OverDrive - OverDrive - December 23, 2024 - Hour 3

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

Join Michael DiStefano, Jason Strudwick and Dave Feschuk for Hour 3 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joins to discuss Auston Matthews' injury timeline with the Maple Leafs, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller's fallout with the Canucks and the Rangers' impending changes to the roster. MLB.com Blue Jays Reporter Keegan Matheson joins to discuss Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s contract extension, the deal not being close with the Blue Jays and the team's next steps and FanDuel Best Bets.

The Weeknd brings Hurry Up Tomorrow to Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles on January 25th for one night only. Get there with iHeartRadio. Two tickets to the show, flights and hotel from TripCentral.ca, plus $500 cash. For your chance to win, enter every day at iHeartRadio.ca. You guys are beautiful. An iHeartRadio experience. The Weeknd in L.A. Jump! Jump! Powered by TripCentral.ca. You guys are beautiful. An iHeartRadio experience. The weekend in L.A. Powered by TripCentral.ca.

The smarter way to book travel. Overdrive continuing up on TSN 1050 and now on TSN 2. Mike DiStefano filling in for Brian Hayes. Got Dave Feshuk of the Toronto Star. And we've got Jason Strudwick. The Strud Muffin himself. Let's just see if you, why did you shut down my saquad barkley idea so fast are you that upset about running backs winning an award is it not available to everyone no it's a quarterback it's a quarterback award like let's be honest

it's not fair that's like saying goalie shouldn't win it in uh the heart trophy when's the last time a goaltender's won i think what carrie price in 15 16. When's the last time a goaltender's won? I think it was, what, Carey Price in 15, 16? And when was the last time before that? It's not that it's impossible, Strutty, and I think it's, you know, he was in the conversation for a long time. He really, really was. But here's the thing that I look at the MVP race, and it's not that I strip it down to this argument specifically,

but it's like if Josh Allen was replaced by an average quarterback, as opposed to Saquon Barkley being replaced by an average running back, which offense would suffer more? And to me, that clearly would be Josh Allen. So we're talking about most valuable player. It's got to be Josh Allen.

And that's kind of the crux of what I'm talking about when I say Josh Allen over Lamar and Saquon and anyone else in the NFL. What he's been able to do for that team, I don't think anybody else holds as much value to their team, truly to the word of most valuable player, than Josh Allen. You're stuck on the broken hand or the non-throwing hand, right? And he's doing it with a broken hand. Do you want to build him a statue? Build him a statue. Look, it's amazing.

He's not throwing a broken hand. So I'll stand out. I think it's unfair to not look at running backs as well. Well, you know, the point's been made, though, to your line of logic there, is that maybe they should do what baseball does. You have the Cy Young Award for the pitchers and you have the MVP for everybody else. So you have the

MVQ for most valuable quarterback and then you give an MVP to the rest of the guys who are quarterbacks because I agree with you. You've essentially the last time a non-quarterback won was what? Adrian Peterson in 2012. It has happened a few times. It doesn't you've essentially you know the last time a non-quarterback one was what adrian peterson

in 2012 it has happened a few times it doesn't happen very often and you've made this a quarterback award essentially so why not just call it what it is i love it give an mvq well and then have an mvp race for everybody else it's essentially like the offensive player of the year typically does not go to a quarter. You look at the last few years, the last time that the most valuable offensive player went to a quarterback was 2018 with Patrick Mahomes. Since then, you've had two running backs and three receivers get that award. So that's kind of what, I guess, you're giving them that award.

Like Saquon Barkley, that's what he's going to win. Offensive Player of the Year. That's what he'll end up winning. Which one do you think he'd rather win? Do you think he's like, oh, that's nice. I still got the Offensive Player of the Year. Do I have a bonus for that in my contract? No, no, but honestly, I'm happy to get it. I'm happy to get it, guys. But that's just like, that's an

acknowledgement that it's a bit of a crock, right? Because clearly, Saquon Barkley isn't the Offensive Player of the year. It's quarterbacks. It's Josh Allen. It's Lamar Jackson. I will give you that. I will give you that.

But that goes back to MVP versus the Ted Lindsey. You know what I mean? It's different, right? But who's voting on it? Sure. But you could also look at it and say, okay, who's the most valuable and who's the best? Those are two different answers.

Those are two different answers. Those are two different answers. You could argue that Saquon Barkley's having the best offensive season among anyone in the NFL this year, but is it the most valuable? We know the running back position is severely devalued. Now, it's gaining some traction this year. Running is up massively. Touchdowns are up and rushing attempts and all that, but the quarterback is still where the value is going to be.

And unfortunately, that's ultimately why they end up becoming the MVP. They're the most valuable position on possibly planet Earth, and they're going to always be in the mix for most valuable player just based on that. So you can have the last word. It's your show. I'll just sit here and we'll just keep doing what we've always done because that's how we did it oh boy oh boy we'll see what happens there's

still a couple of weeks until we figure it out um joining us now on the maple toyota hotline we'll transition into some puck talk for you strutty uh is our main man, Chris Johnson, TSN Hockey Insider. What's going on, CJ? Not too much, guys. Just in from the snow here. So good to be home. We survived the great storm of Toronto, December 23rd. Oh, yeah.

