The Toronto Blue Jays enter the final 36 games of the MLB season in a seven-team race for the final American League Wild Card spot. What are the Jays' realistic playoff chances, are they better after the trade deadline, and how should Ross Atkins be graded for his unique approach as both buyers and sellers?

Would an 81-win, .500 season be enough for Blue Jays fans? Plus, we discuss Tommy John's Hall of Fame case, Ricky Tiedemann's future, Brett Bateman's potential, and the Blue Jays' playoff push on this week's Exit Philosophy.

#TorontoBlueJays #MLB #Sports #BaseballPodcasts

INDEX:

• 0:00 Intro

• 0:31 Tommy John RIP

• 7:58 Jays' Wild Card Hopes

• 10:54 The Tropicana Field Curse

• 12:44 Are the Final 30 Games Easy?

• 14:41 The Math Problem

• 16:07 Is .500 Good Enough?

• 17:17 Fixing the Offense

• 19:44 Ranking the 7 Wild Card Contenders

• 22:01 2025 vs. 2026 Jays

• 33:33 Who Is Brett Bateman?

• 37:27 What Is an MLB "Gruelling" Schedule?

• 45:09 Grading Ross Atkins' Trade Deadline

• 50:24 Tiedemann, Estrada & Jays' Farm System

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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/