OverDrive - Kurkjian on the Blue Jays' pitching strength, Bichette's contract value and the Yankees' rough skid

Episode Date: August 5, 2025

ESPN MLB Analyst Tim Kurkjian joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around MLB, the Blue Jays' pitching overview, the ideology of a six-man rotation, Bo Bichette's strong season and the value of a contract, the Red Sox's stellar stretch, the troubling games for the Yankees, Aaron Judge's return to the lineup and more.

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the more you save. Switch to Canada's fastest 5G plus network today. For details and more great offers, visit a Bell store or bell.ca slash promotions. Bell, back to school just got better. Joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline, it is Tim Kirchian from ESPN. How are you doing, Tim? Um, well, how's it going?

We're doing great here, man. The Jays laid a beating on the Colorado Rockies. I imagine they'll probably do the same thing tonight, but as far as the Blue Jays and what they've got going on in the starting rotation, what was your assessment of how they did bringing in Shane Bieber from Cleveland, Tim? Yeah, I love it. You know, it's a risk, because you don't know how.

how healthy he really is. I mean, I think at the time, he had only pitched four innings, seven strikeouts, though, in a rehab game. But it's worth a try. He's a great kid. He's had a great track record, and now we'll just see how much he has left. But he's one of six starting pitchers that they have,

so they don't have to push him. They have five other guys they can go to, but they should take a good, long look at him, because what if he has recovered amazingly? What if he's somewhere, at least close to the great Shane Bieber of old, suddenly they have a guy who could start a playoff game. So that's what this is all about. Let's see how much he's got left.

Again, they have money to afford him next year if they want to pick up the option and everything else. So I thought it was a great move by the Blue Jays. If it doesn't work out, I don't think they lost a whole lot. lot in the transaction. Tim, there's some talk about maybe going to a six-man rotation, if and when Bieber is healthy. You know, in your experience looking at other teams in the past, how do you other,

the more veteran pitchers feel about a six-man rotation and how do you introduce that or kind of make it work for everybody? Yeah, first thing you do is you go to the three big guys. You go to Bassett, Burrios, and Gossman and say, all right, we're thinking about going to six. If Andrew says, I think it's a really bad idea, I'm unbelievably durable, I make all my starts, I haven't missed a start in years like Burrios hasn't, you need to listen to him. But if he says I'm all good, then I would try to go to a six-man rotation and see how it goes. That's where most teams are going anywhere, anyway, eventually, but you really have to take the temperature of the other three guys.

And if Kevin Gosman looks at you and says, I'm not comfortable with you. this. I'm comfortable every fifth day. My, you know, my split's going to be better every fifth day, not every sixth. I think you have to listen to him because he's going to be one of the guys if you make the playoffs that's going to be starting critical games and he has to be as comfortable as possible. Well, I guess, let's say that they do ask and they say, yeah, we don't want to go to a six man. Who gets squeezed out if Shane Bieber comes out? Like, do you just automatically look at Shane Bieber and say, all right? Well, I guess you, You've got to go to the pen, or do you have to have a difficult conversation about Max Scherzer or Eric Lauer, who has been arguably one of the best pitchers in the rotation for the Jay's last 10 games?

He's got a 283 ERA. Like, who gets squeezed out if that's the case? Well, that's a really good question, and that's where the manager and the general manager have to make some very difficult decisions. On the surface, you would think, well, Shane Bieber is coming back from a major injury. He hasn't pitched all year. He hasn't pitched for us all year. In theory, he would be the one that would get squeezed out for me. However, if he comes back and he's firing like old,

and, you know, any of the other guys, you look at it and say, all right, he's not throwing as well. But my guess is they would squeeze Bieber out if they decide that six-man is not the way to go. Our guest is Tim Kirchin from ESPN. Bobichette has been red-hot. He has two homers last night, six RBIs. That's a career eye.

against Colorado, his dad's old team, which I think is a cool little nostalgic point to make. But as far as Bichette's future, what type of contract you think he could be in line for it? Because, Tim, there's a very realistic chance this guy leads the major leagues in hits. He's been very, very productive for Toronto while year long. What type of contract could he be looking at in the offseason? Well, I still don't understand why he's not already signed long-term by the Blue Jones. If you have the money, and it's pretty clear that they have money that they can work with, and he's been this good of a player.

