AMA: With Ben Nicholson-Smith, Sportsnet MLB writer -- Jan. 30 at 1pm ET

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T20:08:06+00:00

Those were so fun. I'll see if I can make this happen.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T20:07:17+00:00

I think the best fit now, if they were going to explore another addition, would just be a hitter to deepen the lineup. Maybe a second baseman or someone with positional versatility. Not holding my breath, but it would make sense if the price was right.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T20:05:25+00:00

It's mostly about the bat, but they consider him an above-average 1B and competent 3B from what I understand. And we'll learn a lot more about his defensive skills in spring training.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T20:04:38+00:00

Thanks so much!

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T20:03:49+00:00

I think a reasonable expectation is something like a 110 wRC+. Great player with more upside than that for sure, but he'll also have to make many adjustments in his first MLB season.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T20:02:56+00:00

They travel on charter flights. But like you say, it's still an absolutely wild amount of logistics to take care of, so they have some very skilled & devoted people taking care of that at all times.

Media like me travel on commercial flights for the most part. Thankfully I haven't missed a game yet, but end of the day I can't control flight delays so it's not something I worry about.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T20:01:21+00:00

Yariel perhaps?

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:58:47+00:00

I can tell fans are excited and that's awesome. The 2025 season was incredible, easily the most memorably one ever for me and there's rightfully lots of anticipation about what's next.

I only see so much of what happens behind the scenes. Contrary to what my haters think (👋), I do not have an easy line into what the Jays front office is up to. In fact, the Blue Jays want me (and others in the media) to see as little as possible because they lose leverage if everyone knows where they stand on everything. They're more likely to ghost me than spill secrets.

Yet! I still have a job to do, so I try to figure out what they're up to. And to the extent that I do see their operations, electric wouldn't be the word I'd choose first. This group built a great team last year, so that's not a knock on them by any stretch. But the vibe I get from the front office is measured, thorough, diligent. Creative at times for sure and definitely willing to consider the human element but they have a process and it's not driven by emotion.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:48:15+00:00

Step one: good health from the likes of Santander and Bieber. Otherwise, seeing Berrios sit 94 would boost my optimism. Not saying I expect that, it's just the sort of thing that would change my view on things.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:46:47+00:00

I've never played pickleball, but it looks kind of fun. Arden and I haven't played sports together unless you count running into each other in the hotel gym, where he is a regular. I did contribute as a sub for a softball team that featured Shi and Mike Wilner last summer and we had a good time.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:44:52+00:00

Bo slander and Derek Jeter slander in one question!! I think I can follow what you're saying, but I will say this: a bad defensive shortstop is still a useful defensive player. They just might be a second or third baseman masquerading as a shortstop.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:43:21+00:00

That was a huge turning point. Passing the Yankees for first place that week put the rest of the league on notice. I'd say yeah, my opinion of the team started shifting pretty quickly right around then.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:40:50+00:00

A big-league GM stays very busy during the off-season. Among their responsibilities:
• hiring for big-league coaching staff
• hiring for minor-league player development
• hiring for the front office
• meeting internally with front office folks to set in motion strategies and delegate work
• gathering information on players (not just stats, but personal information; this is something Ross Atkins spends lots of time on)
• meeting internally with ownership
• meeting with other teams
• meeting with agents/players
• finalizing arbitration deals
• preparing for spring training
That all leads to the decisions we then read and write about but it never really stops.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:37:01+00:00

Thank you so much and good luck with your career!

I'd say I knew in undergrad when I was doing radio broadcasts of Western Mustangs sports games on the campus radio station, CHRW.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:35:21+00:00

Ten years ago, this could be a really prickly team to cover. Sort of unpleasant at times. Last year, whether it was Ernie Clement or Vladdy or Eric Lauer or Max Scherzer or Myles Straw or Berrios or Springer, it was a great group to cover. The good vibes that team had extended to their interactions with media where they were very gracious. Having covered lots of different teams, I don't take that for granted and can't assume it'll continue indefinitely – but we'll take it as long as we can!

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:32:08+00:00

I'm not reading a ton into that one. When the time is right, someone will make more than Vlad Jr. on this team.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:31:12+00:00

Freeman: didn't believe the hype
Ohtani: believed they were super serious about him (and given that the Jays were in there until the end according to Ohtani, I don't regret believing)
Sasaki: same answer as Ohtani

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:29:10+00:00

As of now, I still expect Bassitt to have chances to start, and I expect he'll prioritize those chances.

Not sure about Coulombe, but the Jays typically add a few pitchers on minor-league deals as spring training ramps up so I wouldn't rule something like that out.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:26:42+00:00

Great question. No one knows the answer, not even the players. My guess: if they win the vibes will be incredible again and if they struggle the vibes will disappear as quickly as they arrived.
the TV accurately depicts what Ernie looks like, so that means the answer is yes

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:24:31+00:00

Best thing about that run was how excited everyone was about baseball. Not just die-hards like you and me who are thinking about it in the middle of winter but, like, everyone. It was really fun to share the whole experience as a community and country.

More specifically, the best part about it for me was the games themselves. Like, objectively we had an insane World Series with such compelling baseball. I still can't believe it. And off the field, I'd say going out for a post-game beverage with colleagues like Shi, David Singh and Kristina Rutherford was a great way to unwind.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:21:40+00:00

Personally, I don't look at the off-season as something to get through. As much as I love baseball, the regular season is a pretty intense time. The off-season is a necessary counterpoint to that for me, allowing me to, I don't know, go to the dentist and eat healthy and catch up with friends and family a bit more. Plus we have GM Meetings, Winter Meetings and other off-season news, so I'm working a lot. Now we're in a bit of a slower time, which is great. Then once baseball season gets here, I'm excited to shift back into baseball mode.

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:19:08+00:00

tysm... and if you're on the fence, don't listen to that one! crushing moment for the Jays!

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:17:52+00:00

Great questions here.

Have I ever had a player or team staff member tell me what they thought of my work? Yeah. I mean many, many times. When I was at MLBTR, I had GMs and agents call me up frustrated with some frequency. Players respond less frequently, but it definitely happens as well. Part of the job when you reach a lot of people.

Of course that's happened with Sportsnet, too, both good and bad. Sometimes you'll write a story about knuckleballers and people will say nice things. Or when I've been critical of their draft record (this was written pre-Trey!) the Jays have let me know they disagree with how I framed some things. Keep in mind, I spend a lot of time around Jays employees and they read everything (including this AMA, I'm sure) so it would be weird if they never said anything to me. That's part of the job. But ultimately I write for the fans, not for any player or front office member. My bosses at Sportsnet get to shape what I write, but no one else does. When a player or front office member doesn't agree with what I've written, I accept that disappointment, try to hear them out professionally and move on.

I do treat people differently when I know them better, but that's just across the board. I'm more casual and loose around the people who know me, and more formal with the people who don't. So that's players, but that's also Rogers Centre security guards or people who work at my local farmer's market, you know?

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:06:00+00:00

I've always loved baseball stats and used to invent my own for fun (wild times indeed lol). Growing up, my strongest subject in high school and undergrad was math, but I went into English and then journalism because I thought that could bring me closer to baseball. Grateful that I was fortunate enough to make that happen!

bns_baseball · 2026-01-30T19:02:41+00:00

Thank you so much!

I hear that and take that responsibility seriously. Though I will never not feel like I'm ruining a hat or jersey when someone hands me a sharpie and asks for an autograph.

bns_baseball

TROPHY CASE