BJN Radio – Ep. 120: Three BOLD off-season predictions, thoughts on MLB’s playoff format, and more!

Though the playoff run ended very quicky, there’s plenty to talk about in Blue Jays land.

We took a look back at Toronto’s two-game sweep to Seattle in the wild-card series with a different perspective now that the 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers and 101-win Atlanta Braves also got dropped in five-game sets. Does it matter that the higher-seeded teams are losing if it adds more drama and excitement?
After that, we talked about off-season stuff, including whether Shohei Ohtani wants out of Anaheim, which Blue Jays could ink long-term contracts this winter, who the most realistic trade partners would be, and the arbitration projections MLBTR made for 13 players.
We also made three bold predictions for the off-season that we’ll be sticking to no matter what!
You can listen to the episode here…
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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

3 Players who’ve distanced themselves early at Leafs development camp

The second day of Maple Leafs development camp ended just as fast as it began and a few players have started distancing themselves from the pack.
When Max Ellis signed with Toronto back in April, there wasn’t much known about him. A small forward who had plenty of speed and skill was really all the information that we had. The 22-year-old, though, begins his two-year entry-level deal this season and wants to grow as much as possible.
“It meant the world. To be with a storied franchise as great as the Maple Leafs, it was absolutely fantastic,” Ellis said about signing with Toronto. “It’s a dream come true. It’s even better when you get here, when you meet all the people, the fantastic staff they have from equipment manager to coaches, I think everybody is super helpful and nice.”
The 22-year-old was a part of the second group of skaters on Tuesday, which featured the likes of Matthew Knies, Fraser Minten, and Axel Rindell. From watching him in the two AHL games, to now, you can see why the Maple Leafs saw so much from him.
Although he’s small, standing at five-foot-nine, his skill and strength on the puck makes up for it. On Tuesday, it seemed like Ellis was at …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation