OverDrive - OverDrive - August 13, 2025 - Hour 2

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Keegan Matheson and Dave Feschuk for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips joins to discuss the Blue Jays' elite run production, Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins' future in Toronto and Bo Bichette's rising stock seeking a new contract. The guys go around the sports world in the latest edition of Role Play Level of Concern and the Blue Jays' showdown against the Cubs.

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Keegan Matheson, Dave Festruck in here, roleplay level of concern a little bit later in the hour. Steve Phillips in a few moments. We're about halfway through August. The guys will be back. Oh, I guess had surgery on his other labrum today. So shout out to the O-Dog, recovering. Wow. Yeah. I think that's going to possibly put an end to his golf season, which is very disappointing. That's tough.

Yeah, it's very tough. Very tough. But he's fighting through that. Noodles is back home, ready to rock, and they'll be back in a few weeks, and the hazes of fraud kind of world and reference

continues to stay alive. The reason I bring that up out of the gate is because Rue just sent a tweet in, claiming he yelled hazes of fraud at Noda Begay for some reason. Nota Begay. Why would Noda Begay respond to that? Where was that?

that? I guess he's down at the FedEx? Is that where he is? Like maybe Noda's down there because it's an NBC thing. And I guess Noda was out like in between doing shifts on the golf channel, just hacking some balls around and some guy yells hazes of fraud to Noda Begay. You're getting

hazes affrauded in Memphis? Yeah, and you can't yell it to somebody else. You know, like maybe you can yell it. Gord Miller sent me a text. Yes. This is the new thing for Gord. Gord flies all around the world. He's over overseas for the Grettes he'll anchor right now right and guys walk up to him say i want to say hayes is a fraud gourd goes

okay let me record it guy records it he sends it to me everywhere it goes right doesn't matter anywhere around the world someone is there speaking in broken english if it's in europe saying hazes a fraud i'm like all right fine you're directing it to gourd he will send it to me that's fine and that's a hockey rink and it's a hockey rink some guy said it to me yesterday was team town sports team town sports out wippy grade store awesome staff Was there with my kid picking up hockey stuff? Some guy came over just said, fraud, kept walking. Okay, I can live with that.

You can't yell hazes of fraud in Noda Begay. I've gotten two of them, actually, the last few weeks. But you're within, there's a separation here. They make sense. You're in the orbit of fraudulence. And it's, no to Pigay is not. No, he's not. I get it when I walk out.

I walk out the same door, the players do. So there's always a level of disappointment of the people when I walk out. And I can see as I'm getting close to the door. There he is. Who's that a catcher? No, it's the H. No, it's just this guy. And I get a couple of those. I never know what to say to it, though.

It's that being spoken at. Right. Hayes is a fraud. I say, you know, okay? Just thumbs up. You want to have a conversation or is it best if I just keep going here? Yeah, I normally just keep up. Those are the vets, like a guy that can transition it quickly.

Like, Hayes is a fraud. By the way, what do you think for Matthews this year? Yeah. Yeah. I've seen that. That was an icebreaker. And now we're getting into something else. I like that.

I like that. Those are the true vets. Yeah. Like, if it was, if it was Sansy. It makes sense. Regular on the show. He's yelling at Noda Begay. Brad Faxin, he's a regular on the show.

Fax would probably understand. Had a lot of great appearances on this show. Absolutely. That would make sense. I don't believe Noda has ever been on the show. He's been on, but Noda is not aware of the reference at all. He's probably worried. And he's worrying, yeah, he's working on his short game.

Like, leave the guy alone. He's a busy guy. Why are you yelling that at him? What's the purpose of that? It's going to become the whole thing now, the most obscure person that you can yell. Yeah. rod at it. That is actually a good question. Like, again, within my

orbit, if you guys get it, oh, noodles gets it all the time, it happens. But who is, like, who is out there in the world that has been subjected to hazes of fraud chance where they, there's absolutely no reason for them to have any clue what that would possibly mean. Making their heads going.

Yeah. And how far can we push that? Because that's the next layer that I can appreciate. Well, I wonder, I appreciate that. Would you get, like, you get all these Yahoo's that go to a golf tournament, get thossed up on multiple tallboys. And then, you know, they say, you know, somebody hits a ball and it's mashed potatoes in the hole, you know, would it be, the tee shot hazes a fraud?

All the ladies are at Mississauga next week. Yeah. Let's get some of the audience. Yes. Anderson on number one or Brooke Henderson on the rinkhole, they're going to have a rinkhole at the women's open. Make sure you don't say it when she's mid-swing, but after she launches her golf, someone yell it out.

I like you pick it up, by the way. Yeah, who was that again? I don't even remember who that was. Is that weird? Oh, that was Mike Weir. That's right. Yeah. And if someone said it too many, I didn't know you, didn't know what it was, I'd be worried.

I'd be saying, is this a political statement? Yeah, exactly. Do I need to freeze up? I'd say, I have no. Are we protesting something? Maybe he is. Maybe he is. I'm not educated on either side of his beliefs.

