OverDrive - OverDrive - January 6, 2026 - Hour 1 - Keegan Matheson

Episode Date: January 6, 2026

Join Bryan Hayes and Jason Strudwick for Hour 1 on OverDrive! The guys discuss Brad Treliving's comments on his choice between the Panthers and Maple Leafs in free agency, the fans running Mitch Marner out of town and his baiting of the team in Toronto. MLB.com Blue Jays Reporter Keegan Matheson on Kazuma Okamoto's signing with the Blue Jays, his role on the roster and the team's offseason signings and Confirm or Deny going around the sports world.

This hour of overdrive is powered by Fandool. Fan Duel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. All right, here we go, Overdrive, off and running. TSN 1050 on the TSN app, your home smart speaker, up on TSN4. Brian Hayes, Jason Strudwick. I love this strutty. We don't need a third guy. We don't want a third guy.

Me and you for two hours, how we feel this afternoon? Oh, buddy, like my good friend Tiffany said, I think we're alone now. This is what I've wanted. I've wanted just some quiet time. with you and all the listeners, we can get a little more intimate, really toss some ideas around without those other guys interfering with our chats. I love it. I think we're alone now. What a great track, man. That is a great song. That is what you're playing coming out of the gate the next segment. So good. Great pull. Nudles would slow dance to that one. He's the kind of,

that's the kind of guy. It's slow dance to a fast song, right? Like, I agree. That's his move. I've done it before too. I'm not proud of it, but not that particular song. It is a great track. I could see Nudles doing that summer wedding black on black on gray right black on black on gray summer wedding 30 degrees outside in a tent somewhere and he'd be feeling it i've seen him do it before yeah right sneaky talent that guy sneaky sneaky sneaky talent but it's great to see you buddy and um you know we got a lot of games in the nchel today we had the obviously signing down at the rogers center today or the official unveiling of okamoto he's here and scott boris and our boy kegan was in the house for that. Keegan will join us later in the hour.

But we got Leaves Panthers tonight. And Brad Marchand is at it again. I'm sure you're aware of this. But he cannot wait to get into town. You know, he circles this on his calendar. Like normal people would, a vacation. You know, you're going to Disney. I've got to circle that I can't wait. You're going to Vegas. Circle that can't wait. For Brad, it's when do I come to Toronto so I can absolutely troll everyone in

attendants and he did that today. Why don't we play a couple of these clips? And I want to get your response first because I have a bit of a different view on this than I think maybe other people do. Let's begin with what he had to say about what could have

happened if he actually got to free agency on July 1st. Was there ever any interest from beliefs last summer when you were a free agent to bring you on board to help their team out? Uh, yeah. Um, you know, Toronto was a, it was, it was between Florida and Toronto of, uh, where I was, I was going to go. Um, you know, and, and, uh, I mean, ultimately, if I, I, I never thought that it was going to be possible to re-signed in Florida. I really didn't. All right. So he never actually got to free agency strud, but it turns out it was between two teams. And of course,

other one was the Maple Leafs, which again is his favorite place, and he loves coming up here and he loves chatting with the media, and he loves just being a good guy, Brad. What do you make of that revelation from Brad Marshall? I mean, he's just messing with him. He's just messing with you. Like, I don't think he ever had any attention of leaving Florida. Why would you? He's been to Boston for a long time, goes down there, and he wins a championship.

He sees what it's like to live there. The team is still good and will be good for, I think, you know, a little bit longer. to go back to Toronto would be, it would have been a good challenge for him. But I just think he's just trolling everyone. He's messing with everybody, all the least fans. We almost had him. We almost had him. Exactly.

And he's got, what does he got? 21 goals or 22 goals? He's playing great. That's the thing. Really well, man. He's playing, like, he played himself onto the Olympic team, right? Absolutely. At the Four Nations, he was one of the original six picks.

And I'm not sure he would have been at the Four Nations if it weren't for that. He had a really injury-riddled season last year. He struggled. The Bruins were a disaster. And once he got traded, he got healthy. He got down to Florida. He's completely revitalized his career. Not that it, like, fell off a cliff,

but there was a dip early last season. And the way he played in the playoffs in particular was, like I get why Bennett won the cons, Mike, and he had bigger goals and bigger moments, and he played higher up the lineup. They beat the Leafs because of that third line. That's why it wasn't Sam Bennett.

Now, Bennett knocked out Stollars, and maybe that factored into. some of the issues for the Leaves, possibly. Most notably, game 3. When they're up 2-0 and 3-1 in that game, if Stolars is in, maybe they win that game 3, too. Maybe it doesn't go to overtime. But who scored the O.T. winner in game 3?

Brad Marchand. Marshan did it. That third line, and the way he played against the Leaves in the playoffs, he was phenomenal. He was incredible, and he obviously continued it throughout the rest of the Stanley Cup run. But he's earned his way back on to the Olympics and possibly playing a prominent role,

which means the contract, which is still a ludicrous deal that he got, six years at big money that is not going to age well. It's just not going to. At some point, the wheels are going to fall off for this guy. But they don't have to worry about it right now, and they're lucky they kept them with Barkov out, could chuck out all these injuries. If it weren't for him, they wouldn't be in the position they're currently in.

