the Rangers and he discusses the decision to DFA Brian Serven, Will Wagner's 2025 outlook now that he's been ruled out for the rest of the season and what to expect from Bo Bichette's return to the lineup tonight. Later, Jeff & Kevin discuss the Jays' free agent options in the offseason and w...

Blair and Barker are joined by former MLB pitcher and 2013 World Series champion Ryan Dempster (13:10) to chat about the difficulties in trying to win back-to-back World Series, Shohei Ohtani's potential return to pitching in the post-season, why the Philadelphia Phillies are the team to beat and why Gerrit Cole intentionally walking Rafael Devers sets a bad tone. Then, Rangers TV analyst David Mu...

The Athletic's Jayson Stark (2:25) joins Blair and Barker to discuss his recent interview with Joey Votto about his post-playing-career vocation and Hall of Fame case. Then, he shares concerns about the Dodgers' rotation after losing Glasnow and whether Ohtani will pitch in the playoffs. Later, TJ Burton (28:33), tournament director & program manager of Canadian Futures Showcase, tees up the event...

Blair and Barker begin the week recapping the Blue Jays' weekend sweep against the Cardinals, José Berríos' success rate since he's joined the organization, and designating Brian Serven for assignment. Then, The Athletic's Tyler Kepner (26:13) takes us through the Yankees' and Gerrit Cole's decision to intentionally walk Rafael Devers, the Bronx ace's performance in 2024 and the Mets' chances of s...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker start the second hour by answering your questions on Friday's Back Leg Line! To close out the week, Cardinals TV analyst & former MLB pitcher Brad Thompson (29:13) tees up the Jays' weekend series against St. Louis and discusses the Cards' disappointing season, who's most to blame for their falloff and how they can fix it in 2025. The views and opinions expressed in thi...

Blair and Barker are joined by Blue Jays manager John Schneider (5:55) to share an update on Bo Bichette's progress rehabbing his calf injury, Bowden Francis' September performances and finding consistency on the mound, and how the team has played against playoff-bound opponents. Then, Jays' pitching coach Pete Walker (35:47) stops by to chat about the workload for his starters nearing the end of...

Blair and Barker are joined by ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan (3:55) to dig deep into the NL MVP race and why Shohei has the edge over Lindor despite playing DH. Then, they discuss Dave Roberts leaving the door open for Ohtani to pitch in the playoffs and ESPN's recent poll on the most exciting player in baseball. Blue Jays Central's Caleb Joseph (31:01) weighs in on Serven's impact on Bowden Franci...

Blair and Barker recap the Blue Jays loss to the Mets in their series finale and Bowden Francis's 8-inning no-hitter. Then, Sean Casey (27:05) stops by to chat about player fatigue entering the final month of the season, evaluating in September, his experience with opposing pitchers having a good outing, improving in hitting within the Majors, and Shohei Ohtani's MVP race. The views and opinions e...

Blair and Barker start with an update on Bo Bichette's rehab stint in Triple-A before they are joined by USA Today MLB insider Bob Nightengale (2:35). He shares which NL Wild Card result is best for MLB, the Astros' difficult Verlander decision, why Ohtani is a lock for NL MVP and playoff outlooks for NL teams. Finally, Blue Jays play-by-play voice Dan Shulman (27:30) weighs in on the future of th...

Blair and Barker begin the show recapping the Blue Jays' series-opening loss to the New York Mets which included another bullpen meltdown late in the game. Then, SNY's John Harper stops by (28:29) to chat about the Mets' late season surge and battle between the Atlanta Braves for the Wild Card, Francisco Lindor's MVP-like season, Edwin Diaz's turnaround on the mound and Pete Alonso's future with t...

MLB Network radio host Jensen Lewis (2:12) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to discuss the NL Wild Card race between the Braves and Mets, the NL MVP race, what a 'successful' postseason for the Guardians is and Verlander's struggles coming off his injury. Then, Jeff & Kevin listen to and break down John Schneider's pregame availability. Sportsnet's MLB insider Shi Davidi (27:15) shares insight fr...