You're right. You're right. And that would really throw you. I'd panic. I know there's a lot of weird stuff going on in the world. That was not one that I figured I would have to come across. but okay, let's try to get to the bottom of this. You know who'd like there to be a haze as a fraud

thrown at them? Shohei Otani. Yes. Because then it's like, I'm not the fraud. Yeah, exactly. Go talk to Hayes. Somehow I will be implicated in this. I've never been to Hawaii.

I don't have $240 million. But somehow I'm going to take the fall for show. Your name is brought into it. It wasn't Shohei. It was this guy in Toronto. It was all a big misunderstanding. And I'll be serving 38 months. There you go.

That's my plan. That could be a nice person. I think about it if Otani's willing to give me about, you know, 30, 40 million cash. Well, I think they're, you know, lawyer up. You might be able to make a deal like that. Yeah, maybe I could find a way to make that happen. All right, Jay's Cubs tonight, Gossman back on the man, get Scher's on the mound tomorrow. And there's been a lot of focus on AAA.

Like Manoa had a rehab start today. It did not go well for Alec Manoa. He's not pitching in 2025. He never was, but he's certainly not now. There was faint hope. There was no hope. Because we also forget what he looked like prior to him the injury. He couldn't pitch.

It's been a while. Yes. And it's been years. It's been a few years. And we got caught up in the encouraging comeback last year. But it would have taken an injury before. Now it's going to take two, three. That's not going to happen.

He's not pitching for this team. It's about next year. And if he's only throwing 91, this is still in the TJ recovery. I can't be too hard on him. But if he's only throwing 91, you'd better be perfect. Yes. He needs to find some of that velocity again. This is, I think next spring, guys, I'm down and done Eden,

and we're talking about, is he going to win the number five job? Okay. Here's Steve Phillips, our TSM Baseball Insider, joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Play the role of the GM here, I guess, with Toronto, Steve. Like, Alec Manoa, his future, how you handicap the possibility that he helps your baseball club in the future. How do you approach that topic?

Yeah, I think that, you know, I don't hold out a lot of, a hope on it and you know I think that that you plan that he's insurance you don't plan that he's part of an answer and you build the rotation short term and long term with with him being an extra guy not being an answer I don't think you can plan on it and then and then what happens is if he figures it out great then you're even better than you thought but I don't think you can have an expectation of his returning to the form that he had at his best. I just think it's been too long. Then you're dealing with injury. I don't see him as a factor at all this year. And, you know, and again, I'm not going to judge either too harshly the

velocity coming back from Tommy John's surgery. But listen, Sandy Alcantra with the Marlins, it was a Cy Young Award winner. And he's got a 70RA this year coming back from Tommy John. You know, we get spoiled by guys who come back and go right back into dealing and they look great. and Otani's pitching again and he's throwing 100 and, you know, we think everybody should be able to just bounce back and it's just not that easy. And so, and I'm with you. And even before he got hurt, he had some issues. He wasn't quite the same pitcher that he had been. So I think you, you know, in my mind, if somebody, if I could have gotten John Durand for him at the deadline, I would have made the trade in the heartbeat.

And I don't know that that was an offer that was considered or that was there or whether Minnesota would have taken a flight. on it, and they may have thought to themselves, you know, he'd be an extra guy in the deal, we'd take them, but I would have put him in a deal and not look back if I could have gotten a dominant closer. Well, and I'm in total agreement with you. Meanwhile, Shane Bieber's coming back from Tommy John, and there's a chance he starts game one of the ALDS, you know, so I'm curious how we kind of marry the two here. Now, his stuff has been electric.

He was obviously a Cy Young winner, you know, five years ago, but where do you stand with Bieber continuously looking good with AAA Buffalo. He'll make another start in a couple of days. And what do you think the ceiling is for him come October? Yeah, again, you know, it's somewhat unpredictable. I love how he is looking like himself on his rehab starts. You know, he's not getting knocked around. He is throwing strikes. His velocity is generally where you would expect it to be. And so he does feel like a veteran who knows what he's doing, working his way back in. And even if he has lesser stuff, he's going to know how to pitch around it because he's got quality, secondary stuff, and experience. So I'm excited about him.

And, you know, we'll see what's fair to expect once he comes back and faces major league hitters, which is going to be a lot different than face his minor league hitters. But I would say that if he does factor into the rotation for the playoffs, I would strongly consider Jose Barrios taking that sweeper and making them an eighth, ninth inning guy. I would. I know that he threw out again yesterday. Burrios did, but, you know, I just think that what –

I think he's got a resilient arm, and he's a hard worker, and he's got that pitch that can be a swing-and-miss pitch coming in late, and his fastball velocity will play up if it's a one-inning spurt as well, because I think they should really start thinking about with these six starters, who and how do you factor them into your bullpen to enhance your bullpen as well? See, that seems like the big variable these next six, seven weeks with the Blue Jays. How to handle the sixth and then who to bump out,

ideally at the end or if it comes sooner. And we batted around the Scherzer idea yesterday. I think he's too good. I think he just needs to start. But if you're in that GM chair again, do you ride with the six man from here on to the end and then pivot to that Brillo's idea you like? How do you handle that from the start?