You could probably jump in on this conversation, actually. We were just talking about Saquon and Strutty is having a meltdown because I didn't include him in the MVP talk. Do you believe that running backs, because you're a guy, love football, now Saquon is an anti-Cowboy, I suppose, but do you believe he should be included in the MVP talks this year? Yeah, I mean, why are you saying the running backs shouldn't be in there?

I'm not saying he won't be in there. Thank you. But he's not going to win it, is all I'm saying. I guess, but, I mean, he's, what to win it is all I'm saying. I guess. But, I mean, he's what a difference maker he's been for the Eagles this season. It's hard to argue with that. No, you're not wrong. You're not wrong about that.

That's for sure. Jumping over to hockey, obviously, here's CJ. And there was an afternoon game today, and there was no Austin Matthews as they lose to the Winnipeg Jets 5-2. Any insight on what's going on with Matthews and what happened this weekend? Well, I mean, only what I think you probably know at this point is just that this is a continuation of the injury that's plagued them since training camp, forced them to miss three weeks or so in November, you know took a cross check in that

game late in Buffalo and you know got to a point where he just wasn't feeling like he should push through it any longer and so you know don't know what the timeline looks like to be honest I don't think Austin Matthews could tell you anything definitive on that except to say that you know I don't think it's it's going to be a long-term thing but you know to me the measure of this unfortunately is going to be what what does Austin Matthew. But to me, the measure of this, unfortunately, is going to be what does Austin Matthews look like when the games are the biggest for the Leafs this year? When you get into late March and into April

and potentially into May, are they going to be able to get this to a point where we're not talking about this as a storyline? And that's obviously the biggest goal right now. I don't think either the team or Matthews himself are looking at any given game you know i've got to get ready for this you know when we're talking about games in december and so i think everyone here is just trying to take the sensible route and hope that a little bit of time off over the holidays potentially you know isn't playing those games right out of the break at least to a back-to-back friday saturday so

you know could see him you know maybe next t Tuesday or something like that, the New Year's Eve game might make some sense. And, and, you know, this is something he's been managing since September and I'm going to imagine he's going to be managing it, you know, the rest of the way here and trying to put himself in position to perform when it really matters. Well, if that's the case and, and, you know, he could be managing this through the entire season, I suppose,

like how much of a conversation do you think it'll be whether or not he should or shouldn't attend the Four Nations tournament? Well, there'll definitely be a conversation. I mean, the hard thing to note today is that tournament isn't until February 12th. I mean, does he come back in January and things are going well? And maybe it's a different sort of conversation when when you get there obviously if it's it's the flip side of that and he's either not able to perform for the Leafs I mean obviously wouldn't be going to play for Team USA in that case but you know if it's

sort of in and out between then and now I think there certainly will be you know something to be looked at but you know at this point in time you know those decisions don't have to be made really they have right until February 12th as with any player that's supposed to participate in that tournament for for the team and the player to make a call and so you know i i do think it will be something that has to be discussed especially if he's not going to be available for this next little while but i guess we'll have to see where we're at on the other side of the holiday break here cj let's head down to new york and that team has scored one goal in the last two games. That was basically while the anthem was being sung against Carolina.

So is something significant a possibility as far as a change with this group, or are they going to try to just keep sorting it out? I mean, I think everything's pretty much on the table in New York. I mean, you've already traded your captain. You traded away Capo Caco. You know, there's already been, you know, a fair amount of movement there for a team that, you know, was in the Eastern Conference Final and won the President's Trophy last year. And, you know, today you're stretching Chris Kreider,

who's your longest-tenured player. And, you know, I can see how you get to that point when you're the Rangers. You've been struggling as you have. You know, he hasn't produced the way he has in previous seasons. He's already been put down to the fourth line in some games before he finally got scratched. I guess none of these things in their own little bubble are alarming, but I think when you add it all together,

there's an extreme amount of alarm around the team. I can't say if it's going to be another significant trade, if it's going to be changing the coach or perhaps even the general manager. I mean, all indications seem to be that Chris Drury, the GM there, has the ear of Jim Dolan, the owner of that team. But anyone who's called Dolan, whether with the Knicks or maybe even this last stretch with the Rangers, will tell you that no one is too comfortable when things aren't going well.

And to say it hasn't been going well for the Rangers is an understatement. This has just been an absolute disaster of the last month or so for that team. It's hard to find any... You're looking for positives when you're in this situation, but you only get 12 shots in the game. Now it's been a few games in a row where they've taken some really difficult losses here probably the best news is they get a couple days to

let things decompress a bit but no one is out of the woods there I can see it being a pretty active January once we get on the other side of the holiday roster freeze CJ what do you make of the off-ice drama out in the West Coast in Vancouver with the alleged rift between Elias Pedersen and J.T. Miller?