But I think what he's somewhat admitted, and I do think this is actually trolling, and this is a really good job. because the importance of trolling is you've got to sell it like there's the potential for legitimacy, right? Like the best trolls, and this is why he's so great, he will say things where you think to yourself, I think he might be serious, right?

It's like the Costanza line. It's not a lie if you truly believe it. It's not a troll job if they know you're trolling. So this one actually opens up the door to the ability for leave fans to say, maybe he's right. Maybe he was actually going to come here. In reality, who knows what the Leafs were going to offer?

Who knows what he was really thinking, where he wanted to go? Guys lived in the States forever. He's got a wife, kids, all that. They're going to move to Toronto. I don't know. But ultimately, I think what may have come out of this strud, too, and we've known collusion has been around forever. We've known tampering's been around forever.

He knew the Leafs were going to offer something. It was well reported. Like, the Leafs obviously would have loved to have had him. But there's a chance he used the Leafs to make sure he got the deal in Florida. You know, there's a chance that he knew the Leafs were going to put $30 million total on the table, which is, by all accounts, what he was

looking for. And Florida said, we can't have this guy leave town. We can't have this guy leave and stay in the division. So he may have played poker using the Leafs to make sure he got what he wanted in Florida, which again, adds insult to injury. Because now the Leafs are involved in the negotiation

without anything to show for. And they've got to keep playing against this guy against their arch nemesis, who's already, won a cup there. They've won two cups. They've been a three straight cup finals. And they're not off to a great start this year and they're still ahead of the Leafs. So it just continues to pile on when it comes to Brad and the Panthers and Leave fans. Well, it sure does. And I think that, you know, the Toronto area or city has been used before in other

sports, right? Is it Soto and Otani have also, I think, used that market as kind of like to keep driving it up to give another opportunity. But with Marchant, your point is well made. That third line last year, Florida, was really a second line, right? But they were put it as a third line. They were so good, so efficient. So, I mean, it would have been great to have it if you're a least fan. And, yeah, you know, that his contract will be similar to what happens with TANF's contract.

Like, it's not going to go well towards the end. But you're like, we need this guy now. We're going to keep them. We're going to figure this out. And then down the road, we'll figure out the mess and what happens. Maybe it's an LTIR situation. And it may not just be him, right? Like Bennett might have issues by the end of his deal.

Vlad could have issues by the end of his deal. 100%. You know, a lot of these guys. Well, you abuse your body. Think about how much hockey, you know, let's just use Eckbad and Bennett, you know, or Barkoff or any of these guys. The last three years, how much hockey they've played for their team. And then now we're bringing in the extras, you know, with the Olympic team,

although no Barkoff, no Bennett this year. But it does add up, and there's a price to pay for that at some point in your career. Absolutely. And every year, there's more of a toll. every injury is just more and more difficult to get back from. So I think the Marchand comment on the free agency and the Leaf one, that's world class. Like that to me is just a brilliant line by him.

I love it. He saved that materially. He could have dropped it the first time he was in town. He chose not to. He went a different direction. He talked about how great the Leafs are and how they're not out of it and all that kind of stuff. Here's where I think he's getting sloppy. All right.

Let's play the next clip. where he brings Mitch Marner into the fold. Here's what he had to say about Marner and his exit from Toronto. I was serious about what I said with where they're at. As a group, the way that they're competing now, they compete the right way, which is what they kind of had to get over that hurdle. You know, it's unfortunate the fans ran Mariner out of town. That kind of, I mean, that's a huge impact for their group.

You know, he's a point of game player like that, that hurt. Okay. Now we're getting sloppier. Now, like I said, Costanza, it's not a lie if you truly believe it. It's not a troll job if we know you're trolling. Like that's such a gratuitous over-the-top comment where I think Lee fans are like, all right, good one, good shot. Yes, the fans ran Mitch out of town. It wasn't his play. It wasn't his decision. It wasn't the contractual scenario. Wasn't all the losing. You know, and Marchand talks about how they compete the right way strutty. It wasn't evident in game seven, wasn't evident in game five. Like that game seven performance the least put on, you saw it. I was in the building. It was one of the most inept performances I've ever seen in my life from any team in any situation. It was not competing the right way. But this is where Brad, I think his skis are just a little bit too far over the cliff,

pushing Marner, running Marner out of town. And I think fans now are going to say, wait a minute, because what the history in Toronto is, the fans, have always hated the media because there's a certain portion of the fan base that believes it's the media's fault for everything, right? Media is the reason the Leafs haven't won a cup in 60 years. Not the players, not the organization, not ownership, not management, not poor drafting, asset management, not cap manipulation, not COVID, not anything,

not the opponents being good, the media. Media is too tough, media's running everyone out. I think what's interesting here is he didn't say the media ran Martin out of town. The fans ran martyr out of town. And I think that's where Lee fans are going to say, wait a minute. I actually like this guy, Brad Marchand, who shouldn't be a guy that anyone likes in town because he has destroyed them for 15 years. He has owned them in every capacity for 15 years.

