TORONTO — The post-season hangover lasted a lot longer than Toronto Blue Jays fans expected this year. A slow start coupled with mid-season struggles nearly derailed the 2026 campaign for Canada’s lone big-league team. However, a strong run of form after the recent trade deadline has lifted Toronto back into the playoff race. With interest ramping up for the reigning American League champions, the timing couldn’t be better for several former Blue Jays who moved into the baseball podcast space this year. One such offering is the “Get It Done League” podcast featuring former sluggers Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin with broadcaster Arash Madani. The title serves as a nod to a memorable Donaldson quote from the 2015 season. “You know what you’re going to get from him, it’s just honesty at all times,” Martin said of his former teammate in a recent video interview. “He doesn’t care if he ruffles any feathers.” Therein lies the beauty of having quotable ex-players on the microphone. When in uniform, players are usually guarded and careful to avoid generating bulletin-board material for the opposing team. Once their playing days end, they can often be a revelation. While the filter can sometimes be thicker on radio or television, the podcast medium can allow for deeper dives and extended storytelling as former players provide valued insight into the reality of the professional game. Former Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Pillar and pitcher Ricky Romero also tap into that behind-the-curtain knowledge on the “Blue Bird Territory” podcast with writer Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. “Any time you can get former players to speak on the current state of either the team or the game, you’re allowing people an inside view of what’s going on behind the scenes,” said Pillar, who also co-hosts the “To The Majors” baseball podcast. “Not just what goes on behind the scenes but internally what goes on: the emotions and the feelings that players have.” A good example of that intuitiveness came when the Blue Jays acquired starting pitcher Jose Soriano at the recent trade deadline. Pillar and Soriano were teammates in 2024 with the Los Angeles Angels. “The second that trade happens, Kevin knows exactly what the Blue Jays are getting,” Bannon said. “And we hop on an episode at the deadline and he’s able to give insight into who this guy is as a person, who he is as a pitcher. Ricky watches a bit of him and can analyze him as a pitcher. “And we just bring a lot of diverse opinions pretty quickly because these guys just have innate knowledge.” Whit Merrifield is another former Blue Jay who moved behind the microphone in retirement, hosting the “6ix Inning Stretch” with sports reporter Lindsay Dunn. There’s also a long list of podcasts in Toronto and around the continent that feature occasional guest appearances by current and former Blue Jays. Expectations were high for the team this season after they came a whisker away from winning their first World Series since 1993 last fall. The Los Angeles Dodgers needed extra innings to complete a Game 7 comeback win. Less than a month ago, the Blue Jays were 6 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot and closer to the league basement than the post-season cutline. Toronto (61-65) has picked up things of late, winning 12 of 18 to sit just one game behind the Baltimore Orioles for the final AL wild-card spot entering Monday’s action. For a team that did plenty of selling at the deadline, Toronto has emerged as a legitimate playoff hopeful in a league that’s remarkably weak this season. A .500 record could be enough to snag a berth. The Blue Jays will kick off a three-game series against the AL-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, with a three-game set against the second-place New York Yankees to follow later in the week. If Toronto can hang in there during the road trip, the schedule opens up for the final month of the season. All remaining series will be against teams that currently have sub-.500 records. Either way, there will be plenty of fodder for baseball fans — and podcast hosts — to explore down the stretch. “We are talking about baseball itself but it goes back to our experience of those moments,” Donaldson said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2026. Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