Because it's a real wealth of talent they've got, no obvious guy. Right. So I would take it until, you know, the last couple weeks. And then, you know, again, I want to make sure I win the division. That's number one. So I don't want to do anything that jeopardizes that. But as you get some cushion, then I would have no problem moving to a five-man with working around off days and everything else

and starting to explore a little bit with Brioz, for me, with Brioz in the ninth inning. I just, I don't think Scher has the bounce back ability from one day to the next to be able to be a reliever. And I don't think he, you know, at his age, can warm up in a way that you need it. So I don't think he factors in as a bullpen guy for me. But I think that Brioz is a resilient arm. I think Lauer has done both. So I see him in a playoff situation also going to the bullpen. and then going with Gosman and Bassett and Scher and Bieber in that rotation.

If you're going to go four or three, depending upon the series, that would be how I'd line it up. Dave, I've been told it's international left-handers day. So I wanted to ask you about Lauer because, you know, we were talking about him off the top of the show. Like, in a lot of ways, he gets the short shift on this team. He's got the lowest ERA on the staff. He's pitch just lights out.

They'd really be in a pickle. without him, and he's a left-hander, which is somebody that you do not have beyond him in any significant way. Do you think there's a match-up scenario where he could factor into your top three in a playoff scenario if it was the right team at the right time? Yeah, I think maybe. I keep an open mind about it. I don't want to be locked in on any of it.

And, you know, and I want Pete Walker and John Snyder, they obviously have input into it. I'm not going to dictate, but, you know, I, will suggest in a way to try to, you know, gain some momentum about how I see it, but I can absolutely be convinced otherwise. You know, this has got to be a collective decision, not just a general manager's decision, uh, to go in with the manager and the pitcher coach and the coaching staff as to how to line it up. And I absolutely believe, like for instance, the Baltimore Orioles aren't a playoff team, but if they were, they don't not hit left-handers at all. And in that situation, you might consider, by the way, they hit every other right-handed of the Blue Jays

have, the Orioles do, and they did this year, that Lauer might actually be the right fit against a team like that, although they're not going to be a playoff team. But, you know what I'm saying? So, yeah, matchups can matter. But I think the other thing to keep in mind is that in the playoffs, you can have a quick hook, you've got built-in off days, and Lauer could impact multiple games from the left side of right-handed starters, where you're going to get, the left-hand of bats in the lineup to start the game.

And then if you piggyback Lauer, he could come in on the back end of a starter and then force the other manager to make some personnel decisions mid-game and make some switches in their lineup mid-game that then set your matchups up better for later in the game. And so he could be a weapon in a lot of different ways. And I think he will be a weapon for them. He's been a real guy for this season. He was a great minor league sign to bring it on a lot.

a minor league deal and he's proven to have a big, big impact on this team. With Steve Phillips or TSM Baseball Insider, so Ernie Clement had a big home run last night and it turns out after the game, John Snyder who was in a great mood, right? Because they beat the Cubs. He actually

missed a sign to lay down a bunt and it worked out pretty well for them like everything is breaking the way of the Blue Jays right now. But I'm curious, like what obviously it's great. He hit the home run, you win the game, but in your experience, is that the end of it? Or does the manager actually end up coming to him

and saying, you know, kind of the old, hey, nice catch A's, don't ever do it again. Like, you know, great stuff. Good job. But when we lay down a signal, make sure you get it. Yeah, I think that, I actually think that the best time to find a player is after he missed the sign and had success. Because you got the benefit of it. But it's also a reminder for him. And remember, when you make that decision, you're managing the other 25 players on the roster as well, that, you know, look, well, we have a plan. We have, you know, one you can't miss signs, two, if you get a sign, you can't ignore a sign. And so I might zing him a little fine to do that. It may be one that I give it back to them at the end of the year, but I wouldn't

mind making a statement out of that, because, especially because everyone's feeling good about it, but you can make sure that the next time everybody is paying attention to it. I think it's clear they talked about it too because by the time we had gone down to the Blue Jays clubhouse, Ernie Clement was coming out to the media backdrop, which they keep outside now, and Schneider walked past, and he said, Ernie, I told them, they all know, and he broke out laughing, like, oh, man, you blew my cover there. So they definitely talked, but Ernie's such a big part of that offense. And Steve, when I look at this offense now, first and average, first and on base percentage,

middle of the league, in home runs. It feels kind of old school, but it also feels like an identity, and it's been very consciously done. Do you think this is an offense built for postseason games that are often so tight and lower scoring? So, you know, it's interesting. I think that the thing about the Blue Jays offense is that they don't strike out.

Yeah. What we've seen over the last few years is that contact hitting offenses seem to be the most successful in the postseason because you get productive outs. You advance runners. You can get a runner in from third and take advantage of a scoring opportunity where if you're getting swing and miss, that guy gets stranded and you don't get the run in.

