Forever in Blue Jays history: Pat Hentgen and Vernon Wells discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and their time in Toronto
Guests: Blue Jays icons Pat Hentgen and Vernon Wells With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. putting pen to paper on the second-largest contract in baseball history, one that will keep him with the team until 2039, when he’s forty years old, and could very well make him the first “Forever Blue Jay,” we are joined by two of the greatest players in club history. Pat Hentgen, who won 19 games for the 1993 World Series champs and picked up the team’s first Cy Young award in 1996, was a Blue Jay for 10 years and in the organization for 15. Vernon Wells, who is in the top five of almost every offensive category in the Jays’ all-time record book and still holds the team’s single-season record with 215 hits (2003), spent 12 years with the Jays and was in the organization for 14. They’ll talk about what it means to play in Toronto for a long time, to be stars here, and what the future could hold for Vladdy as a fellow iconic Blue Jay who will rewrite the team’s record book and may well be headed for Cooperstown by the time he’s done.
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1:01:36
Happy birthday Jays, and nice $500-million gift: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., a forever Blue Jay
Overnight, the news broke that the Jays and their superstar slugger have agreed to the second-largest contract in baseball history. Guerrero will be a Blue Jay through his age-40 season with a 14-year, $500 million (U.S.) deal that kicks in beginning next season. We threw down a special bonus episode of Deep Left Field for you, sharing our thoughts about what this means, why it happened now and who could have been behind the final push to get a deal done nearly two months after Guerrero’s deadline passed. We also took your questions and comments on Bluesky!
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Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez, outfielder Alan Roden and more
Guests: Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez, outfielder Alan Roden, pitcher Jacob Barnes, Orioles/Baseball Canada outfielder Tyler O’Neill This week in Deep Left Field, we talk to the clean-up man, record-setting slugger Andres Gimenez, who has 60% of the Jays’ home runs so far. Rookie sensation Alan Roden catches us up on his first week in the big leagues and we’ll also meet one of the new, but also not so new, guys in the Jays’ bullpen, Jacob Barnes. As well, we talk to Burnaby, B.C.’s Tyler O’Neill, who extended an incredible major-league record by hitting a home run on opening day for the sixth straight season.
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1:09:00
Blue Jays Opening Day Extravaganza
Guests: Blue Jays 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., closer Jeff Hoffman, OF Anthony Santander, starters Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman, manager John Schneider The 2025 season is finally upon us and so we bring you the Opening Day Extravaganza! The fifth season of Deep Left Field begins with a star-studded roster of guests to get you ready for the season. You’ll hear from star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. about his spring, his thoughts on the off-season changes and his future with the team. You’ll meet new Jays Anthony Santander and Jeff Hoffman, both of whom will be playing critical roles in the success (or otherwise) of this season. 40 percent of the starting rotation joins us in Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman, and manager John Schneider sits down for a conversation about his long tenure with the organization, his thoughts on Bo Bichette and Vladdy and his expectations for the coming year. The Opening Day Extravaganza is here!
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Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis, hitting coach David Popkins and more
Guests: Blue Jays starter Bowden Francis, hitting coach David Popkins, Vancouver Canadians 1B Peyton Williams Spring training is over and the Blue Jays are back home in Toronto, coming off their Grapefruit League title, getting set to open their season on March 27 against the Baltimore Orioles. We go over the season-opening 26-man roster for you, which includes a few surprises, then hear from last year’s breakout star, Bowden Francis, who has to wait until March 31 to make his first start of the season. The Jays revamped their hitting department over the winter, and you’ll meet new hitting coach David Popkins, who has the players buying what he’s selling, at least so far. Also, they call him The Iowa Meat Truck – we chat with up-and-coming young slugger Peyton Williams.
Longtime Toronto Blue Jays radio voice Mike Wilner hosts Deep Left Field, a baseball podcast from the Toronto Star. With great baseball coverage, opinion and analysis, Deep Left Field has everything you need to know about the Jays, specifically, and baseball in general.
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