The AL Wild Card race is WILD — and with just 21 games remaining, the Toronto Blue Jays are right in the middle of the fight to become the best mediocre team in the American League.

On this episode of Exit Philosophy, Griff and Mal break down the chaotic Wild Card race. Who are the real contenders, which teams have fallen out, and can the Blue Jays actually make a playoff run?

The boys also examine the Jays' injury situation. Do Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and Anthony Santander have enough time to return from injury and become factors down the stretch?

The Blue Jays' series against Cleveland was filled with fundamental mistakes, defensive lapses and throwing errors, reigniting a bigger debate about the direction of baseball. Is the sport putting too much emphasis on athleticism and getting young players to the major leagues before they are truly ready — and has the importance of fundamentals been lost?

Finally, Griff and Mal dive into MLB labour relations, discussing the strategies players and owners could use as baseball heads toward what could be an inevitable off-season showdown.

Wild Card chaos. Injuries. Fundamentals. Player development. MLB labour. It's all on the table.

Subscribe to Exit Philosophy with Griff & Mal and join the conversation

INDEX:

0:00 - Intro

1:15 - Wild AL Wild Card Race + Blue Jays Outlook and Chances

30:25 - Is there a baseball fundamentals problem in the big leagues? + Athleticism reigns supreme

42:40 - MLB News and Notes

1:02:20 - Outro

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Get the video version of "Exit Philosophy" and "Conversations with Griff" on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@ExitPhilosophy

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For the full catalogue of Richard Griffin's work, including weekly Blue Jays/MLB columns, a weekly MLB Power Rankings column, exclusive conversations with some of the game's greats, past and present, and the Exit Philosophy podcast, visit https://www.griffsthepitch.com/