And then, of course, he's had a couple of lulls, but he's back to being the guy who can win a batting title, lead the league and hits, and he plays a premium defensive position. I'm not sure what the exact contract looks like, but he should get paid finally because he's been such a good player, on, for the most part, a winning team. And the position he plays is absolutely critical. When you have a shortstop who can lead the league and hits, again, that adds to the value.

So, again, it's not my money. It's easy for me to say, but if you're going to sign us, you know, sign bloody long term as they did, can't just leave him alone. Sign the other guy and go from there. With the recent kind of success to the Red Sox way they played, and then the Yankees going the other ways. And now the Sox in your mind that are the clear-cut favors to perhaps challenge the Blue Jays for top spot in the All-East?

Yeah, I think the Red Sox are the second best team in the division. Now, again, the Yankees can't be done. They can't just continue this decline that they're on right now. They get Aaron Judge back tonight, which, of course, changes a lot of things. But the Red Sox are playing with an edge right now, according to their manager, Alex Cora. When you've got a bunch of young guys who are now buying into what's going on,

and they're young and they're athletic and they're aggressive, and they've never been here before, and they can't wait to get to the ballpark and try to continue this winning streak, that's a dangerous team right there. Now, again, they've been dangerous at other times this year, and then they hit a long again. I mean, this just speaks to the entire American League this year

that no team has just been great and just keeps it up, not even the Tigers. But yes, I think the Red Sox are the most dangerous team right now to the Blue Jays as far as passing them in the division. Aaron Boone said as much, Tim, he said that the ALE East, or excuse me, the American League as a whole, not just the ALE East, is wide open. And I do wonder, the return of Aaron Judge tonight, does that act as a catalyst for the Yankees maybe to get back in the race for the ALEs or maybe this team's too far gone? Well, they're not too far gone because, again, it's a winnable division.

It's a winnable American League. And yes, getting the best player in the league back is a huge boost for the Yankees. Part of the problem is that Giancarlo Stanton, who has played awfully well here lately, he's going to either have to go to the bench. and he did a whole bunch of homers lately. And then if Judge can't play the outfield every day, he's going to have to DH, which means if you're going to keep standing in the lineup,

he's going to have to play the outfield, which he's not particularly good at these days, given his lack of mobility out there. So I think this is great for the Yankees. They get their best player back, but there are complications for them that come with it. Well, how concerned should Yankees fans, like, yeah, they're getting, you know, Aaron Judge back, but the way that bullpen's looked and the acquisitions that they've made since,

a couple of blown saves and some blown, you know, holds out there. I mean, what's the conversation like in New York when it comes to the bullpen right now? Yeah, this is a conversation I don't have after what they did at the trade deadline. They have four closers, and four of those closers. And four of those closers helped lose that game last night. And the fifth one, Jake Bird, who they acquired from Colorado, ended up giving up the walk-off homer and was sent to the minor league. So I think Aaron Boone has to look at this bullpen and say,

I'm not sure what we're going to do. We do have four choices, but one of them, Devin Williams, hasn't even been close to the same pitcher he was with the Brewers. And, you know, David Bednar's never pitched in a, a situation like this. You know, Camillo DeValle has pitched in the postseason before. So I think it's every night, Aaron Boone is going to look down there and say, all right, who's going to pitch the ninth inning for me tonight?

And at some point, somebody's got to pull this together because they have suffered two terrible late-inning losses since they acquired all this relief help at the trade deadline. Tim, you are a baseball historian. Can you recall a team as bad as the Colorado Rockies in all your years covering the sport? Well, remember, I covered the 88 Orioles that lost, you know, for the Baltimore Sun. They lost their first 21 games, so that was pretty bad. And the White Sox were pretty bad last year, too. And the Rockies have played a whole lot better here lately, but, you know, they have a very difficult final 50 games.

or wherever we are, and they're trying to avoid being the worst team, you know, in major league history, at least in this century as far as this, since 1900, as far as losses go and everything else. It's really a shame to watch the way that they have played this year, and it's not good for baseball that there's a team, much like the White Sox were last year, this bad, because when they win a game, people consider it an upset. And that is just not healthy for the game. Every night in baseball, you have a chance to beat the best team in the league,

no matter how bad you are, but really hasn't worked that way for the Rockies this year. We're all pining for the days of Todd Helton and Vinnie Castia. But as soon as the Jay's clear out with a couple more wins, I think then they can resume their better play in the second half. Tim, thanks so much for the time. Great to have you on the show. We really appreciate doing this for us. Sure, fellas, thank you.

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