We had Bruce Boudreau on Overdrive last week talking about how when he was coached there, he was understanding that there was something between those guys that predated his arrival in Vancouver. What do you make of that whole controversy or what the players seem to be saying is a lack thereof? Yeah, the players themselves said that, but of course we heard Quinn Hughes, the captain of the team, and Rick Tocca, the head coach, kind of acknowledge sort of publicly, like, yeah, this is the thing that's going on.

I think Quinn Hughes' words were, you know, let's not beat around the bush here. You know, we all know what's being discussed. And, you know, these are two players that are struggling. I mean, it is noteworthy because it's not just what they are. I mean, they're two of the best players on the team, two of the best paid players on the team, two guys on long-term contracts,

two guys that have been part of the Canucks when they had some success. You know, a lot of things went well in Vancouver last year, but it hasn't been the case so far this year. And for them individually, I mean, it's hard not to look at the stat sheet and what you're seeing on the ice here of late, and neither guy is performing in a way you'd expect. And so, you know, you get the feeling that at some point it may come to a head.

I don't know if we're at that point yet today, but it's pretty notable, I'd say, Dave, when you have players on the team openly talking about this. I mean, it almost feels like something that they've taken a lot of time in the past, you know, to try to work around, maybe not have it be much of a public discussion. Obviously, everyone just sort of managed it, and, you know, it feels like it's getting to a point now where, you know, I'm aware that both Pedersen and Miller in recent days here have

basically said the story's nonsense, but, you know, it's hard to buy into that. And so, you know, it's certainly a pretty big thing for the Canucks to sort of navigate and decide what do you do? I mean, can these guys coexist is essentially, I think, what management has to reckon with between now and March. Is this something that, yes, in the past, they have been able to sort of get through it and be as professional as they can be at the rink and make things work? Or do you have to consider trading one of your best players, which obviously when you're a team in the Canucks position,

I mean, no team wants to be in that position, but especially a team that has some high ambitions. I mean, it's just hard to win those types of trades and come out and not regret them. So, you know, it's clearly, I think it's bubbling a lot to the surface here, and, you know, they're going to try to get through it as best they can. CJ, the Canadians and Patrick Lainey are playing Columbus, and Patrick Lainey made some unflattering comments, just kind of about maybe the culture of Columbus. So when these things are said, how much is that internalized by the team,

in this case Columbus? Oh, I'm sure that's right on the bulletin board. I mean, look, what he said isn't wrong. I mean, look where the Blue Jackets have been. I mean, it feels like they haven't even got into the first step of their rebuild in these last few years. They've been right at the bottom of the standings. Obviously, they've turned through several head coaches.

They're now on the second management group. I mean, you know, what he said isn't necessarily untrue, but, you know, you just don't typically hear players say that. And I kind of wondered if Patrick had looked at the standings because, you know, last I checked, Columbus was actually a little bit ahead of where the Canadians are this year. And I know Linus only just rejoined the lineup here in the last few weeks. But, you know, it's kind of a be careful what you wish for kind of situation. But, you know, I'm sure for some of his forward teammates, I mean, they probably know the truth.

But in the sense that, you know, it's got to be frustrating when you're a more veteran player on a team like that that's just, you know right at the bottom every year that that isn't ever you know I mean since they've last been in the playoffs is the last time they were kind of in a playoff run of any of any note in terms of having even a chance to chase down a spot and so you know it's certainly been a tough few years in Columbus there and uh I guess we'll never fault the guy for his truth but he might have been a little too honest in that case, and I'm sure got some attention down there in Columbus. With Chris Johnston, CJ, the Senators,

maybe one of the hottest teams in the NHL over the last calendar month, thanks to Lena Salmark, who's been playing at his old Vesna level self, but left the game with an injury yesterday. What's the level of concern out in ottawa about this well i think there's a fair level of concern because if you look even at the start of the year when things didn't go so well i think some of that was timed with you know him taking a little bit of time to to play up to his ability i mean all mark is a pretty important player for this team was was their most significant acquisition in the offseason and obviously an area of need

you know the the senators haven't had good enough goaltending to, you know, to be in a playoff run of their own in the last couple of seasons. So, you know, he was really in the middle of so much of what went right the last two, two and a half weeks when they strung all those wins together. And now I think there is a concern. I mean, it seemed like he had some kind of backstring, you know, where he was forced to leave the game in Edmonton. And so, you know, like any player, I think there is a concern. I mean, it seemed like he had some kind of backstring, you know, where he was forced to leave the game in Edmonton. And so, you know, like any player, I guess,

if we're talking about the Matthews situation or what have you, you're probably happy to have a few days to rest the body here over the holidays. But, you know, to what degree he's able to perform on the other side of the break. And obviously, they need him to play a lot of games because Anton Forsberg has also been out of the lineup, their backup goaltender. And so, you know, it's one of those stories. I mean, what a great job for them.

They're actually in the middle of a nine-game road trip. They're coming home for the holidays in the middle of that trip. But it's a difficult stretch of games, and they've managed to keep their heads above water. But, you know, it's hard to imagine this season producing what they want in the second half if Hallmark isn't healthy enough to play a good chunk of those games. CJ, back to the Leafs.

The other guy who wasn't in the lineup today outside of the captain, Chris Tanev, out with a lower body injury. We talked at the top of the season about the McCabe-Tanev pairing and how it was one of the best shutdown units in the league. Craig Brewe has gone away from it at times of late. And today it's McCabe and Oliver Ekman-Larsen, and they don't look like a particularly great shutdown pair, albeit against one of the best teams in the league in the Jets.

A, what do you make of Tanev being out? And B, what do you make of the Leafs' D-depth in general? Is it maybe not as deep as we have been led to believe at times this season? Well, it certainly doesn't look as deep without Tanev. I mean, I feel like he's the kind of player that makes everything kind of fit together better. You know, obviously he doesn't do a whole lot that gets attention. I mean, other than maybe the big shot blocks he's known for, which I think is actually what knocked him out of the game today

was a shot block late in the game the other night. But, you know, for him, I think he solves a lot of problems in the way that they can slot players, you know, in the lineup. And quite honestly, Dave, the more I've been thinking about this, I mean, even with the healthy Chris Tannat, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Leafs go shopping for another, probably depth defenseman, someone who potentially can play the right side for them.

Because at this stage, you just don't know what you're getting from Yanni Hockenpah. Perhaps there's still a world where he comes back and can play a bunch of games, but obviously he's only played the two NHL games so far this year, along with a couple in the American Hockey League. And so, you know, I still think he's a bit of a lottery ticket versus something you can count on. You know, Connor Timmons has been a nice story for the Leafs, but I'm not sure when you get in the playoffs if he's the guy you want

on the right side on your third pairing. And so, you know, I could certainly see a case where they're out getting maybe sort of the type of player they've got in years gone by, whether it's, you know, Labushkin or Luke Shen. I mean, they've sort of traded for guys that can fill a spot on the right side on the third pairing. And I think that that will probably make some sense again if, you know, if the market yields that sort of player. And so, you know, I still think that their depth is reasonably good. I mean, you look at teams around the league, you know, it's rarely perfect.

You're going to lose players to injuries. And actually for that reason, I think there's, you know, unless something changes dramatically and Hockenpah's suddenly playing every night and there's no concerns there, which is hard to imagine happening, you know, I wouldn't surprise me to see them in the market for a decent where before now on March 7th. CJ, Jeff Skinner was a significant addition for the Oilers after being bought out by Buffalo. And he's on a fairly very reasonable one-year contract.

It doesn't seem like there's a fit yet. So do you have a sense that maybe there could be some movement here one way or the other? He gets to play more. Maybe he has to go somewhere else because he's on the one--year contract and this guy can score and he hasn't found his rhythm yet with the Oilers yeah I don't think you can rule it out I mean certainly Edmonton's in a better cap position this year than they have been some of the previous years when they had to do some elite level calculus just to add players that they did right at the deadline um you know it does seem like they're in a slightly more favorable cap position now,

but they still don't have a lot of room. I think Edmonton's going to be one of those teams, same as Toronto and a few others, that believes it has a chance, and I believe with good reason, to go on a long playoff run. I think they'll be looking for certainly another defenseman, but it wouldn't surprise me to see them also chopping for a forward. Some of the way you might have to make that all fit together would be moving out some money. And so, you know, I don't know if they're necessarily

at that position today with Skinner, but I could see them getting there. And, you know, it was very little commitment on either end. You're signing a one-year deal. You're obviously offering an opportunity. You know, he's been scoring a ton of goals during his time in the NHL, and you're hoping he's going to fit with some of the top players, and really it hasn't been there.

I mean, you've had, you know, some games, Kasper Kapanen, who was picked up on waivers from St. Louis, you know, playing a butthole in a lineup and getting some of those minutes that maybe you might have thought at the start of the year would be earmarked for Jeff Skinner. So, yeah, I think it's a nice way of saying, you know, he's got to start producing.

He's got to find, carve out a role there. Or, you know, I certainly could see that being a possibility just because, you know, you've got to commit your cap dollars in a smart way when your team's trying to win the Cup and the Oilers are going to be doing everything they can to put the best roster on the ice, you know, once they get through the trade deadline. CJ, do you think Doug Armstrong and Don Sweeney are regretting

leaving Zach Hyman off their Four Nations team? I mean, this guy's just been one of the more elite goal scorers since being snubbed back on December 3rd and riding a six-game goal streak. I don't know if regret would be the word, but I mean, certainly, you know, when they made those choices, I think it's interesting Canada didn't go around telling players, next man up your next man up that they wanted to kind of have the competition remain open just knowing that the likelihood there'll be some injuries and so you know zach hyman's done exactly what you want to do if you

want to play at that tournament you didn't get the call initially you know by by putting himself among the goal leaders by you know frankly when i look at the start of the season, I mean, at one point he barely scored, but he was producing shots at a similar rate. You know, it looked like one of those sort of bad luck kind of situations that was going to even out a little bit. But, you know, he also dealt with an injury there, and he's been playing with that broken nose here the last couple games. But, you know, I think that for Hyman, he's in a great spot now to get the call.

It's just a matter of who's going to be healthy and who's not come February 12th. So, you know, you're not wishing injury on another player. But, you know, I think the fact remains, John Cooper was predicting there would be 10 injury replacements for that tournament by the time we get there. And if that's the case, one of them will probably be Canadian. And, you know, Hyman's put himself in a spot now to be, you know, easy call there as a replacement

if they need another winger. CJ, appreciate it as always, pal. If I don't speak to you between now and the holidays, happy holidays and thanks for joining us as always. Merry Christmas to you guys and I still got about 12 hours here to rush some shopping to get done. I'm with you, man.

I am the last minute shopper and I'm starting to feel the pressure. I'm not in a good spot this year. Not in a good spot. But you got a couple hours. I got to head right after this going to STC. I've got a couple of things I've got to pick up to. I'm right there with you, buddy.

Okay. Be well, guys. All right. Chris Johnston joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Check out Maple Toyota's huge truck and SUV lineup, including Tundra, 4Runner, Highlander, and Grand Highlander, in stock and ready to deliver. Visit mapletoyota.com. Freddie, I've got to tell you, I'm not sure if you caught that reference,

but Al's brother just referred to a place, STC. I'm from STC, and I've never heard anybody call it STC. I was referring to the Scarborough Town Center. Okay. You thought I was going to say Catherine's? No, Scarborough Town Center down the road there. What is it? Okay.

Is that a destination for shopping? It's the mall. Scarborough Town Center. I've been living in Toronto my whole life. You've never heard it called that? Am I wrong here? Who's calling it STC? Jump on here, Doogie.

You're from the city? Many, many people call it STC. Okay, my bad. Especially the signs on the outside. If you drive by on the 401, it says STC. Okay, I thought you were making a Niagara reference there. No, no. Scarborough Town Center.

Going to jet over, see if I can get some last-minute things. What's on the list? Terrible. What's on the list? I can't say. People might be listening. Like what types of things? I got to get something for my brother, and I got to get something uh for my dad as well so okay i i gotta figure it out i gotta go look

around and say oh that's what i need is that what you really want to be doing and that's not what i want to be doing but it's been a busy week and it's i've neglected it that's hard because i'm playing catch up i gotta say i was at the wham West Empton Mall, and right now I'm on a popcorn kick. I can't walk by the popcorn shop without buying popcorn. I put salt and vinegar and dill pickle. It's called the Funky Cowboy. I can't help myself. I walk by, I have to stop.

I've got the, you know, your fingers get the stink on them, and they have that little taint of the color. It's a bad habit, man. I can't get past it. Yeah, that's... I mean, Al's brother, have you heard of the internet? Have you heard of Amazon? Yeah, I have. But now it's too late, though.

Like, anything I get, it's going to be too late now. It won't come in in time. So I got to actually go to the store and get it. You're in a spot. That's the problem, yeah. I've neglected it. It's my fault. Okay.

My bad. My bad. You're a busy man. I'm a busy man. You know who's not? You know who I guarantee you is ready and locked and loaded to go? Keegan Matheson. Oh, yeah. Keegan Matheson, he is ready to go. He'll join us

next here on Overdrive. The weekend brings Hurry Up Tomorrow to Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles on January 25th for one night only. Get there with iHeartRadio. Two tickets to the show. Flight and hotel from tripcentral.ca.

Plus $500 cash. For your chance to win, enter every day at iHeartRadio.ca. You guys are beautiful. An iHeartRadio experience. The weekend in LA. Powered by tripcentral.ca. The smarter way to book travel. Overdrive continues on TSN 10 50 up on TSN to Mike DiStefano,

Jason Strug with Dave Fest, Chuck, and we joined by Keegan Matheson, MLB blue Jays.com or MLB.com blue Jays writer in a, in a moment. But I don't know if you guys saw this report over the weekend. I guess Vladdy was talking on a morning radio show in the Dominican called Arbriendo Sports, and they were talking about his contract extension and how things are going there with the Blue

Jays, and he said, quotes, what they offer me is not even close to what I'm looking for. That doesn't sound like the Blue Jays are awfully close to having anything signed by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Apparently, and there was a piece in the Star today, Dave, I think Mike Wilner wrote it, saying that, I guess, Vladdy's camp is setting a deadline, reportedly, of the start of training camp to get something done here.

Well, it's a contract year, right? Unless you want him to walk or go into the walk year you got to get something done and look the the ante's been upped by the Juan Soto deal and and all that's kind of the ripple effect that that has caused around the industry and yeah it doesn't exactly look like it's going to be an easy signing for the Blue Jays between now and opening day yeah I think that when you're a player on the team that was begging Otani and Soto to come to your team, I think you're like, well, you had a lot of money for them. Now you're going to shortchange me?

It's similar, I think, to what happened with the Leafs when they signed Tavares. All of a sudden now Marner and Matthews look around saying, hold on, this guy's getting this much money. We have more points than them. How can we take less? I think they put themselves in a tough spot.

Exactly. It is a really tough spot they put themselves in, which is why something to chew on, and for us, the conversation we put out there on Twitter, what should Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s next contract look like? $200 to $350 million, $350 to $500 million, or $500 plus million.

A year ago, that would seem insane. But after what Juan Soto signed for, and know that it's going to cost the Blue Jays a big chunk of change to get this guy under contract. And apparently, they haven't offered him anything even close to what he's looking for, according to the radio interview he did over the weekend. To join us to talk about that and what else is going on in Blue Jay land is my man Keegan Matheson, MLB.com Blue Jays reporter.

How are you, bud? I'm doing well, fellas. How's everything out there? We're doing well, doing well. We're covering it from all angles today. We've got Strutty out west. We've got Dave and I here in central. And I hear you're out on the east coast right now. Dominance, coast to coast right now.

Which is why there's serenity and calm in my voice. You know, I've been three whole days away from Toronto. I feel lighter. Yeah, well, we all do. We all do. Vladdy, interesting though. I'm sure you've seen the reports obviously yesterday speaking on the radio show saying that the contract discussion's not going very well

what do you make of what's going on in this situation not good and not headed in a good direction i don't think obviously this has changed a ton in the last few weeks post Juan Soto and sure Vladdy and Soto are very different players but they are peers when you look at age in terms of being a star and once teams get comfortable speaking in the five six seven hundred million dollar range you don't put that back that doesn't go. And Vladdy was behind Juan Soto, the biggest winner from those winter meetings, I believe. The more that this begins to play out publicly, the worse it will be for the Blue Jays. Now, for Vladdy, he is in full control of this, I think. And Vladdy is really smart. Players like him who grow up with dads in the game,

yeah, it helps them baseball-wise, but it really helps them understand this as a business. And Vlad Sr. was through a couple of these instances himself, not at this high of stakes, but he's been around this. He's around people who know how this works. And he really holds the power here because not only is common sense and logic quite frankly on vladdy's side and all of this but just about 100 of public perception is on his side right now it looks like such an easy thing to do and the word easy here is tricky for the blue jays to salvage this offseason, to salvage the frustration they've put fans through by re-signing Vladdy and extending him.

But they've got to get to a number. And at this point, that appears to be a number that is moving. The Blue Jays front office, in my experience, and I think people watching this front office for almost 10 years, is a group that meets and evaluates and sets a number that they believe a player is worth. And I don't know how well that meshes with a moving number. Well, that's the problem here now. Allegedly, reportedly, I should say, in the interview, he also mentioned, Vladdy did, the prospect of a deadline to to sign him or else he'll just be going to free agency.

And the deadline apparently is the start of spring training. What do you make of that? I think that's smart from Vladdy's side. And some players are different. Some players like to hear every offer. Some players like to fully trust an agent, for example. But for Vladdy, number one, you get a nice deadline. And this is all we're going to talk about for the next, what, six, seven weeks

until I land in Dunedin, Florida on, I think, February 12th. Probably 90% of the stories I write, most of these radio conversations we have are going to be about this because it's the biggest story. And I don't think anything else is close like take jose bautista and his contract spring 10 years ago and multiply that by a hundred this is going to be big but also from that standpoint you're putting pressure on the blue jays but i think it makes sense for vladdy as well because once the season starts you want to focus on baseball and if you go over four you don't want some idiot like me

asking you how that impacts next year's free agency after every single game. You try to get away from that from being a constant week-to-week conversation. And that's another example, guys, of Vladdy taking control of this. If there's one change I've noticed, guys, and I think it's relevant to this, in Vladdy, the last year, two years, I think he has really grown up. I'm around him all the time. I've been around him since he was a teenager. He was not immature before by any means, but you can always grow up a bit. And he has really jumped in that regard. He knows himself, he knows his worth, and he is smart when it comes to this. So as he slowly begins to take control of this narrative,

I don't think it's going to be by accident. And if he does end up reporting and there's no deal that is made, I mean, would the Jays be comfortable playing out the year, or do you think there's going to be some serious discussions about whether or not the team moves on from Vladi and tries to recoup as many assets as they possibly could. Reminds me almost of the Bobachet conversation, too, with guys coming up on the final year to a much lesser extent, Chris Bassett as well.

If you move one of them, what's the point of this season? They have painted themselves into the corner of a corner of a corner of a room at this point. And this year needs to mean something. Even if you were to move, Ladi, yeah, you would get a tremendous piece back even for one year.

But who would that piece, who would that 22 year old hotshot prospect be playing with in two years? That's the conversation we keep having about free agencies. What does the team look like in a year? Because the Blue Jays, if they choose, and if they do not extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr., they can take an off-ramp a year from now that looks really ugly, and they can spend year after year after year searching for a guy

who is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He is who you look for and lose sleep over, and he's right there. He's in their clubhouse saying, I want to stay here. It's a dangerous thing to flirt with losing that. And if you were to move Vladdy, you're trying to trade him for a guy who you hope is almost Vladdy. It doesn't line up for me. So, Keegan, let's just pretend that he does go to free agency.

Would the bids, the process of finding the team, would it be similar to what we saw from Juan Soto this offseason? I think you'd see a similar structure. I don't think you're going to see anything go that high, of course, but I think now, and even to frame those guys, going into the offseason, I won't pretend to be smart. I did not see 765. My God.

I would have thought 550 to 600. If it starts with a six, what a win. But that was a dream for Soto and Scott Boris because you had a couple of eager teams like the Jays and Red Sox. And then you had New York versus New York, all that ego at play. That is, for an Asian Christmas morning. You'll love it. But Vladdy will have a similar number of suitors and teams that have missed out. Look at the Yankees, look at the Red Sox. Wouldn't they both love to poach him? We'll be involved in that. Now, I'll also caution too, that this could play out like Aaron

Judge. When he went to free agency, took a look around, got some interests like the Giants, but then went home to New York. That can still happen. But it's an awfully attractive thing, guys. And I always say this is why I always err on the side of a guy probably not being extended, because it's pretty fun in his place to have 10, 12, 14 big wealthy teams bidding on you. And as we've seen in those high-end bidding wars lately, the Blue Jays certainly get involved, but it takes that almost emotional or last-second surge at the end to say, screw it, we want this guy, we're going to get him. The Dodgers did it, Steve Cohen and the Mets did it with Juan Soto.

Is that the Blue Jays' way of business? It hasn't been. With Keegan Matheson, Jays reporter for MLB.com. Well, Keegan, we're through the winter meetings, and I guess Jimenez is a nice piece that they brought in, but I think in order to be a competitive team next year, they're going to have to make another move at some point. So what are some other external options still available for the Blue Jays this year?

Yeah, they've got a lot to do, guys. They have added a second baseman and gotten better defensively, which were about number 19 and 20 on the to-do list. This is not what I expected the offseason to start like. But at the same time, I think it's important for even myself to remember that if this fits into a bigger picture, then you could like it by the end of all this. They just need to add offense around him.

You need to add offense around Andres Jimenez. Now, if he's the second baseman this year, very likely is the shortstop of the future 26 and beyond if or when Bobachet signs elsewhere. There's some sense to that. He's a brilliant defender. He is the infield Dalton Varshow, who you'll probably want to hit a bit more, but will probably win a gold glove. Looking at the market to add offense, you still have options like Anthony Santander,

who I think fits the Blue Jays a bit better than Teoscar Hernandez. Even though everyone loves Teo, the nostalgia is very much there. The first base market, guys, even though you have Vladdy there, the first base DH market could come to the Blue Jays. Players like Pete Alonzo are still out there available. You look at the pitching market, they do need to add pitching. They do need to add to the bullpen. But I think

number one, guys, most important, they've got to add offense. This team cannot be trying to win games 2-1. And we've seen how that looks, and we've seen it not work in recent years. You need power. You need offense. You need a guy who can cover up a few mistakes with one swing of the bat and

make you win five to three, even if you didn't play a great game. They have not had enough of that lately. But Keegan, you know, when you look at the AL East today, and we're a long way from, you way from these lineups being finalized, but what do you make of it? The Blue Jays obviously finished last season. The Yankees, you can make the case, as much as they lost Soto, they improved other aspects, got a great starter, got a great reliever,

have improved other aspects of their club. You see the Red Sox signing Walker Buehler. What do you make of the competition here? Are these teams getting better? Are they getting worse? How do you see it? A lot better, I think. That Walker Buehler deal for the Red Sox, I liked a lot.

Something like that would have made a ton of sense for Toronto, I think. Now, the Yankees, with all of their additions, they're still trying to get up to last year's watermark of losing Juan Soto. So I think they've still got a bit to do, but they're still a very good team. The Rays are always going to find a way to be annoying and at least make some noise. The Orioles are young and starting to spend a bit. That's scary. But guys, what I think really changes the entire composition of this division is Boston right now.

They seem motivated in ways that they have not been in the last five, six years. They have Raphael Devers. They have an incredible farm system at the top. That's what's important. They can have some guys graduating who can be their version of a Vladdy or Bo and really help that team. It's a big weakness for the blue Jays,

but if the Red Sox are motivated and they are tapping into that Red Sox pride again and still trying to be at the top of this division, that's scary. That's scary if you're Toronto in a division with four teams that can beat you. And you do not have the little brother of the, you know, let's say the 2017 and 18 Baltimore Orioles, who you can beat 90% of the time and get some free wins along the way. You don't have that. And it drifts the Blue Jays away from any conversation in the division, which is where they need to be.