And so I think that is one of the best aspects of their offense. Now, there is a philosophy that in the postseason, you need power because you realize you're facing the best pitchers in the game and you're going to have a difficult time lumping three single. together, four singles in an inning to put up a crooked number, what you need is a bloop and a bomb. You need to take advantage of a walk and then a double off the wall. And so, you know, having that slug is valuable and important, but they've got enough slug and enough power that, you know, especially after their slow start at the beginning of the year where they didn't

have any home runs, I think that, you know, since they've gotten hot, their power numbers are playing, and it has length and depth throughout the lineup. So I think it is an offense that is conducive to playoff baseball, especially because they don't swing and miss. Well, and Vladiguro Jr., you know, personifies everything you just talked about, and you look at him right now, he had three hits again last night. He's a night or two away from a slash line of hitting 300, 400, 400 on base, 500 slugging. Like, he's got a 300, 399, 490 slash right now.

He's up the 19 home run, so he's hit six. since the All-Star break. You know, he's healthy, he plays every single day. Like, Vladdy, this is what he did last year. Like, it was a little bit more extreme last year. But in the second half, you could argue he was certainly a top three batter in the game.

I mean, undoubtedly, the way he was performing. And that's where he's going here again, Steve. And the power numbers aren't, then I can jump off the page. Maybe he gets to 30 by the end of the regular season, but he's certainly going to be in the mid-to-high-20s. But if he's got an OPS up around 9-50, 975, and that's where it's trending. He gets on base a tonne. He never strikes out.

Plays every day. I mean, Vladdy, this is why you'd pay the guy $500 million plus. Yeah, I mean, this version of him, look, when he's not his best, he's still very good. Right. You know, we just, you know, we think about the money, we think back about when he is at his best, what it looks like. And, you know, I think that, you know, when he's not his best, he just doesn't have that complete belief that he can stay

back, let the ball travel, and hit the bottom of the baseball. So he sort of gets halfway there, and it changes his bat plane that gives him more of the line drive and the ground ball. And he still hits it hard. We know that. He's got one of the hardest hit rates in baseball. And when he's right

is when he can sort of sit back a little bit and you see that home run swing where he can get the uppercut to it, but he's got to wait instead of getting out in front to do there. And so I think he is getting more confident right now, and I think it's, look, he's hustling, you know, he's running balls out, he's diving to make plays.

I mean, he is, honestly, what I appreciate is he shows that he's accepting the responsibility that comes with that contract. You know, there are times where Juan Soto doesn't really seem like he's as intense as he should be out in the outfield, right, that he's as intense as he should be running the bases. That's not Vladdy. Lattie shows that he's accepted the responsibility that comes with being such a high-paid player, the highest-paid player on his team, one of the highest-paid players in the game, and I've got mad respect for him in that regard.

Dave, you've been in the upper management ranks of a Major League Baseball team at good times and bad times. The very good time for the Blue Jays, and yet Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins do not appear to have clarity on their long-term futures in Toronto. you know, what do you think they might be going through in that situation, given how great the season is going, and yet there is some uncertainty going forward? So I sort of lived that myself, that I went into the 2000 season. We made the playoffs in 99.

I had a year left on my deal, and the owner said, no new contracts. We're going to play out the year, and then we'll negotiate. I'm like, well, man, we just went to the playoffs. Like, can I not get an extension? but he wanted to wait. And so we did, and we ended up going to the World Series the next year. And I was grateful that we waited because I got a bigger payday than I would have gotten if I had taken a deal after 99.

And so I think the best thing for both of them is that if the Blue Jays keep playing while, they win the division, they're going to get contract offers to stay. And I don't know that it's tied to winning a playoff series or not. I really don't. and I don't know that it should. But I think that if they want to stay, they'll stay. And if they don't, and if they don't want to back, Mark Shapiro will get a job in baseball somewhere someday.

And he might actually be commissioner of baseball at some point. Like, he's that well-respected around the game. And he's that good of baseball guy. And Ross will find a job somewhere, maybe back in Cleveland if he doesn't get a job there as an assistant with Chris Antenetti and the guys there, Michael Turner. But, you know, they'll both find jobs somewhere else. And so I think that it's fine for them. Play it out and get a bigger payday when you have great success.

Steve, if everyone is back, one of their big tickets this offseason will be Bo Bichette. And I think the Jay's success is kind of overcast that story that he is a pending free agent. But Bo is right back to all of his career norms, hitting almost 300 with just above 800 OPS. This is the best he's looked in a couple of years here. And when I've looked at his free agency, I've always kind of roughly used that Willie Adamas deal, whether you move up or down. But we're so far inside the beshit discourse here in Toronto every damn. Curious how you think the rest of the league views that value

because it seems like he's a guy that can have a wide range team to team. So, yeah. So I think that I do think that he will get a mega contract. I think that, you know, he's going to want to shoot for Trey Turner and Xander Bogart's deals. and what those guys got, it's definitely going to be more than $200 million. I think the question is, you know, is he locked in to being a shortstop?

You know, if he's willing to play somewhere else, then I think he draws even more teams in. I mean, 27 will play next year 28. I think his birthday's in March. You know, he's got a chance to get a monster payday because he's got teams that need a shortstop that will have interest, teams that need second base or third base, if he's willing to broaden his scope, I think they're all going to be in on him.