I think that's where the buck's going to stop. Lee fans are going to hear that and say, wait a minute, wait a minute. He's pulling our chain here. He actually is trolling, which is exactly what he's doing. Well, I think the other part to me is that it's very condescending. He's like the big brother. Hey, they finally learn how to compete. Like, they finally got it.

Like, if I was on the Leafs team, I'd be so pissed off. Like, I don't want to hear from you if we're competing hard enough or not. Like, you've been, as you just mentioned, he's had, you know, quite a bit of success against Maple Leaf organization. And if I'm a player on that team, I'd be so pissed off getting on that lineup tonight. I'd be looking for him in every turn. Now, he wants that. And that's what he's looking for.

And I get that. But doesn't mean you can't mean you can't give him. what he wants, right? Just go after him because it's so condescending. Like, we're over here trying, we're doing the right thing. You haven't been doing the right thing. So that's a shot at the core that's been there. That's right at Matthews.

That is right at Neelander. That is right at tomorrow. Like, those are the guys he's talking about. So I'd be really fired up if it was me in that dress room tonight after hearing those comments. That's a great point. And I had not looked at it through that lens. You know, I'm looking at it through the fan, media, guy from Toronto, you know, the fascination of Marchand and what he's done throughout his career.

That, I think, is what should be actually relevant here, because you're right. Like he's sitting there saying, I, Brad Marchand, actually finally, I might have come to Toronto because you guys actually proved to me. You know, I was, you're worthy of my, you know, presence and my free agency, you know, ultimately going through free agency and choosing you. Me giving you my rose. You've earned it because you've finally proved that you're actually, you know how to do it. Even though he's never been in that room, never worn a leave jersey, never been, not from Toronto. You know, to my knowledge, never lived in Toronto. Doesn't know the history of the team, the market, the fans, the media, nothing.

But that is a big part of it. And you're right. And even the part about Marner, it's, you know, it's that to an extent is like, well, He's just, he knows. He knows better. He knows what's going on. And I hadn't thought of it through that viewpoint that the Leafs, because I don't remember the last time anyone challenged him.

Now, he's not a fight. And Brad Marchant will fight. He's happy to draw you in. He can't wait to get you to do something stupid. And he'll trip you. He'll jab at you. He'll poke the back of your legs and take your feet out. He'll do everything.

And he is up for that game. And he's on the perfect team for it because there's a lot of guys who will be in for the fight. The whole team will be in for the fight. But it's a very good point, Strud, that the viewpoint of longstanding Maple Leafs, like Morgan Riley, another guy he didn't mention, who's been here longer than anyone, who was on the hot seat here in Toronto, unlike at any point in his career, because the way he's been playing, you'd think you get an opportunity to get that guy, take it personally.

But I don't know if they're wired that way. Like, I don't know if the Leafs are wired that way. And the Leafs, based on their history, they may look at him and say, yeah, they ran our buddy Mitch out of town. And he's right. you know, give us some credit, we are competing in the right way. I don't know if they look at him as an enemy necessarily. Maybe they love what he's saying because they think that he's actually pumping their tires

when he's really not, because I think your viewpoint is 100% accurate. Yeah, I sure wouldn't see it that way. And listen, a guy like Brad Marchant, you can't beat him at his own game. No. You cannot go out. You can't try to chirp with him or slash him or whatever like that. He wants that. The way you maybe not beat him, but you equal him is you compete as hard as you can against him.

Every single shift, you have to show up and compete against him. And that's it, because he wants you to get dragged into those chirping fest. He wants you to try to slash him after the whistle or, you know, remember when he licked Callahan's face? That's what he wants. But you compete between the whistles and you skate away. And it does allow that extra piece of him that makes him such a special player get involved in the game. And that has to be up and down the lineup. You have to, you know, Matthews or whomever, you know, Brandon Carlo, who's coming back tonight, I know he knows him well, but say, guys, we play him hard between the whistle, and if he tries to do something more, you skate away.

That's it. You don't, he's not going to fight. You don't think you can drop their gloves because he's just going to drag you, and you get the two extra. But that is how you beat a guy like Marchant. You can't beat him at his own game, but you can match his competitiveness, and that is what you need to do to, you know, handle a guy like that. Yeah, I think that's a great point. Like remember those battles back in the day, the Habs and the Bruins 10 years ago?

Remember P.K. got him coming across. That was one of the biggest hits ever when Suban got him and he had his head down. And they battled though. Like the Bruins were the better team. The Bruins, and this is a different era, a different team, different team, different scenario.

But that Bruins team was built a lot like this Panthers team. Like bigger, tougher. You got to answer for something. You go after any of our guys. Charra's waiting for you. Loo Cheech is waiting for you. Hortons waiting for you. Thornton's waiting for it.

Like, they were loaded with guys. and the halves would just say, between the whistles, we're going to go. And that's kind of how the Leafs are built, and that's precisely what needs to happen, because it's a massive game tonight. You know, the Leafs are sitting on 45 points. The Panthers are at 47 points. This is the beginning of the second half tonight.