Blair and Barker begin the Monday edition sharing their reactions to Bo Bichette's comments on his future with the Toronto Blue Jays and José Berríos' performance in 2024. Then, former MLB executive David Samson joins the guys (31:25) to give his take on the impact of Bichette wanting to stay with the Jays, the importance of keeping players happy, how management evaluates coaches in September and...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by Erik Kratz (0:45), host of Foul Territory and former major leaguer, to discuss clubhouse dynamics for young teams, Clay Holmes' closing struggles for the Yankees, the Orioles 'getting too cute' and who he's got for the final NL Wild Card - Mets or Braves. Later, Sportsnet MLB insider Shi Davidi (28:25) from Atlanta shares some injury updates on Bo Bichette...

Blair and Barker begin the Friday edition checking in on the Back-Leg Line - discussing if Juan Soto is worth signing to a long-term contract in free agency, why bringing in talent to the roster is more important to the Blue Jays than changing the coaching staff and addressing the bullpen issues. Jays' skipper John Schneider (26:13) stops by for his weekly chat to discuss the Atlanta Braves and le...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan (1:35) to break down Matt Chapman's 6-year extension with the Giants and how it might impact Alex Bregman's market in the offseason. Then, he shares why the Astros are the team to beat in the AL and puts Shohei Ohtani's historic 2024 campaign in perspective. Later, Mets bench coach and former Jays manager John Gibbons (28:02) d...

Blair and Barker begin the show sharing their to-do list of what they want to see from the 2024 Blue Jays with only 21 games remaining including playing time for Addison Barger in different positions, Bo Bichette's availability and Yariel Rodriguez's pitching. Then, TV play-by-play voice for the Atlanta Braves Brandon Gaudin (25:34) stops by to chat about the importance of their lead-off hitter, C...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker get set for the Blue Jays' two-game series against the Phillies with Phillies TV analyst Ben Davis. He digs into potential reasons for Philadelphia's late-season skid, what lessons they can take away from their last postseason run and the team's X-Factors heading into October. Blue Jays' play-by-play voice Dan Shulman (26:05) discusses the Jays' roster uncertainties the...

Blair and Barker begin the show projecting which of the younger Blue Jays players will become mainstays in the lineup heading into the next season including Spencer Horwitz at second base, starting rotation and Jordan Romano's closer role. Then, The Athletic's Jayson Stark (27:01) stops by to chat about the Wild Card races ramping up as we enter September, if the AL East has weakened as a division...

Blair and Barker are joined by ESPN's Jeff Passan (7:23) to reflect on the teams' performances one month after the trade deadline, if it's worth it for Bo Bichette and the organization to play some of the remaining games of the season, projecting Japanese star pitcher Rōki Sasaki's chance of playing in the MLB, and what Corbin Burnes and Juan Soto could be eyeing for ahead of entering free agency....

Blue Jays manager John Schneider joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker from Minnesota as Toronto gets ready to face the Twins. The guys discuss the club’s recent play, notably Bowden Francis’ last few impressive starts after he pitched another gem Thursday night against the Red Sox. It’s Friday so Blair & Barker open up the Back Leg Line and answer some questions from fans of the show!   The views and...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by Royals TV analyst Rex Hudler (0:40) to discuss KC's transformative 2024 season after their 100-loss 2023 campaign - specifically, Bobby Witt Jr.'s superstar jump and the unsung heroes of the Royals' push for an AL Central lead. MLB Network's Mark Feinsand (26:25) shares his thoughts on the different directions the Jays could go in free agency, Aaron Judge...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker examine the Blue Jays 3-0 loss against the Boston Red Sox and concentrate on Chris Bassitt’s bounce back performance in a tough luck loss. Blue Jays’ infielder Ernie Clement (26:38) joins the guys ahead of the series finale at Fenway Park to discuss his 2024 season so far particularly his defensive play.  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the...