So I think that it will be in the $200-plus million range, and the more he plays, and the more he performs in October, it could creep up into the mid-to-up upper $200-plus million. So, look, the Jay should be able to play in that range because it's got a chance to be I mean, he's going to play at 28. He's got a chance to be at 8, 9, 10-year contract. And I would have the guts to be able to give him that kind of a deal. Yeah, listen, they talk about continuity, and, you know, Bo has talked about wanting to finish the job here at Vladdy,

and he and Vladdy are very, very close. And to his credit, he's having a great year. Like, last year was a disaster for him, a disaster. A lot of that was injury-based, but to Bo's credit, man, he stayed healthy, he's performing. He hits like he always does, and, yeah, it's a huge platform for him. Like, you get into the playoffs and you become a clutch hitting shortstop, like that could elevate you that much more, I would think.

Yes. In terms of what that agent might be asking for, right, Steve? Oh, for sure. And, you know, he's a personality, too. You know, he's a guy that could be the face of your organization. He understands that when he doesn't interview, he's got to give a quote, but he doesn't say anything controversial. And so, like, there's a lot to like about him as a player.

And, you know, the biggest question was health, and could he get back to being who he was? You figured if he was healthy, he could, and he's showing 100% that he can be. And so good for him. He's put himself in a position. And look, the best thing for the Blue Jays was for him to go out and play well. Because it gave you a chance to win,

and now you've got a chance to identify the value. And it's a lot like Vladdy, where they had, After his year last year, it was clear that Vladdy was an upper-rash-line guy when he had always been a little bit less than that. And now Bichette has proven that he is that level of player as well. And I think he's going to get a payday. Look, and I could see the deal getting over $300 million for him with as much competition as there could be with teams that will have interest to him,

especially if he opens up his positional consideration. All right, Steve, we'll leave it there. We'll do it again later in the week. Thank you for this. all you bet my pleasure guys have a good week steve phillips joining us on the maple toota hotline drive the built in canada fuel efficient fund to drive toyter rap four gas or hybrid models available visit mapletta dot com um yeah this would be the the first

probably the first significant barometer in terms of how this front office is going to operate or the ownership i think more importantly with the magnitude of the vladdie deal on the books right there's a lot of money coming off springers off after next year Bassett's coming up, Gossman's coming up. There's a lot of money that's coming off the books, but you're going to have to continuously prove if you're Rogers, it's not just Vladdy's getting all this,

and then we'll see what's left for everyone else. Where Vladdy needs to just be, you know, he got paid, you got paid appropriately. You want to run with the big boys like the Mets, like the Yankees, like the Dodgers. If Bichette continues to play like this, stays healthy performs in the fall,

and he wants $300 million, you got to give him $300 million. Do you? Yes. Yeah. You don't? What else are you going to do? Look, the reason I'm saying to you is because Kagan brings with the very astute point that, you know, the market value for a shortstop of that ilk is Willie Adomas at 180 times seven,

which is $25 million a year. So like, you got to get to $300 million, you got to give him a lot of year. Yeah, I guess so. And it's the matter of busy a shortstop. There will be teams out there that thinks he's second or third base, and there will be teams to think he's a shortstop. His sprint speed has gone off a cliff this year. He still makes it work.

I think he's still a solid defensive shortstop, but he's going to have a massive range, like the biggest range in the whole market. And it's not just about liking him. You've got to like them the most. But I agree. The Js need to continue to spend. Look at ticket prices right now.

Yeah, man. It's cheaper. They're bringing in money. And it's a packed house every single night, right? He's popular, to Steve's point. Yeah, he is. Personality is popular. It matters.

Well, you realize the value in homegrown talent has been here for a long, long time. Yeah. Like, I had an example of it with my, kids over the weekend and friends of ours kids like I was quizzing them we were just out messing around and you know what's 10 times 10 times

you know whatever and I asked them using a different team as an example named five Maple Leafs they're all young kids 10 and under Austin Matthews Mitch Marner like they both all of them yelled out Matthews and Marner yeah and then they realized oh Marner's not here anymore they

struggled to find a third guy right like even with Nielander here for just as long to Vars Mitch, it was Matthews and Marner. It's been Vladie and Bichette. That's who it's been for 10 years. He's a one-name guy. He's both. Yes, he is.

Absolutely. And there's value in that. So 300 might be arbitrary. The point is, if someone else is willing to pay him $300 million, are you going to play or not? Like, that's what baseball is at. Now, might change if they have a lockout and a cap comes at some point.

But Steve Cohen basically said to Pete Alonzo, who is now hit more home runs than anyone else in Mets history. Call me when you're ready for me to pay you a dollar more than whatever anyone else is willing to offer you. That's basically what he did. And he sat up there with his mic all winter and he's like, yeah, well, we'll see what happens with Pete. Like when Pete snaps out of it and calls me, we'll make it work. And I think the same thing needs to apply here, that if Peschek goes to market and comes back and goes, all stay.

I got $2.80 over here. I'll stay for $2.80 here. You got to give him $2.80. Yeah. Or if you want a nickel and diamond, go find someone else. Go for it. But let's see what happens. But Kagan, like, other owners do not like to play the Steve Cohen game, right?

