Deep Left Field with Mike Wilner

Guest: Paul Sun-Hyung Lee of Kim's Convenience, The Mandalorian and more Bo Bichette agrees to a three-year contract with the New York Mets, ending the Bichette-Guerrero era with a thud. Reaction from Blue Jays' fandom has been all over the map, from devastation to "good riddance" and everywhere in between. We reach out to Canadian icon and huge Jays fan Paul Sun-Hyung Lee to discuss his feelings about Bichette moving on, what the Jays could have done differently and where they go from here. Plus, we open the mailbag at [email protected] for your thoughts on the move!

Guests: Blue Jays infielder Ernie Clement, general manager Ross Atkins  The face of the "Glue Jays," Ernie Clement, moves from the infield out to Deep Left Field to join us on the show this week. He talks about the immediate aftermath of Game 7 of the World Series in the clubhouse and gives his thoughts on the Jays' magical season and his magical post-season that fell just short. As well, Ernie fills us in on the pitch he made to Bo Bichette to stay with the Jays during Bichette's wedding. Also, the 2025 Blue Jays were given a Special Recognition Award at last weekend's Baseball Canada awards banquet. Ross Atkins joined me on stage to accept the award and for an interview, which you can hear here. Plus, as always, we open the mailbag at [email protected]!

Guest: Former Blue Jays all-star slugger Justin Smoak This week in Deep Left Field, we find out about the Blue Jays' new free-agent acquisition, Kazuma Okamoto, from someone who played with him. Justin Smoak, a five-year Jay and an all-star in 2017, when he hit 38 home runs, played his final professional season in Japan in 2021 as a teammate of Okamoto's, and joins us to give his up-close-and-personal scouting report on the Jays' $60 million (US) man, as well as some memories of playing with 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. You'll also hear highlights of Okamoto's introductory news conference, where the six-time Japanese all-star talked about what brought him to Toronto and how he expects to contribute and also showed off his sneaky sense of humour. And, as always, we open up the mailbag at [email protected] to hear from you! Listen here or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can at thestar.com/subscribe.

In this special bonus episode of Deep Left Field, we take an in-depth look at the Blue Jays first real foray into the Pacific Rim, the signing of six-time NPB all-star Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million (US) contract. Who is Okamoto and what does he bring? How does his signing affect the Jays' roster - who goes where? And, of course, what about Bo Bichette? The answers to all these questions, plus a dip into the mailbag at [email protected], are all here for you on our first special bonus episode of 2026!

Guest: Former Toronto Blue Jay and Los Angeles Dodger pitcher Ross Stripling   In our final episode of 2025 (or first of 2026, depending on when you listen), an old friend comes back to Deep Left Field for a long-overdue Long Toss With Ross segment.   Ross Stripling, who spent the majority of his nine-year major-league career with the Jays and Dodgers, joins us to catch up and talk about watching his two teams square off in one of the greatest World Series of all time.   Strip also fills us in on what the Jays picked up when they signed reliever Tyler Rogers earlier this month, given that they were teammates in San Francisco in 2023.   As always, we open up the mailbag at [email protected] so that your voice can be heard! This week, we hear some reflections on 2025 and answer questions about Jose Berrios, the still-unresolved free agency of Bo Bichette and more!