As they do at the end of every season, Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins meet the media to discuss the year just passed and to hint at their plans for the year to come.

This year, for the first time in a long time, it wasn't a disaster.

We take you through Shapiro and Atkins' availabilities and go through heir comments as they discuss, among other things, the impact that this World Series run had on the people they encountered, the unique toughness and cohesion of the 2025 Blue Jays, John Schneider's future and what might happen as Bo Bichette enters free agency for the first time.

Plus, we open up the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca!

Guest: Shane Bieber

It only took three days for the most shocking move of the off-season to happen.

Against all odds, Shane Bieber exercised his $16 million (US) player option and is staying with the Blue Jays for the 2026 season.

The 30-year-old, a two-time all-star who won the Cy Young award in 2020, loved his two months as a Blue Jay and has unfinished business here, so he's sticking around to try to run it back.

We spoke to Bieber after the Jays clinched the American League pennant, beating Seattle in Game 7 of the ALCS. You'll hear that conversation, in which he talks about how much he loves the Blue Jays, plus analysis of the move on this bonus episode of Deep Left Field!

It's the day after the day after and the Blue Jays' loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series is still a heartbreaking gut punch.

We throw open the Monday Mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca to share your thoughts, feelings and questions about the game, the series and the season as a whole and hear from a wide range of listeners, from the zen-like appreciation of the Jays' magical year to the anger and frustration over opportunities missed by a team that had a championship within its grasp.

And why did IKF slide?

Plus, my thoughts on the grave injustice of Gold Gloves denied to Ernie Clement and Alejandro Kirk.

Listen here or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. If you would like to support the journalism of the Toronto Star, you can at thestar.com/subscribe.

No scary stuff on this Hallowe'en edition of Deep Left Field, just a trip into the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca as we get you set for Game 6 of the World Series a game that, if the Blue Jays should win, would get them their first championship since 1993 and only their third overall.

We hear from Jays fans from Toronto and all across Canada from BC to PEI, as well as all the way in Ireland and Belgium on topics ranging from who might throw out the first pitch in Game 6 to should the Jays try to lock up Trey Yesavage now to just plenty of appreciation and admiration for this group.

The Blue Jays could win the World Series tonight. Check out Deep Left Field to get you set.

Guests: Max Scherzer, Jeff Hoffman, Braydon Fisher, Joey Loperfido    

Trey Yesavage made history with his performance in Game 5 of the World Series, sending the Blue Jays home to Toronto with a chance to win the whole shebang on Friday night. The 22-year-old broke his own Jays post-season record with 12 strikeouts and set or tied at least four other post-season or World Series records.

We discuss it all with a quartet of Jays who all watched Yesavage with different perspectives.

Max Scherzer is the Hall of Famer-to-be with 18 years in the bigs, seeing a kid with a month and a half in the majors do things he's never done. Jeff Hoffman, a Jays' first-round pick exactly a decade before Yesavage, watched from the bullpen. Braydon Fisher, voted the Jays' rookie of the year this season, was a big-leaguer four months before Yesavage and talks about their shared rookiedom in the Jays' clubhouse. And Joey Loperfido saw this coming.

And as always, a dip into the mailbag at deepleftfield@thestar.ca!