No, people like to throw out the Steve Cohen contracts. They were all Steve Cohen. That would be a hell of a league to cover. But they just did it with Vladdy, though. Like, they just did it with Vladdy. Yeah. Vladdy was not, quote, unquote, worth $560 million or whatever. Until Sotomay got seven plus, 765, whatever, yeah.

Or he was this close to leaving. It's going to be an opportunity to declare to the rest of the league. We're a big market. We're the big boys we spend. and after we've spent, we're going to keep spending and spending and spending and spending. And man, it does matter that he's the guy here that everyone knows. That matters. All the people, all the kids that know, you know, Austin Matthews, they're going to be buying tickets someday, too. That's how you build that fan culture. It matters. He's recognizable. Everyone loves the guy.

Yeah. And listen, they still got to get through the rest of August, September, get into the postseason, see what happens there. There's still more to evaluate. And if he has a moment in October, good luck. Right, right. bringing him back. Yeah, but on the flip side of that, it could be Marner-esque in the fact that if he doesn't have a moment and they don't do anything in the playoffs, does it not turn into a very sour situation after a great season? It absolutely could. Yeah.

You know, and I think that applies to the evaluation of Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro and everything. If you get into the playoffs and you still can't win. Right. But you got to get there first and they're well on their way. Roleplay level of concern coming up. Mark Schlereth in just over half an hour. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN2.

You can never, never ask me to stop drinking. Do you understand? I do. I really do. All right, role play level of concern. We know the way this works. Keegan, you're lucky enough. You've played this before.

So I'm sure that was a life accomplishment for you. And Dave, you've played this many times. So you know the way it works. We haven't done it in a while, but figured we'd kickstart things with Keegan playing the role of Jose Burrios. All right. All right. Similar physique.

Yes, absolutely. And we talked about this earlier. Now let's apply it to roll play level of concern. If the Blue Jays end up playing in the wild card round, What is your level of concern? You will not be given one of the three starts. Ooh, at this point, full 12-pack. A lot of booze, man.

That's a lot. It's not nuclear option. No, that's not Nick Cage leaving Las Vegas. No, but 5% is nothing light. Yeah. You know, that's talking East Coast stuff. Absolutely. I got you.

Cape Breton style. But it's real, please. An island, if you didn't know. But that's a big worry at this point. And Berrios, I think, more than anyone would be a pro about all of it, but we've talked about the three options of Beaver, Gosman, I think, definitely. Sure, there's still a lot of variables because of the age going into this point. But I think at this point, you've got to look at him as that number four,

and even behind him, Bassett can get hot. Eric Lauer can find the right and as a lefty, yes. He's a lefty, which that gives him an advantage. I think you really do have to be. Berrios is in a weird spot where I think he's a fantastic. regular season pitcher to get you there, but he's going to win you a game. I'm not sure. I don't know, man. Yeah, I'm with you. It's concerning for him, but if I'm a fan, it concerns me that you know, you might kind of give this guy the short shrift. Like, he proved he was a gamer

last time he played in a playoff game for the Blue Jays. He's got pretty good, I mean, he's only had, you know, limited playoff experience, but, you know, he's got decent numbers in his limited playoff experience. And, and I want to, like, I don't think you should be ruled out of consideration. This idea that Bieber is just a lock is crazy. Or Scherzer as well. He's a day-to-day guy at that age. Yeah. Like, Barrio's got the ball opening day. He's got years left on his deal. And he's a really, really, really good bitcher.

Yeah. Like in terms of like what the team has invested in him and what they've proven they believe in when it comes to him, the idea that he's on the outside looking in does in some ways feel far-fetched. But it's also like glass-half full. that's great. If Burrius is your number four, that's a phenomenal position. And it's not like Shane Bieber is some playoff horse.

The guy's played in three playoff games in his entire career. His first one, he got lit up by the Yankees in a very memorable way. So, you know, that's when he won the Sa Young, I think that year too, wasn't it?

Coming off the Sai Young and the Yankees just absolutely torched him. So, you know, to me, like, it's wonderful to have this prospect that this former Sy Young winner might be able to pitch for you in big games. And yet,

you know, let's, that down a bit. I mean, Breos has pitched for you in big games, and he's been among your most reliable guy. All right, Dave, you're playing the role of the FedEx Cup. The FedEx Cup. I'm sure you've always dreamt of doing that.

Yes. What is your level of concern? Rory McElroy could end up winning this whole thing and then start skipping tournaments every year moving forward. I can't believe, yeah, play it. You can never never ask me to stop drinking.

unreal it's it's concerning yes it is because you're basically like they've set up the entire golf calendar to emphasize how important the playoffs are right we don't have a major past july or past august or in august middle of july it's over used to be a major in august there's not a major in august anymore the british opens the last major they set it all up so that we're supposed to think this is important and now you have the most famous player on the planet since tiger saying it's actually not that important i'm good i'm good catch you at the BMW and he didn't move. He's still number, he's still second.

And the format has always been a problem for these guys, right? The coming up with a playoff format that makes sense that gets people invested, that gets the players invested, has always been a problem. They've rejigged it a million times. They've rejigged it again this year. And guess what? They've rejigged it in a way where there are certain guys that don't need to show up to the opening two rounds.