They're both about to play the 42nd game. Like, it's crunch time. It's go time. We did the numbers yesterday and did the math yesterday. The Leafs have 16 games between now and the Olympic break. Florida tonight at Philly on Thursday Vancouver at home on Saturday

and then it's like at Colorado at Vegas at Edmonton Minnesota at home like they got some really tough games coming up two tough road trips through the southwestern parts of the states

out to western Canada playing Seattle it's go time for the leaves here strud and you got to take advantage of a game like tonight because you can't allow Florida, Montreal, Tampa to any of these teams within your division to take points off you and separate that much more than they already are well and it's just so tight and every night i mean you can move up or down a number of slots with a good or bad week it's it's incredible how i don't ever remember being this tight

before and i look every morning to standings the scores and see where everyone's at it's like jeez this guy these they've won two or three in a row but they barely moved up or look at buffalo who's you know rattled off so many wins and they just got themselves into contention you know and now they're out again. So you're right. You know, for this group, I think it's too big for them to think that we have to get, what did you say they have 12 games or 16 games before they're? 16 games, a lot of them.

So you can't think we've got to win ten of these. You've got to just win tonight. Like, just worry about tonight. They worry about the next two, Philly, you know, playing pretty well as well. But just one game at a time because it's just, and I found during the season it's just so much to think about it. We need to get 20 other next 32 points or 22. It's a lot to swallow it one bite.

Yeah, no, you're right. I mean, the Leaves are 4-0 and 2 in their last six games. They have 10 of a possible 12 points, and they're second last in the division, right? And that's only because Ottawa lost last night. So it's just one of those scenarios where it's very difficult, and the way they dug themselves a big hole in the first 30 games, every team in the East has a winning record. You know, every team in the division, Tampa keeps winning,

and Montreal finds a way to win, and Buffalo, like you said, They've won 10 in a row, and they've got Vancouver at home tonight. I think they're in a good position to win that game. It's just going to be more and more difficult every single night. But they do have time, right? Yeah, they do. 41 games. It's not like there's 10 games left, but they do have to, you know, look every two weeks,

we've got to make up a point. Whatever the math is, you know, there's probably a math that's out there or no, but you've got to keep pace and slowly creep up and knock teams down. That's where you start tonight. Those interdivision games are huge. Absolutely. Ken tweeting in with a great point. He said Marshan ran Marna out of town as much as anyone else

by beating the Leafs in the playoffs every year. It's right. If you had to see what would happen, right? If they had won that game. Yeah. You know, and then really, the whole playoffs would have been different. But not only that year, not only last year's strut. When he was in Boston, they lost in 18 and 19 in game seven

and in 2024 in game seven. Like they, he is, he is 5 and O in his life against the Leafs in game seven, And 2013, obviously, was the most notable where the leaves were up 4-1, 11 minutes to go. But the last four have been 18, 19, 24, and 25. And Marner was here for all that. And Matthews and Riley and Nylander and Tavaros was there for the majority of them as well.

I think all of them. So you're right. I mean, that's, they win any of those. They beat him in the Bruins or the Panthers. It's a completely different. landscape it's a completely different history and the fans have a very different viewpoint of the whole reputation of the core and they couldn't get it done because of him in large part well i wonder if those guys go back and watch and and it's hard to hard to watch losing now i

never i never had that situation i did win a junior you know a couple times or a cup but we just we just did the right thing every time and i'd have to make this about me but when you're a winning program usually you're mentally strong to do the right thing every shift And that takes you over the top. Like Pete DeBoers talked about that. Like, you know, I don't really do anything special in game sevens. I've done it already. All the work leading up to that, we know how to play.

And so I wonder if those guys ever go back and watch and say, okay, like, what were the small details that broke down in this game, even as far as the preparation or a game plan or my personal approach to the game or my personal approach to it two months leading to the playoffs? Because I think it gets to be so comfortable playing any style of game of those tight game sevens. And knowing though your game is tight, and you're going to beat the other team over time.

Absolutely. And I think that's what was so perplexing for Craig Barube, experiencing it live. Like, what happened here? You know, like, because there was video, the Amazon video, the cameras were there, and you could see it on his face. Like, what the hell are we doing here?

You know, they had a good season, played well against Ottawa. Game five was ugly, but game six, they went down, played really well, shut down Florida, won that game, and then game seven was like just a, it was crazy. Like, I still can't believe that.

game played out the way it played out. Not that they lost, but that they basically never showed up. All right, Leaves Panthers tonight. We'll continue to tee that up throughout the afternoon. Johnny is back from Minnesota. Congrats to the Swedes. Sweden with a big win last night. They captured the gold and Canada got up for that bronze game too. They end up winning a bronze medal. So Johnny will join us, confirm and deny later this afternoon as well. And Keegan Matheson coming up on what he saw, what he heard today, Kazuma Okamoto in town. Horace up there talking,

Ross Ackins with a couple interesting quotes about what else the Jays could do the rest of the off-season. We'll play a couple of those clips. We'll catch up with Keegan. We'll do that next. All right, Overdrive continues. Powered by Fanduel, bringing you more ways to play your game your way.

