OverDrive - Matheson on Guerrero Jr.'s impending contract extension, Atkins' perspective of the team and Scherzer making his mark

Episode Date: February 14, 2025

MLB.com Blue Jays Reporter Keegan Matheson joined OverDrive to discuss the start of the Blue Jays' start of Spring Training for the team, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract outlook, Ross Atkins' perspective on the roster, Max Scherzer impressions on the mound and more.

An iHeartRadio experience to see Teddy Swim's life. We'll hook you up with tickets, flights, two nights in Chicago, plus $500 spending cash. All you need to do? Stream iHeart new music on the free iHeartRadio app for just 10 consecutive minutes a day. Another day, another shot to win. Details at iHeartRadio.ca. Don't miss Teddy Swim's new album, I've tried everything but therapy part two available now He is the Blue Jays reporter for MLB.com who I'm sure is devastated to be down in Dunedin right now as opposed To Toronto in the midst of the snow storms and snow storms are about to have here this weekend It is Keegan Matheson with us here on overdrive. What's up Keegan?

here this weekend. It is Keegan Matheson with us here on Overdrive. What's up, Keegan? I'm doing well, fellas. I've got a twinge of a sunburn, you know. I need the sympathy of Toronto here. It's a very tough life, but I'm happy to be here. What was your takeaway from what Atkins had to say with regards to Vlad, with regards to the roster he has put together to this point, and perhaps some additions that could maybe be on the way yeah from here on out guys he he said again that the likely is the way they would add to this roster is the a trade that makes sense because a they've spent a lot of money in b

they do still have that big group of infield depth that they could trade from. And yeah, their farm system isn't very good, but they're not trying to trade for Shohei Otani. They can make any trade work they would need to do. When you look at the rest of the roster, guys, I think the surprise for me was that he singled out

Alan Rode, who is an outfield prospect, but he's gonna be the guy you hear a ton about all camp. I've been in a thousand Ross Adkins scrums. I know how he answers questions. And as that was being asked, you know, what's a prospect you're excited to see? I could mouth the words to his answer. I'm excited to see everyone.

I'm excited to see this guy, that guy, that guy, that guy. But instead he singled out one player, which for me I'm thinking, thank God that's an interesting answer. It certainly highlights a player you are going to see a ton in spring training. Every camp has a prospect, darling. This one is going to be rodent. But Vladdy, obviously, guys, is the big one.

Now Ross Atkins did not say much. I didn't think he would say much. He did not want to get into anything at all about Vladdy. This reminds me guys of a couple of years ago with Shohei Otani and that big pursuit where the Blue Jays just decided, man, we're not going to talk and they didn't. I don't think today matters. I don't think tomorrow or the next day matters. If anything happens, it's going to be on deadline day day it's going to be four days from now and if that passes yikes we've got a troubling conversation to have about this team but I think it'll go right up until that and I think

having a deadline is a good thing at this point because there's going to be a resolution one way or the other and the mystery will be over so If you're a betting man, or you just were kind of going to gauge If they do get something done What type of number would you like is there rumors or maybe an? Inkling of what he's looking for where they're at or where do you think they could land is it something with a four in it? Does it get as high as five like what do you make of this probably start with a four guys i would imagine at this point now

the the number of years matters of course when you break down the annual value now will it be thirty seven thirty eight a year will he get forty forty one a year i'd imagine it would be being discussed in that range. But if Vladdy and the Blue Jays do reach a deal, I'd expect it to start with a four. And we've seen numbers rise and rise higher in baseball with Otani, with Juan Soto, with some of the pitching deals.

Now, Vladdy is not Otani and he's not Juan Soto. He's not. But we're also not talking about 700 million bucks. As those numbers rise, every number beneath them rise up. Jose Barrios today, he joked that Juan Soto was one of the best things to happen to his kids because by the time Barrios' kids are 20 years old, who knows what numbers will be, right? So, I think that that number has been a moving target. It's been moving in a way that Vlad E probably loves this last little while,

and it is something the Jays have been forced to chase, I believe, because it's certainly been increasing and increasing. Keegan Matheson, MLB.com, Covers the Toronto Blue Jays is our guest. I was looking at FanDuel, big shocker there Keegan, earlier today and they had the Blue Jays at 78 and a half wins on their overrunner. This is a team that won 74 last year with perhaps the worst bullpen we've seen in baseball over the last 10 years or so. What does that say about what we can expect this team to be this season. Do you think they are much improved? A little bit improved or maybe worse? Well I tell you there's a couple

of things I miss doing in Florida that I can do in Canada. One of them is looking at FanDuel basically. Yeah nice. But when we look at the win totals, the outside perception of the Blue Jays right now, not very good. And in some ways, rightfully so. This is a team that won 74 games last year that has a lot of questions from national media in the U S about what's going to happen with Fladdy. How are they going to bounce back right now? Guys, I still see this as a team that's kind of hovering around that 500. That means you can jump a

few games above or below shore, but they're a team that's kind of stuck in the middle and when you're stuck in the middle, the narrative, the conversation around a team can really take some power over those over underlines on a win total for example because nobody's talking about the Blue Jays in an excited way right now. Think back to 2021 and 22 coming off that big offensive year. That's back when the Blue Jays were the sexy pick by us media to be that world series contender. It was always look out for the Blue Jays, look out for this offense. Nobody really talks about the team like that right now. They can change quickly, but that's just not the conversation around them.

