
Listen: Toronto Star columnists discuss the Blue Jays trade deadline acquisitions Bieber, Varland, Dominguez and France
I'm joined by my Toronto Star colleague Gregor Chisholm to go over the Jays' moves at the deadline, including the surprise acquisition of two-time all-star and perennial (when healthy) Cy Young candidate Shane Bieber as well as reliever Seranthony Dominguez and the trade of Will Wagner to San Diego for minor-league catching depth.
As well, we'll go over all the moves made by the Jays' rivals and see how they stack up as August begins with Toronto in first place overall in the American League and holding a 3 ½ game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East.
All that, plus your comments and questions as well!
Listen here now or at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts Thursday afternoon. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can at thestar.com/subscribingmatters.

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Canada News.Net
37 minutes ago
- Canada News.Net
Royals' Salvador Perez aims to ride power surge vs. Jays
(Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images) Salvador Perez is on a homer binge, and the visiting Kansas City Royals would like the trend to continue Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of their three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The teams have split the first two contests of their series, with Perez hitting a home run in each game. His second homer of the series came against Max Scherzer in the sixth inning of Toronto's 4-2 victory on Saturday. Perez also hit his first career homer against Scherzer on Aug. 29, 2011. He has 11 home runs in his past 21 games. 'We need him and other guys to do it, too,' Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. 'You provide power in the middle of the lineup, and that is a big threat at any time.' Perez became the first Royals player to have nine seasons with 20 or more home runs. Hall of Famer George Brett had eight. With 293 career home runs, he is close to becoming the eighth catcher to reach 300 in his career. The Royals are going for a series win that would give them a good start to their nine-game road trip. They hope that scheduled starter Seth Lugo (8-5, 3.03 ERA) can continue his success against the Blue Jays. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 20 1/3 innings over six career games (two starts) against them. The Blue Jays, who lead the American League East by four games, are expected to counter with right-hander Chris Bassitt (11-5, 4.24). In seven career starts against Kansas City, he is 1-2 with a 3.92 ERA in 39 innings. The Royals picked up two more injuries on Saturday. Second baseman Jonathan India was hit by a pitch on his left wrist and forearm in the third inning. He left the game in the fifth. 'It's just a contusion,' Quatraro said. 'We got an X-ray and nothing is broken. Just sore. He has been battling that wrist, anyway, and he was hit there again.' Reliever Steven Cruz left in the seventh with discomfort in his right shoulder and he will have further evaluation. 'He felt a little pinching,' Quatraro said. 'Just kind of some normal throwing discomfort.' Blue Jays catcher Tyler Heineman left the game in the fourth inning with what was termed a head contusion. He took a foul ball off his mask in the third inning and was hit on the hand by a pitch in the bottom of the third. Toronto manager John Schneider said that early indications were that he did not have a concussion. 'It's more of a head contusion,' Schneider said. 'When I went out there, it was more kind of a headache, and his jaw got it a little bit. So, we will check him out (Sunday) and, hopefully, dodge a bullet. But he is doing all right.' With catcher Alejandro Kirk on the concussion injured list, Ali Sanchez took over behind the plate. Kirk is expected to return to action on Sunday. '(Heineman) wanted to keep going, felt like he could keep going and, unfortunately, you've got to take it out of their hands sometimes,' Schneider said. Toronto outfielder George Springer also is out with a concussion after being hit by a pitch against the Baltimore Orioles last week. The Blue Jays returned from a 4-4 road trip for a short homestand. They will hit the road again Monday for six games against the Colorado Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers.


Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cubs and Orioles meet in series rubber match
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Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rays and Dodgers meet to decide series winner
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