Blair & Barker

Ben Ennis and Kevin Barker examine Toronto’s 7-3 loss to the Orioles before reacting to comments made by MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa on the state of the Blue Jays. Four-time manager of the year and current MLB Network analyst Buck Showalter (28:35) discusses the White Sox moving on from manager Pedro Grifol, his views on the Jays, the Yankees and Orioles battling it out for the AL East divisio...

Ben Ennis, filling in for Jeff Blair, and Kevin Barker are joined by Sportsnet.ca's Shi Davidi (1:03) to help break down Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro's media availability today. He shares his initial takeaways, possible offseason priorities, Shapiro's contract situation and how it limits the Jays' free-agent spending options. Former catcher & MLB Network's Chris Gimenez (29:09) discusses how t...

Ben Ennis and Kevin Barker share their thoughts on Blue Jays President Mark Shapiro’s comments after he met with the media for the first time since the start of the season. Chris Rose (27:50) of Jomboy Media examines the Blue Jays difficult season and discusses if Toronto missed their best chance at signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a contract extension before touching on the Guardians lead in the...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by Jays TV analyst Buck Martinez (2:31) to discuss the team's biggest challenges down the stretch. He gets into the plan for the 'Big 3' starters, position players who can make a big impression on their future roles, the outlook for the bullpen and the team's long-term plans at catcher. MASN Orioles reporter Roch Kubatko (30:11) tees up the O's-Jays series ge...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker open up the show discussing Joey Votto and when he’ll be making his Blue Jays debut. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (12:50) discusses the White Sox amidst their epic losing streak after they tied the American League record with their 21st consecutive loss. Ryan Dempster (27:18) of MLB Network’s Intentional Talk catches up with the guys and discusses how the Blue Jays should handle...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker welcome Blue Jays Central's Caleb Joseph (1:06) to break down the Blue Jays' weekend series loss against the Yankees. He gets into the team's decision to pull Yariel Rodríguez early in his last start, how the Jays can stay motivated on the outside of the playoff race and players that we need to learn more about down the stretch. Later, Canadian Women's baseball team sho...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker break down the Blue Jays' weekend in the Bronx after losing two of three to the Yankees. After the break, they react to the breaking news of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. being  named American League player of the week before welcoming Bill Shaikin (30:11) of the Los Angeles Times to the show. Bill examines Mike Trout’s injury setback and its impact on his Hall of Fame candidac...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker start the second hour of the Friday show by answering your questions on the Back Leg Line! Then, USA Today's Bob Nightengale (33:22) goes around the big leagues and touches on the biggest headlines coming out of the deadline, including the Padres' second-half strides, Guerrero Jr's extension situation, Mike Trout's season-ending injury and much more. To close out the we...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by Blue Jays manager John Schneider (10:59) to reflect on his new-look roster following the trade deadline and what’s been behind Vladimir Guerrero’s mid-season resurgence at the plate ahead of this weekend’s series against the New York Yankees. Speaking of the Yankees, YES Network’s Jack Curry (31:03) discusses the team’s recent play and previews this weeken...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker welcome Blue Jays radio analyst Chris Leroux in-studio to evaluate the Jays' pitching outlook after the deadline. He shares a player's POV of 'auditioning' for a retooling team, how Yariel Rodríguez closes the season positively and Zach Pop's opportunity to earn a bigger role. ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan (28:22) starts with his thoughts on Mike Trout's latest injury be...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are with you on the off-day discussing everything Blue Jays, notably Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s hot stretch at the plate and the importance of assessing players over the last two months of the season in order to field the best roster in 2025. 16-Year MLB veteran and seven-time all-star Billy Wagner (27:31) joins the show to discuss his son Will’s game after coming over to t...

Baseball America's JJ Cooper joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to evaluate the Blue Jays' returns from yesterday's trade deadline (2:15). He gets into prospect hit-rate and why the Jays' favouring of prospect 'proximity' can pay off in the long run. Recently traded outfielder Kevin Kiermaier (26:16) shares a player's POV of getting traded at the deadline, reflects on his time in Toronto and shares...

