jaysblue

I will say this: while last October was one of the most memorable months we’ve ever had as Blue Jays fans, it was also emotionally exhausting and stressful as hell haha. So as disappointing as it is not having the Jays in it this year, part of me is actually looking forward to just enjoying October baseball for what it is - watching great games, appreciating the drama, and not feeling like my blood pressure is going through the roof every single night.

Philly likely has to burn Wheeler tomorrow haha which means he'll have to come back to pitch on short rest for Game 3 of the WC. They're supposedly starting Jose Urquidy today.

I think you have to give Atkins credit for at least five of his ten seasons. Sure, in 2016 I give the majority of the credit to AA, but Atkins still did a nice job maneuvering around that roster and making some really solid additions - J.A. Happ, Jason Grilli, Francisco Liriano and Joaquin Benoit. So he definitely deserves some credit for that season. 2020 was obviously a weird, shortened year, but they still made the postseason. It was also the first season with the young core of Vlad and Bo where they played meaningful games. Over 162 games, maybe they don’t make it, but it still mattered in terms of the team taking a step forward. 2021 was one of the best rosters this team has had on paper. Not addressing the bullpen early enough really cost them, but I still consider that season a success because it showed how good this core could be. It also helped set up what came next with the Gausman signing, the Chapman trade and other moves. 2022 was a solid season, and they absolutely should have beaten Seattle in Game 2 of the Wild Card. 2023 was frustrating because the lineup had very little power, but the pitching was rock solid and they still made the Wild Card. And then obviously 2025 was the best season of the Atkins era to date. So no, I’m not saying all ten years were successful, but I also don’t think it’s fair to act like the entire Atkins tenure has been a failure. There have been several legitimately good seasons in there.

They definitely seemed to crank up the volume of his walk-up song during the broadcast for his first AB, which I found a little strange. I’m not sure what kind of reaction he actually got inside Rogers Centre last night. But it is Toronto, so I’m guessing there were probably some boos mixed in with a lot of fans who were more focused on enjoying their $20 beers, hanging out, and treating the game like a social event than getting too worked up over Vladdy.

Vladdy also partnered with Betway earlier this season. I’m not saying sportsbooks are dictating what happens on the field, but I do think fans are way too quick to brush off how deeply these companies are embedded in professional sports now. When a betting company is paying a player to promote its brand while also taking wagers on that same player’s performance, that should at least raise some eyebrows. Even if everything is completely above board, the conflict-of-interest optics are hard to ignore.

Agreed 100% Imagine if Vladdy played in Philly or New York. He’s honestly pretty fortunate he plays in Toronto, because this market is far more patient and forgiving with its star players. In New York or Philly, the media scrutiny, fan reaction, and day-to-day pressure would be on a completely different level.

I’m not taking anything personally. I couldn’t give a s*** about Vladdy, and I’ve never been someone who gets attached to individual players. I understand that he probably misspoke and meant something different, but like Brownie said, there were already other things before this that made him unlikeable to some fans - the antics, his style, questionable baseball IQ in certain situations, and the frustration of watching someone with that much talent still struggle to consistently establish himself as one of the truly elite players in baseball.

It's Hello Kitty Day tomorrow at the ballpark. Didn't you get the memo?

If the Jays managed to sign Skubal, Bo, and Arozarena this offseason, everyone on this board would be kissing the floor Atkins walks on and jumping for joy. But if the Dodgers did this, everyone would be up in arms lol.

Yeah, he has to be one of the most unlikeable players on the team right now. At this point, I honestly think the only way he fully redeems himself with a lot of fans is by helping bring a World Series back to Toronto. Winning has a funny way of making people forget a lot.

Also, I noticed Sportsnet seemed to turn up his walk-up song quite a bit when he came to the plate, almost like they were trying to drown out the booing so viewers at home wouldn’t hear it as clearly.

Agreed, but here everyone hates the Dodgers lol. Like I said, it's okay when we spend money to buy FA's, but when the Dodgers do it, it's not fair haha.

Man you need to chill. I'm not wasting my time with you on this. Do something better with your Friday night pal.

So we're becoming the Dodgers now? 😂

You didn't burst my bubble bud. Just throwing out ideas and having discussion.

I think the Blue Jays’ main priority this offseason should be adding another top bat, whether that means bringing back Bo, signing Jazz or finding someone else. That could help Vlad psychologically. Having another star hitter alongside him would take some of the pressure off and make him feel like he doesn’t have to carry the lineup himself.

Yeah, that end-of-season press conference is going to be a tough one, and a lot of the questions will revolve around Vlad. Obviously, I don’t expect them to throw him under the bus, but some conversations need to happen behind closed doors to address the drama and cut this s*** out. I think they’ll say his comments were lost in translation, which I do believe to an extent. He’s probably frustrated with his own struggles and all the criticism he’s received. My read is that he was pushing back, saying he earned that contract and can’t be expected to play at an MVP level every season.

Not sure if Vlad is really tradable, unless it for another bad contract or another struggling superstar type player. Maybe J-Rod (who hasn't really been lighting it up in Seattle). We've seen the Mariners make that kind of swap before - with Michael Pineda for Jesus Montero.

Yeah, I’ll admit it’s hard for us as fans, too. When you follow a team for a full season—or for decades—you get attached to the players who come and go. Especially after years of missing the postseason, it felt like we were right there with those 2015, 2016 and 2025 teams, living and dying with every pitch. It was like the world stopped in September and October of those seasons. I do think something may have been lost in translation with what Vlad said, but the timing definitely rubbed people the wrong way. The team had just been eliminated, and he was coming off the season he’d had. Like you said, if he doesn’t rebound and become the consistent 30–40 HR hitter we envisioned, his contract could weigh this franchise down for years. The long-term fallout could end up being worse than what Vince Carter did to the Raptors.

Russell Martin for next Blue Jays manager!

And this is exactly why I watch sports for entertainment now and try not to get too attached to a team or its players. I always remember that line from Fever Pitch when the kid asks Jimmy Fallon, “You love the Sox, but have they ever loved you back?” Some fans care so much about athletes - how much money they get in free agency, whether they win awards, their personal stats, even wearing their name on the back of a jersey - sometimes more than they care about things going on in their own lives. But does Vladdy care about your finances, your struggles, or what you’re dealing with personally? Does any player? Compared to the money and lifestyle these guys have, we’re all basically peasants. I’d bet a lot of Jays fans were more heartbroken after that Game 7 loss than some of the players themselves. When you really think about it, that’s kind of crazy.

Yikes. Even if you’re a big-name free agent, why would you want to come to Toronto if there are concerns about someone like Vladdy in the clubhouse? Hopefully it doesn’t deter free agents from wanting to sign here. As for Atkins and Shapiro, they’re definitely going to have to address the media at some point shortly after the season. Hopefully they can clear the air and keep this from becoming a bigger issue. We’ll see.

Everyone boo Vladdy this weekend at the Rogers Centre! Can't believe I'm saying this, but he has to be one of the most unlikable Blue Jays now for saying that.

Agreed. Halladay was the best at his craft. Went to a lot of his starts in the 2000's. Every night he pitched felt like a guaranteed win. We were so lucky as Jays fans to watch him pitch every 5th day.

Obviously the game has changed from the 1990's/2000's till now. Never said Cease made up his shoulder issue, so don't make those accusations that I'm saying that. But crazy that arms back in the 90's/2000's, even guys that threw hard like Johnson/Clemens/Schilling had no issue throwing complete games back then. Different era of baseball.