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(Plus another reminder that Blue Jays Happy Hour is now on YouTube!)

The 2024 Toronto Blue Jays season will go down in history as a miserable, frustrating failure. There’s no taking that away from this group of players—a third of them now gone—and the people who put them together on the same roster. But what I think we’ve found—or at least I’ve found—in the two weeks since the trade deadline passed, is that it doesn’t have to be all three of those things. There’s little to be miserable or frustrated about here as the team plays out the string, with expectations scaled back to zero. And though I’m not sure how much of this is real and how much is purely narrative, the Jays do seem to be playing with the kind of freedom a team only can when the pressure ratchets down—as it’s obviously done compared to what surely was a tense pre-deadline period for a lot of players who didn’t know where they might have to be from one day to the next.

That’s not at all to say that there’s no pressure on this group. Guys are playing to show they belong in the big leagues, for jobs and meal tickets next season, and because they have the kind of competitive nature that gets players to the majors in the first place. I mean, one only needs to see George Springer get himself ejected in the seventh inning of a meaningless 5-0 game in Anaheim on a Tuesday night to understand that garbage time doesn’t really exist for these guys—at least as long as there are no position players on the mound. But clearly things are different compared to a month ago—for fans and, seemingly, players alike.

The mood is good! Or better. Or not quite as bad. Or… indifferent? Or… I’m not really sure.

But I do know one way to find out, and that’s to take the temperature of the fan base. And the way I think I can do that best is by opening up my trusty ol’ mailbag and throwing things over to all of you.

Or, at least, to those of you who have been generous enough to become paid subscribers to the site. 🙏

So leave me your best thoughts and questions about any and all things Jays in the comments on this post! And, for those of you who might be new, what I meant above is that—as always—the comments section is open to paid subscribers only.

And if that isn’t a good enough enticement to get you on board, I should add that I’m thinking about releasing this one early as a subscribers-only post, and then opening it up to everyone else a few days afterwards.

I’m not sure if I’ll do that, but I think it seems like a good way to provide some extra value to paid subscribers while keeping all my work still free for everybody else—especially when it’s something not especially time-sensitive. Plus, truthfully, I could use a few more paid subs, and would love it if that—or anything else—pushes more readers in that direction.

I guess that's the way the whole durned human comedy keeps perpetuatin' itself down through the generations. Westward the wagons, across the sands of time until we—ah, look at me. I'm ramblin' again...

Uh, anyway… let’s mailbag!

Hey, and if you’re struggling to come up with a topic to ask something about, maybe have a watch of the latest episode of Blue Jays Happy Hour for some inspiration. ICYMI, we’re podcasting in video form now, and you can find us on YouTube—and below!

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