Really is a great song. Like, it really sets a tone. Struddy, just you and I. Just you and I. Just like I always want. This is the best Christmas gift I could have got. A little late, but I'll take it, man. I get two hours with you.

I'm with you, man. I'm with you. It's just, it's an intimate ride, a two-hour intimate ride. Struddy and Hazy B. Can't wait for it. We get a confirm with an eye coming up a little bit later in the hour. I've got a third wheel, though, on the line who wants to kind of disturb the whole thing we've got going on here. I guess we'll accept it. Here he is our boy from MLB.com. Big part of TSN, Keegan Matheson. How are you doing, Keegan?

Good, fellas. I should have brought drinks or something if I'm going to screw up the whole vibe you've got going on here. Snacks. Happy to be here, fellas. How are you doing? Great to see it, man. So I saw your tweet. Like, obviously there was the big presser today, and I'm loving the nicknames, big oak and big baby. Can you confirm those are the two options for Okamoto or what?

That's right. And I think his nickname in Japan when I read was the Young General, which is, it's got some edge to it too. But Big Baby and Big Oak. I guess Glenn Davis can lose that title. from the NBA days, but Big Oak, man, quite the press conference, probably more media there than there was for Vladis extension, because you had Japanese media there, which is massive. Like, I cannot overstate guys how much interest there is in Okamoto from Japan. There's no, like, there's no comparison for this.

Like, Steve Nash and Shaggill, just like, that's not a comparison. Top Canadian soccer player going over to play Premier League, that's not a comparison. Multiply that by a million. Man, it's fascinating. Really? So obviously he's been a pro over there for a long time, and he's represented the national team, and he's put up great numbers.

He's not a young guy. He's 29 years old. He's not Shohei. I mean, Shohei's at a different level completely. I have to believe Sasaki is now at a different level, I would think, but is he in the running for like two, three, four? I don't know how much you know of the Japanese baseball hierarchy,

but, you know, you mentioned the amount of media. Like, is this expected to be a consistent theme? And do you think this factored into what the Jays were hoping for is really tapping into a pretty big market over there? Yeah, guys, that matters. It really does. And with Okamoto, like, there's an aura about this guy. And playing for the Yomuri Giants in Japan,

the easy comparisons that that's like playing for the Yankees. Like a lot of history, a lot of respect around that team. And he was one of the faces of that team for a while. he had six consecutive 30 plus homer seasons like he's a big deal in japan okamoto is a big deal so the attention coming over is part of this deal okay and when you sign otani yeah that's another thing entirely but when you go out and grab the eyeballs that you get with okamoto all of the people watching are going to want a jersey they're going to come to a game they're going to buy a beer. They're going to feed into this machine. The Blue Jays are building right now. That's all part

of it. And it kind of comes together perfectly. Baseball and business here. But the Jays have wanted a slice of this Japanese market. And they've wanted to do it this way. They had Usa Kikuchi. They acquired him in MLB, you know, free agency. Right now, they are getting that slice they've been after and missed on before. But especially in Toronto, guys, this can be huge. So which player on the Blue Jays will be impacted, and how does he impact the Blue Jays with his style of play? When I look at lineup fit, guys, Ernie Clement probably gets bumped over to second base, but there could be some impact on Ernie, and Addison Barger, I think gets impacted a bit, because he'll lose some third base, probably have to play a lot more right field.

I don't think that's a bad thing, guys, in either case, because, Ernie Clements can mash lefties. We know he's a great defender, great base runner. Addison Barger crushes righties. So you can start to use some of these guys in some different platoons, put it together a little smarter. And that's a good thing. What I like about Okamoto is that he comes over, and he's kind of a plug-and-play hitter, guys. A lot of times when a Japanese pitcher or player comes over, we're talking about, man, like, will his power translate? Is he going to get crushed. Okamoto is, I hate the word safe, but as safe, relatively speaking, as you can get with these hitters coming over. And he fits the Jays really well. He does everything

the Blue Jays do. He's annoying to face as a pitcher. He's going to work counts. He's going to take walks. And then, right when you get comfortable, he's going to hit a home run. He can do both. I think he really fits this lineup very well. Like this is not just a good player, but a good match. And I think that's rare to find internationally. Well, in terms of the ripple effect on the rest of the roster or what else they could do throughout the rest of the off season,

I want to play this clip from Ross Atkins earlier today when he was posed that question. Like, what else could happen with a lot of big names out there, Tucker, Bichette, and others? Here's how Ross answered that. We'll always be open to making our organization and team better if there's a way to do that.

At this point, you know, we were answering the question, you know, back in early December and even in November, that we felt good about our team as we were set at that point. And that remains the question. There remains the case and we've made it better. So we do feel good about our team. The one thing that I would add is additions at this point, we'll start to cut away at playing time from players that we feel are very good major league pieces. So we have to factor that in. That last point, part, I think it's a really important point. And what you just kind of talked about with Clement and Barger and what could happen

there. But I think it poses a very important question that probably is not being brought up enough. Like how much change is too much change? I know everyone's going crazy now and it's EA sports and we're all in Dynasty mode and go get this guy and bring that guy in and just load up. At some point, we got to remember, like they were in game seven of the World Series. This is not a team that won 75 games.

last year. This was the best team in the American League, the top seed in the American League. They look great throughout the playoffs. Being too loyal, it can be just as detrimental as being too active, you know, vice versa. So where do you stand on this, Kagan, in terms of how you interpret that comment

and most importantly, how it could apply to the pursuit of Tucker and Or Bichet? Yeah, you need to look at the net outcome now. You know, if the Blue Jays had a center fielder who just plane sucked, you go sign whoever, and you come out in the positive. Right now, I think when you

look at Bichette and Tucker individually, with Bichette, how much of an upgrade is he giving you at second base? I consider him a second baseman now over Ernie Clement every day. And you need to be really honest with yourself. I know that Ernie Clement had a great postseason and everyone loves him, and damn it, you should love the guy. But you need to be honest with yourself about who he is over the course of a season. How much is Bichet an upgrade over that? Versus in the outfield. Who would Kyle Tucker be taking reps away from?

The short answer is that it doesn't matter because he's really good. But probably Nathan Lucas, to an extend, Anthony Santander, you've got to do the math on how big an upgrade that would be. So you're not upgrading from zero anymore. The money's really got to be worth it. But I think when you're talking about players like Bichette, like Tucker, they're worth it. we'll see where their markets come to. I think everyone's waiting for the market to come down

for one of these guys to do what Alex Bregman did a year ago where you take a shorter deal, have some opt-outs, make it easier for everyone. But at this point, I still think the Blue Jays make a ton of sense for both Bichette and Tucker. I think that Tucker makes a bit more sense, given the position, frankly, at this point. But when the money is right,

each of them fits this roster, makes the Blue Jays better. And, God, it's already been an amazing offer. season. One of the best off seasons in Blue Jay's history. But I do think the Blue Jays have room for more, and I think the motivation's there. Yeah, which is pretty incredible.

And, you know, like the turning over of arms, that is inevitable. It's going to happen. Like you presume Scherzer's done, Bassett's done, okay, you go get C's, you go get ponds, you know, you bring in Rogers, you knew there was going to be some turnover in the bullpen. I think there's still potential for more there.

But in terms of the everyday at bats, like there's only so many, you can get. You know, like arms, you can never have too many. That's you can. You know, and also there's, there is a budget here you would presume at some point, Rogers is going to say, all right, that's enough. So if they go out

and get one of these guys, Tucker Ann Orbyshed, regardless of the length of the deal, we're talking 2026 payroll, it's going to be a lot of money. Do you think they would be prepared? I would have to believe they are preparing for it. That if and when that happens, pretty quickly afterwards, you're going to see a trade.

Whether that's Santander, that goes, whether it is, maybe Ernie Clement, you know, selling him high. Again, he's a folklore player here right now in Toronto. Everyone loves him. But could you be selling them at a height that maybe isn't actually realistic for what you project he'll be in the rest of his career? Is Barrios 100% a part of this roster moving forward? Like, how much of that do you think could be determined still, Keegan?

Forget just signing a guy or two trades that might come afterwards. Definitely an option. I wonder if that happens now or if the Blue Jays would just lean in for a, year say screw the taxes screw the extra charges we're going for it heavy heavy this year and a year from now where let's see you guys george springer dalton varshot kevin gosman shane beber and others come off the books then you can try to reset your books a little bit more because when i look at this off season going into spring training uh like you said earlier everyone wants to play video game okay cool trade bros trade santander the same reason that people are saying that

is the same reason that the pirates or the Reds or the Padres or whoever you call will say, no, thank you, unless you eat most of this money, which is what you're trying to get rid of in the first place. And I don't think the Jays are super eager to throw in a prospect to make teams take that money. That's kind of what you have to do. You have to pay them to take it. I don't think they're eager to do that either. So with Berrios especially, I'm most interested in the Berrios case because he's been so good.

for so long and now suddenly he's landed in this awkward spot and these things tend to take care of themselves someone will pull a hamstring or have a bad spring it happens but he is the one i'm most curious about middle of spring training late spring training if needs are opening up somewhere else if somebody blows an elbow in another city do they come calling for burrios maybe there's more room there. So if the Blue Jays don't get either of those position players signed to a contract, do they have enough to be as good as they were last year? I think they do.

Now, I still think they should go out and get another guy, but I think the offseason they've had has been spectacular. And the timing of it guys matters so much and how it's paced out. Because the baseball off season, I mean, my God, I wish that every free agent had to do it like a Japanese free agent where they declare, okay, here's my one month window. Sign me in this one month. And let's put some ticking clocks on this somehow,

some way. But the Blue Jays, what they've done adding, Seas, Ponce, Rogers, and Okamoto, like that is one hell of an off-season. But I think because Cease happened so early, I mean, I even forget it sometimes, guys, that was this off-season. He hasn't pitched for the Blue Jays yet.

I'm reminding myself of this sometimes. So if all of this had to have happened, happened in a dense December rush, I think it would be talked about a bit differently. The Blue Jays have spent more than anyone. They have done more and done better than anyone this offseason. That said, they're also losing a lot of talent, Boe included. So I think that they are good enough to be a World Series contender. Another big move makes them a World Series favorite right next to the Dodgers.

Yeah, and there's also the fact that this last season came out of nowhere, effectively. I mean, the year before they won, you know, what, 74 games, where, you know, you look at the Dodgers, like, they have been consistently great for a decade, and they've just gotten better and better every single year. I do think that factors into, I'm sure, management's viewpoint, too, like, what can we really believe, what can we really trust? But certainly from a fan's perspective, you know, like you mentioned, this is one of the great off seasons they've had, for sure. we all remember, you know, what was it, 2012 or 2013, the Marlins deal, and they go and get R.A. Dickie. And that was the greatest offseason of all time.

And I think they won 76 games that year. And I wouldn't predict that for this team. They're really good. But what does Springer do? You know, what is Nathan Lucas? What is Clement? What is Trey is Savage? I don't think that's been brought up enough.

Trey hasn't gone through the ringer of the league. Like, he hasn't had a slump in the major leagues, which is going to happen. right he's going to run into three or four straight starts where he can't get out of the fourth inning and he doesn't have his stuff and his arm starts to die out a little bit like these are all things that have to be calculated and calibrated in terms of the projection

and that's what makes the offseason feel so great and so long and what makes it so unpredictable but that's the job of ross and mark and what they can do this year that is so different from last year kegan and you would know it better than anyone else they can breathe like actins is cool common collected up there last year man he was a mess You know, you could feel the stress. There's no stress, and that's what a great season can do for you.

That's because a year ago, I was on here trashing the team every day probably. Right, rightfully so. Right beside you, buddy, right? Things change. Things change as time moves on. But this time last year, this was an organization with no momentum and no pulse. And it felt like it was just running out of steam. So, yeah, things do feel a bit different around the front office, too.

But like you say, you're talking about you savage. Let me remind you of Alec Manoa. Yep. Let me remind you of all of these players and pitchers who have come up. Manoa and you savage two different cats. But when you look at early success and when you look at a season like George Springer, which is important to mention, when you look at all these role players who contributed at exactly the right time every time and when you look at how healthy the Blue Jays were last year,

the job of an MLB front office, as glamorous as it sounds, is to look around and think about what could go wrong. What could screw all of this up? And that's what the Blue Jays, I think, are doing a good job of. They're insulating themselves, since why I think another move is still a good idea. I think they can still swing it. I think it would put them over the top. But they're not just trying to replace bow. They're not just trying to replace these small things.

They're trying to prepare for a season that might have some speed bumps. Last year was as good as it gets. That is the ultimate example of when everything goes right. God, that's not always going to happen. and when it doesn't, you've got to be prepared. That's why I think more needs to come. Yep. Great stuff, Kegan, as always, thank you for doing this.

We'll do it again soon. You got her, fellas, take care. There he is, Kegan Matheson of MLB.com. Big contributor here on TSN. And, you know, even the whole, you know, vibes in the room stuff, very difficult to calculate, you know, in a sport that is so obsessed with the finite numbers and, you know, things that are tangible. that's a big part of what they were this year strud was a clubhouse that loved each other

they loved showing up in the park every day they couldn't wait you don't want to disturb that but you also don't want to put so much stock in it that it could fall apart because they lose five six games in a row yeah i mean the chemistry does matter like i think of the story where barger slept on schneider's couch you know like in in i think it was the world series yes it was yeah it's incredible like that i love that story that just tells them they're just guys having fun and they're going to play baseball at night and i i don't think you can discount it you want to make the team better but you don't want to break up what you had that was so special so i i keep thinking of bachette like yeah he had all those hits and he seemed very calm and cool

in those moments but he's a part of that fabric you know he and flattie been there a long time together um you know do you want to disrupt that and is tucker a better player well you know maybe in some ways but bichette's been there he's been there for all that stuff he did the good times, you know, the few they've had some of the bad times. And I, I don't know, I'd love to see him come back in there with all these other additions, especially with the arms. Yep. And exactly, the highest expectations of any point in his career as a Blue Jay, too. I mean, that's going to be something they have to wade through as well. Yeah. You know, now the bar is 11th inning game seven to the World Series. That's the bar. You know,

it's not 74 wins, 78 wins, 83 wins. It's not 30-30 during the COVID year. Now, all of a sudden, you're a winning team, winning pedigree, winning expectations. How do you handle that? It's a very different scenario for the Blue Jays. All right, Mike Johnson coming up. Bonesy will join us. Joe Bowen from the booth ahead of the game tonight. We'll sneak in some confirm and I as well.

Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and up on TSN4. I can neither confirm or deny that this is in fact a segment. Austin trades Andrew Raycroft to Toronto in exchange for the rights It's a Tucka Rass. It's been my honor and a privilege to serve as the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club. It's time for confirm or deny. Do you regret giving all those gentlemen the no trades or no movement clauses?

I can either confirm or deny that. I can't confirm or deny. All right, Struddy, confirm and deny. Very simple stuff. Statements are made. We either confirm them or we deny them. Very easy. Very easy stuff.

Let's begin with one in your wheelhouse. My wheelhouse as well, I think every hockey fan excited for this pursuit. Confirm or deny, at least one of Connor McDavid or Nathan McKinnon will reach 150 points this season. I'm going to confirm it. I think these guys are absolutely flying right now. They seem to be in a competition with each other. The only thing I think that might challenge is how much hockey they're playing

in a shorter time and even factoring the Olympics. That's why I won't say both, but I will say one. Well, I'm going to deny it because of that last point. I mean, we're in the storm right now where these two are just absurd. Like the points by McDavid, I mentioned yesterday, Kucharov has come alive all of a sudden. He's got 25 points in his last 11 games. Now Kuturov's got 59 points. He's starting to kick tires.

It's amazing. It's the same guys every year. It's McKinnon, McDavid, Kutrov, Drysettle. Every single year, it's the same guys. Celebrini jumps in, but McKinnon's at 74 right now, McDavid's in 72. They both have, I believe, 40 games left to play. Can they do it? Of course.

Are they capable of it? Of course. It's going to be crazy post-Olympic break. You know, and they're going over there. They're going to play major minutes. Is there a letdown, a natural one? Even if you win, you know, you're riding high, the two-week craziest moments of your life, and then you've got to come back and play Columbus.

and you're like, okay, I guess we're getting up for this. And in Colorado in particular, I wonder about McKinnon, and they're so far out in front. Now, Dallas is on their heels to an extent, but DeLode Manage a little down the stretch. Could Connor take his foot off the gas a little? I think they're both going to clearly hit 130 points. 140, maybe, 150, I'm going to deny it.

Strud, call me a hater, I'm going to deny it. I've got to be consistent. All right, confirm or deny. One of the number one seeds in the NFL, being the Denver Broncos or the Seattle Seahawks. One of the Broncos of the Seahawks will win the Super Bowl this year. Both the number one seeds, both with a buy, huge advantage, home field throughout the AFC and NFC.

I'm going to, oh, mama, a tough one. I'll go first. I'll go first. I'm denying it. I'm denying it. Okay. I'm going to deny it because I think it's such a crapshoot year this year. Obviously, they have a ticket.

obviously they're in a very advantageous position avoiding the wildcard round, home field, they're both really good but, you know, Donald's got to show it, Bo Nix has got to show it at some point a hot quarterback here is going to win your Super Bowl because I think a lot of these teams are so evilly matched and I don't, I can't get to a point

where I trust that Donald and or Nix are going to win a Super Bowl this year. I just, I don't think it's going to happen, so I'm going to deny it. I think with how unpredictable this season has been, it'd be too predictable to say the number one seed is going to win the Super Bowl. I just, I don't think it adds up with the storyline of the 20, 25 NFL season.

Yeah, so I'm hesitant to, so usually look back to the last number of years, it's been clear who the favorite is. And even though these guys are the tops, I don't feel super passionate about either one. And I like elements of both their games. I will deny it as well, but I will say asterisk besides Seattle. There's something about Seattle, like the way they play. They look good. they're a strong team, well coached, well-organized, deep.

So I'd say, if other two teams, I'd go to Seattle, but it just feels like it's too easy. You know, look back the last number of years, it's been Kansas City or, you know, going back in New England, it's clear. It's not clear this year, and that's scary. It's not. And it is scary.

It's different. I think it's going to be a crapshoot, which is great, because it's very difficult to predict who's going to win a Super Bowl this year, let alone who's going to even get there. All right, confirmed the night. Austin Matthews, will finish top five all time and goals scored.

Now, before you answer that, I'll give you the numbers on who's sitting at top. Obviously, Ovechkins at 914, Gretzky 894, Gordi Howe 801, Yager 766. So Brett Hall is currently in 5th at 741. That is 320 goals ahead of Austin Matthew. So he has to score 321 the rest of his career to pass Brett Hall. A lot of goals still. What has he got? Seven, eight more years?

Yeah, I think he could do it. I think top five is a reasonable number for him. Yes. Okay. Confirm. Yeah. You? I'm,

it's a lot of goals, man. It's a lot of goals. I worry about where his body's at. You know, like a year and a half ago, I would have said 100%. I thought he could maybe chase down Ovechka. That's asking a lot. Now, I will say this, Sid is still playing. Sid's at 649.

Do you think Sid's got 100 goals left in his career? Maybe. You know, like Sid might reset the top five. He keeps playing another three or four years. He probably will. But I'm going to deny it just because I worry about the physical issues with him. You know, 321 more goals. That's a lot of goals, man.

I think he'll get to 600. No problem. 650, likely. Pushing 7. Top 5. time is crazy. And he's scored at that level throughout his career. But, you know, I might change my mind in a year or two if I see, okay, he's back at it. And he's been great the last couple of weeks. But I'm going to preserve the top five for right now. All right. Well,

sprinkle in a few more confirmed than I's coming up into the next hour. Mike Johnson will join us. Joe Bowen coming up. Leaves Panthers tonight. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and up on YouTube live. You've been listening to Overdrive, powered by Fanduel. Duhl, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. Unmistakably Canadian. It's the music that raised you. The artists raising the bar. Hi, this is Brian Adams.

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