They would have to, I think, surprise some people. They, of course, think they can, but it's changed, certainly, from the last couple of years. Keegan, I think the Blue Jays could surprise a lot of people, but I don't think anyone would be surprised, even if they did surprise people, if they were still the fourth best team in the American League East. We just saw Boston pick up Alex Bregman, 40m a year for three years. We know what Baltimore is, we know what the Yankees are.

Even after losing Soto, they made some great moves to fill that void and perhaps add to it on other aspects of their team. Is there a way you could look at Toronto as anything better than the fourth best team in the AL East right now? Yeah, playing in the East just sucks. It does, exactly. No matter how many times coaches and players tell me we love the challenge, get out of here. You'd rather be in a worse division, I promise. And I think what really makes this division scary, guys, and I didn't think I'd be saying this, I guess, a year ago, but it

seems like Boston's really motivated. It seems like Boston has gotten their pride hurt a bit and they're trying to spend, they're trying to make some big moves and when you get Boston back into this with some sort of momentum, we know the Orioles are going to be good, you know the Yankees are going to be good and spend and you know the R raise at the bare minimum are going to be annoying, maybe good, but at least pesky and annoying. It's an exhausting brand of baseball to play. There are not many games in the AL East right now where you can just put in a long reliever in the seventh and enjoy a nice comfortable wind.

It just doesn't happen. So for the Jays, I think back to the season I mentioned earlier, that 2021 year, maybe the best offense we're going to see for a long time in Toronto, 191 games and still miss the playoffs on that last day. I don't think you'll need that many wins this year with three wild cards. You shouldn't, but it's still the last division you want to be in. If you're a team that's kind of on that edge. And that's where the Blue Jays are right now if they make the postseason I think it would be in that second or third wild card spot playing in the East does not exactly help that

Do you know the timeline of Alec Manoa and is there any chance that you know there's a I don't know I want to say politely a reclamation project there you know a guy who could make a comeback or You know it was such a massive drop-off for him You know are the expectations so low for him that we've kind of just moved past him or forgotten about him Yeah, guys, he should be midseason latter half of the season, but he should be back at some point this year and This elbow surgery. It's not what anyone wanted. There's nothing good. No silver lining, but half of the season but he should be back at some point this year and this elbow surgery it's not what anyone wanted there's nothing good no silver lining but

while he's going through this I think this could be a good opportunity to just exhale and say okay we're starting over he'll be healthy he's coming back he looks good physically just walking by him at a glance today and Alec Manoa is always going to be in a good headspace for this trying to come back and what I would compare it to guys and Manoa was linked to this I guess is a couple of years back remember when Hunjin Ryu came back late in the season he made 10 or 11 starts down the stretch he actually replaced Manoa in the rotation when that happened. If by July or August

the Blue Jays need a starter and they're probably going to, guys get hurt guys get tired, Manoa could be coming back at a pretty convenient time for them. Now ideally they've got multiple options with prospects and somebody else but at that time of year to have a guy coming back who at least had a chance to contribute i think would be pretty encouraging and i don't know that alex manoa is going to want to write that come back story as well i can really see that fitting with him mentally and it would be a heck of a story for him at this point because there was an extreme

high and there have been some extreme lows but he's got a shot to slowly and steadily get back and I think slow and steady is a good thing for him right now. Keegan we saw Max Scherzer in a blue jays uniform for the first time today what did you see and what are your expectations for the three-time Cy Young Award winner in his age 41 season? It's amazing guys I mean I get caught up in the conversation of oh he's forty one is fastball did this it broke this many

and had a certain point i've just got to stand there today i think man this is pretty cool i was standing there watching from my left to right mac sure is or kevin gosman chris bassett throw their bullpen sessions of the exact same time this is the hall of famer now can you give the blue jays 20 or 25 starts? That would be great. That would be a great start if he gets up to 120, 30, 40 innings. I think that's a success and most importantly

he's healthy. Last year he was coming off of a back surgery and guys if you're trying to catch up out of spring training even if your match sure is or it's hard you're almost always going to lose if you're trying to catch up out of spring training, even if your match sure is, or it's hard, you're almost always going to lose. If you're playing catch up right now, he seems healthy. It looks like he's in a good place to start and having him around on a one year deal, I like that a lot for the blue J's, not just based on the reputation, but you are not investing a ton. And I think the upside still is there and I

like what it does for the rest of the rotation guys it bumps Bowden Francis down to a five, Yariyel Rodriguez who walked in with an impressive beard I need to do more reporting on that tomorrow but he bumps into the rotation or sorry into the bullpen I like the idea of Yariyel in the bullpen I think he can be that guy who comes in with a ridiculous amount of intensity and really cranks it up and man if you are a young pitcher you better be following Max Scherzer around every inch of that complex. Keegan I was on Amazon today I bought some multivitamins and I also pre-ordered the franchise Toronto Blue Jays a curated history of the Jays

by one Keegan Matheson forward by John Gibbons comes out June the 3rd really looking forward to that when my order arrives many way you can expedite that for me I'll see if I can grease the wheels there I think I know a guy but thankfully Gibby batted lead-off for me so there's at least something worth reading in that book but I love it i'm happy to hear likewise thank you for doing this body enjoy your time down in dunning and you've got a couple talk again to ask you madison and i'll be dot com blue jays report