We've seen how the wild card has worked out in 2020, 22, and 23. 0-2 sweeps. This team needs to be aiming higher than the wild card. They need to be competing for a division, trying to get into that division round at the very least. Right now, there's a lot of movement in the AL East. A lot of it are moves that I like, but a lot of those have been with the other four clubs.

They're all moving. Keegan, appreciate the insight as always, buddy. We'll chat again real soon, and Merry Christmas, pal. You got it, fellas. Happy holidays. There he goes. Keegan Matheson, Blue Jays reporter of MLB.com. It's really a conundrum that the Blue Jays find themselves in here when it comes to what to do with this roster, with this team,

and with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Again, something to chew on. What would Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s next contract look like? You can answer this on Twitter. $200 million to $350 million, $350 million to $500 million, or do you see this contract exceeding $500 million? I don't see the Blue Jays being willing willing to go that far but i think for sure we're looking at a contract north of 350 at the very least well if they're far apart i mean 350

seems about the starting point nowadays right for the jays not vladdy yeah for sure yeah that's the starting point 10 years or what are we looking at here for that's the thing with with contracts when it comes to baseball we always talk about just the final number but rarely ever do they throw out the term like if he wants 400 million and the jays want to give him 350 okay then sign for whatever 11 12 years and you still get your 400 million i guess there's a way you can kind of get around it you can just push money back a little bit if you really wanted to do that. Yeah, the deferred money thing has become a thing in Major League Baseball, even in the NHL at times. But, look, it sounds like they're pretty far apart.

I mean, if Vladdy's saying that publicly and starting to put the screws to Shapiro and Atkins publicly, you know that there's a lot of ground to make up here. But the question I keep having, Strutty, is if the Blue Jays wanted to sign him, why didn't they sign him by now? Why didn't they? They've clearly had reservations about signing this guy year after year after year. And it starts to make you wonder, like, maybe if they've had cold feet until now,

that should tell you something. Then trade him. Like, that's my thing. Like, we talk about we did some airing of grievances today. That's one of the things that I want to air out right now really quickly. Pick a direction when it comes to the Blue Jays, when it comes to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Because I honestly believe that it's holding this team back

from moving forward or backward. It's just staying the same, and that's never a good thing in sports. You sign Vladdyade and maybe that brings some other pieces in. We already heard Corbin Burns reportedly said he wasn't really interested in coming to Toronto because he wasn't sure if Vlade was going to be around in the future and he doesn't want to be around if this team

goes to absolute basement of the AL East. He doesn't want to be around for that. But if Vlade signs and he signs a 10-year, 12-year extension, then that's a different discussion. The Blue Jays would be willing to put money on the table to bring a winning product into this city.

And I think that the Jays need to figure it out in the next couple of months here prior to spring training. Are we giving this guy the money he wants or are we not willing to go there because we're not sure if he's worth it? Figure it out. There has to be a resolution, in my opinion, by the start of spring training. I agree with you.

I think the other side, too, is Vladdy's signing here. Let's say he gets the money. Is he going to sign here no matter what the quality of the team is? Because if I'm him, I want to make sure I'm around a team that's competitive or being on a team that's competitive. And, yeah, he's a big part of that. But he's been on the team that haven't been successful. So, you know, you also have to, I think the Blue Jays have to sell him on,

this is what the future looks like if they do get some money because he'll get the money wherever he is, Fast Chuck. Yeah, we'll see what ends up happening. A couple more months of negotiations. They're not close, not even close, according to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Can they tighten the gap? Can they figure it out? I hope so, but I just want them to make some sort of declaration

on what they're going to do and move this team forward, whether it's to being competitive or if they're going to retool and try and start with a new core. Just figure it out because what they got going right now, hoping banking for internal improvements, it's not working. They got to figure out something. Coming up on the other side, still got my Overdrive best bets. That's next here on Overdrive.

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Well, boys, good show. Stud performance from you, Strud. I'm glad to finally have been able to work with you, pal. Yeah, and I'm glad to know your name. I had no idea, and now I know the truth. Yes, you do. The truth. Mike DiStefano is the name, but it's always going to be Al's brother.

It's always A.B. Al's brother on this show. That's just the way it's going to be. Hey, man. It's a great marketing tool. It's always ab al's brother on this show that's just the way it's going to be hey man it's a it's a great marketing tool it's a great alias you're lucky to have it and you should cherish it my man yeah it's not bad it's all right it's all right it's not bad dave you and i we'll be back tomorrow at 4 p.m we'll chat then tsm plus is taking game day to a whole new level with nfl red. Absolutely incredible. Subscribe now for every touchdown from every game every Sunday afternoon.

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