Approaching the official deadline, Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by former MLB executive David Samson (1:48) to discuss the inflated starting pitcher market, the Jays' hesitancy to 'fully' sell and whether a good deadline can save a GM's job. Then, he shares some winners from the day. Blue Jays Central's Caleb Joseph (20:57) shares his thoughts on the Jays' active deadline, reacts live to...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker have you covered with everything related to MLB’s trade deadline. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi (4:41) joins the show off the top from Baltimore to weigh-in on the Blue Jays’ moves so far and if there’s more to come today. After speaking to Shi,  the guys react to the breaking news of Jays reliever Trevor Richards being dealt to Minnesota. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (32:12) chec...

Former MLB executive and host of ‘Nothing Personal’ David Samson discusses White Sox starter Garrett Crochet (and his agent) telling teams interested in acquiring him that he won’t pitch in the bullpen and won’t pitch in the postseason without a contract extension (1:15). Samson explains how he would handle the situation if he was in Chicago’s front office and Toronto starting Yusei Kikuchi tonigh...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker react to some of the early player movement ahead of the trade deadline before they look ahead to the Blue Jays' series opener against the Rangers tonight with Yusei Kikuchi making his (likely) final start for the team. Then, they evaluate the front office's season thus far and discuss what comes next after Tuesday's deadline. Later, they are joined by Ryan Divish (28:26...

MLB Network host and Guardians analyst Jensen Lewis (1:13) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to share his thoughts on the Red Sox extending manager Alex Cora, the Jays' disappointing season, how aggressive the Orioles get at the deadline and AL teams that could make a splash on July 30. Later, Rays reporter Marc Topkin (27:43) reflects on Kevin Kiermaier's career as he reports the veteran outfield...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker assess the Blue Jays’ 4-2 loss to the Rays in game one of their series; notably Jose Berrios’ performance where he lasted 4.2 innings and walked six Tampa Bay hitters. Sportsnet’s Joe Siddall (29:08) looks ahead to Yariel Rodriguez’s upcoming start, his work with Alejandro Kirk behind the plate, and what he’s seen out of Leo Jimenez since his promotion to the big league...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan (1:45) to get into detail on his new article previewing the 2024 trade deadline a week away. He discusses the Blue Jays 'subtracting, but not completely,' what type of return they'll look for in trades and Bo/Vlad's long-term futures in Toronto. Then, around MLB, he weighs in on fringe teams that could make a splash, the Braves...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker open up the show assessing the Blue Jays' potential moves with the trade deadline one week away; notably why it makes more sense to trade Bo Bichette in the offseason if that’s the route the front office wants to take. Rays TV analyst and friend of the show Brian Anderson (28:00) previews the latest Tampa Bay-Toronto series at Rogers Centre and discusses the talent of s...

Sportsnet's MLB insider Shi Davidi (3:33) joins Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker to share how the Jays are approaching the upcoming MLB trade deadline. He digs into pitcher/hitter markets across the majors, the Jays' trade assets and what sort of market they could generate for players on expiring contracts. Later, MLB host & analyst Ryan Spilborghs (40:26) weighs in on the Blue Jays' roster flaws, thei...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker discuss the Blue Jays losing two of three against the Tigers and the types of trades the Blue Jays could make before next week’s deadline citing how the front office has operated in years past. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (16:31) discusses this year’s Hall of Fame class that was inducted in Cooperstown over the weekend; particularly Jim Leyland’s legacy as one of the game’...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by former MLB executive David Samson (1:23) to review the past week of All-Star activities. He gets into the diminishing allure of the Home Run Derby, its lack of star power and whether it needs a fix. Then, getting back into the swing of the season, he shares a front office's POV of what to look for coming out of the All-Star break, his expectations for the...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker return from the All-Star break ready to look ahead to the unofficial second half of the MLB season! They are joined off the top by Blue Jays manager John Schneider (4:30), who provides a few roster updates and discusses Joey Votto inching closer to his Blue Jays debut as he plays this weekend in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons. Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Matt Stai...

Jeff Blair and Kevin Barker are joined by Blue Jays manager John Schneider (1:12) for his weekly chat to discuss the difficulties of telling players they've been place on waivers with the news that the team placed Kevin Kiermaier on waivers yesterday. Then, the skipper shares his takeaways from the team's series against the Giants, Bassitt and Gausman's forms heading into the break, Spencer Horwit...