And they're still going to get to the tour championship. And they can win the thing because there's no handicapped strokes involved this year. as opposed to the previous years. So, yeah. And now to hear Rory today say, talking about all the important events still to come in the year, including the race to Dubai. Oh, yeah.

He's heavily invested over there now. He's really excited about the race to Dubai and winning his seventh race to Dubai. You know that's a shot across the bow at the PGA tour. Yeah. With whom, you know, Roy's got a complicated relationship. Yeah. No, I think this is a nightmare for the tour.

I could not believe he didn't show up last week. Like, that seems like the immediate reaction. action of this is mandatory you're there for every single one or you're out. Right. Like it's very simple. Now, I think McElroy is saying, go ahead, try it. See what happens.

Oh, yeah. I dare you to do that because I'm Rory McElroy and you're really, what are you going to put Chris Godder up in my position in terms of the marquee, right? Chris Kirk is going to sell tickets. Do you know who you're messing with right now? But like this guy, he doesn't show up in Hawaii to start the year because of the race to Dubai. He starts over in Europe. I think he's in Dubai in January.

He misses Harbourton. He didn't go to the memorial this year. He called Jack Nicholas. Actually, I'm out. Didn't even call him. Didn't even call him. Didn't even call him. And now Memphis, the first leg of the playoff, he goes, no, I'm good. I'll just catch you at the next one. At the moment that the big dog stops prioritizing this.

It gives number two and three and four. That excuse gives me sitting at home an excuse to not care about it, as much as I normally would have. If the big guy's not, as anyone else. For me, this is, like we always talk. Actions speak louder than words. Scotty Sheffler over at the Open Championship gave that famous kind of speech or diatribe

whatever you want to call it about. It's not fulfilling. I don't know. What is this about my life? This is way more of a shot at golf and what it means in the PGA tour and what it means to Rory McRoy than whatever Sheffler was going on about.

Oh, yeah. Like Sheffler plays. Sheffler shows up. McElroy is basically saying once he got the green jacket, I'll let you know what I'm going to show up. Like, let's not forget, Rory showed up to our tournament here. It was horrendous. And said, basically, I'm having a hard time getting motivated since I won the green jacket

and then missed the cut by a mile. He played so horribly those two days. Yeah. It was awful. The whole thing, the body language, it completely checked out. So that's concerning. But I understand, on the other hand, guys, I understand it. Like, the guys made all the money in the world. And, you know, he's playing for Rory.

He had his moment of fighting for the tour against the Saudi invasion. And Greg Norman and he got burned for it, I think. He feels he got burned for it. He got burned out, certainly. Right. And the spokesman for what is good about golf and the right side of the battle between the PGA tour and the live tour. And I think he's just past it now. He's saying, I'm playing for Rory now.

I'm not playing for the PGA tour. I'm about me. Yeah, it sounds that way. And no one even talks about the amalgamation of the two leagues anymore or like any brokering of a deal. When was the last time we were in anything between live and the PGA? Oh, I think that the, like it's just gone, basically. It doesn't feel like it's going to happen. Yeah, exactly.

It doesn't feel like it. All right, I'm playing the role of Shohei Otani. Show Hey, Otani. What is my level of concern that my squeaky clean image will not last forever? Play it. You can never, ever ask me to stop drinking. So the interpreter and the gambling thing was wild. Yep.

And it just got basically swept under the rug. It was like a couple of days. Baseball said nothing to see here, not his fault. Okay, move on. He hasn't missed a game, no issues, no evaluation, nothing. Interpreters in jail. Interpreters gone, took the fall. It's him.

They have video recording and audio recording of him, you know, impersonating him all that. And it's like, okay, seems a little bit far-fetched that he had no idea what was going on. But, all right, there's one strike. I'll give you that one. You know, fool me once. Right? I'll give you that one. Now, this report, and again, I don't, I don't lose sleep over what, like, billionaires are doing with this exclusive property in Hawaii. It doesn't affect my life. But I couldn't care less, really. But I find it interesting that Shohei and the reporting on this is Otani and his agent. Of course, there's got to be another guy, always is with Shohei, may have kind of did the big swing in, you know, you know who I am type of routine here and maybe bullied some people in or out. of whatever this operation was going to look like. Again, they are entitled to their own defense,

very early in this process. This is white collar. The most white collar you can get of white collar crime. A $240 million real estate boondoggle in Hawaii. Again, it's not necessarily, we're not talking Pete Rose betting on Dodgers games here if you're Shohei. But there's just a lot of smoke following this guy. Like this is the second strike where you're like,

what's up with Otani? And I think him being squeaky clean is something I'm sure he cherishes. I think he works hard at it. Again, his reputation is it's been well documented. He literally says hello to the hump every time he gets up to the plate. Seems like a good guy. As big of a superstar of Japan as we've probably ever seen. I don't know, is he bigger than Ichero, probably.

But I don't know, man. He's got a long way to go to get to the finish line to hold on to that image. So I'm going to Nick Cage you right now for Shoah. It's concerning, man. It's a wild scene with him. Like, yeah, like, you're just, it can't be a coincidence. Yeah, what's up with this guy? He's been embroiled in two significant controversies with massive amounts of money involved

and some real accusations of underheadedness attached to people very close to him. Allegedly some shadiness going on. And to your point, look, you know, innocent to, this is a lawsuit. This is a, this is a, this is not doing time or anything like that. It's not a criminal charge, but, I mean, you know, you, you know, you. you start to think about, is this guy completely clueless to the goings on around him? That's hard to believe because he's a brilliant athlete. Right.

In my experience, brilliant athletes are not dumb people. Right. And he would have to be a fairly dumb person to have no idea that he was being defrauded for millions by not one, but two people. Yeah. You've got to keep that circle tight. Yeah. And he doesn't need the money. If I was involved in scamming someone out of millions, sure, I could use it.

But, yeah. Oh, Tony. What's he up to? We know that. Well, your books are the bestseller list. Well, I mean, hey, speaking of millions, everybody. A valid point. But when we talk about the Otani level, the more I'm around pro athletes, the more amazed

and impressed I am by people who keep a tight circle and keep their name out of stuff. I used the Sidney Crosby example yesterday. I know that's lower level, lower money. But still, I've never heard a word about that guy that's not hockey. And when someone can go through their career like that and not be tied to something else, that impresses the hello to me. Yeah. Because it's all this arm's length stuff.

is it him involved? Is it a friend of a friend and he's the big name that gets involved? You just can't let that happen. No matter if it's you or not, you can't let your name be the one that's attached to it. Exactly. Your name is your name. As Marlowe once famously said in the wire, my name is my name. All right, we'll come back and we'll squeeze

in a couple of more role plays. Dallas Cowboy fans coming up. Austin Matthews coming up. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN2. All right, Mark Schlereth in about 15 minutes, James Cook, getting himself a contract down. in Buffalo today.

What is Schleris, you know, projections of the bills this year? Aaron Rogers is, is he fitting in down in Pittsburgh? Is it going to work in Pittsburgh? Shedur Sanders, injured, not likely to play this weekend. Now what happens with him? Catch up with Schlerth a little bit later on. All right, role play level of concern continued here. Higin, you're playing the role of Dallas Cowboy fans.

What is your level of concern? Your team is going to miss the playoffs again this year. Man, I think I'm Nick Cage on that one. You can never, ever ask me to stop drinking. Because if you do, I don't think that the Michael Parsons thing will lead to a missed season, a long haul. These things work themselves out. Jerry Jones will overspend. But, man, when you look at the rest of that defense around them, pretty tough.

I do think Dak Prescott's going to have a hell of a year. I think that and George Pickens is going to be big for him. I think that C.D. Lamb is almost underrated at this point. I think he's going to suck up 100 plus easy. But looking at, I mean, the running backs, you're trying to get something. No run game. Miles and Javante Williams, Jadon Blue, who's that going to be? So I think it's going to be a lot of the Cowboys losing 44 to 41.

And Dak Prescott throws for 400 yards and four scores and is just standing there thinking what the hell else do I have to do for this team? Because the guy that owns it upstairs has mismanaged it and overspent in places he could have spent a little less on. Yeah. And it's

it's looking like a tough year. Even in an NFC where there's some big avenues man, but I don't see it. Yeah, that division flips every year. Like every year there's someone else at the top. I just can't picture Philly not winning the NFC East. Like, I can't picture them anything but a 12 or 13 win team.

They're the gold standard now. Yeah. They've, they've usurp the chiefs in a lot of ways, just for in terms of the way they're run, the efficiency, the, you know, the anti-Jerry way of doing business where they get guys early. They take care of their problems. They take care of their business before they become problems. And obviously, you know, defending champions and all the rest of it. But, yeah, like, I'm maybe not as concerned. You can't forget that this team won 12 games three years in a row before last season.

Yeah, yeah. You know, they had a lot going for them. Like to your point, Keegan, you're almost making the case that, you know, I'm starting to believe they might have a decent bounce back year because Dak is, you know, whatever you want to say about Dak? Like he, he handles himself, he's capable of quarterback. He's a capable quarterback and handles that whole circus better than any athlete that maybe I've ever seen handle a circus, you know?

Yeah. He is, you know, Maple Leafs could take notes about how to handle a big, pressure market and playing in it because he does a great job. Yeah, he does it well. But yeah, they've got deficiencies like anybody else. But to your point, Hayes of they can get Parsons back on the field. The plus

minus is with him on the field. He is pretty significant, man. A hell of a talent who is a game-changing defensive player. And there aren't many of those. No, there isn't. In the NFL. And if they've got him, that's, to me, you know, a decent chance to stay in the fight for a decent for a wildcarts. Absolutely. Well, ask

Mark Schler, does he think the Cowboys can or will make the playoffs. We'll get to that into the final hour. Overdrive continues. TSN 10.50 and on the TSN out. Seasoned gamer or just video game curious. This weekend gaming is the podcast for you. We break down the latest in the world of video games from basics to beyond. The hottest gaming news, insight and industry leaders and more weekly. Join me, Naomi Kyle, and stay ahead of the game with all the latest updates. Even if you're a total newbie. Stream this week in gaming on the free Iheart radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.