Media releases

• Will the Jays bet big or balk on Bo Bichette? Brock expert on the complexities of off-season negotiations

  Monday, December 15, 2025 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY — December 15, 2025 — R0143

   After a historic post-season run, the Toronto Blue Jays organization went straight to work this winter by quickly signing several high-profile players, including pitchers Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers.

  Perhaps the biggest questions now in the minds of Jays fans across the country — and Assistant Professor of Sport Management Ryan Clutterbuck — is what does free agent Bo Bichette want? And can the American League champs give it to him?

  “Last off-season, the Jays locked up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to a 14-year $500 million extension, a full year before he was eligible to test free agency, but chose not to do the same with Bichette, despite similar contractual timelines and both being homegrown fan favourites,” says the Brock University expert, who researches and teaches negotiations, organizational behaviour and leadership in sport.

  After bouncing back from injuries to mount an impressive post-season performance, Bichette entered free agency in high demand.

  “Good for Bichette. All season, he bet on himself and now he’s about to cash in on that wager, whether it’s with Toronto or some other team,” Clutterbuck says.

  He says the complexities of getting deals across the plate extend far beyond the widely reported financials, however.

  “Of course, the number is important. But when contracts are reported, it’s typically very straightforward: the number of years, guarantees and signing bonus, and total compensation,” he says. “That’s interesting, but it’s only a piece of the pie.”

  He says most contract decisions, in and outside professional sport, come down to a balance between interests and positions. What do job seekers – such as Major League Baseball (MLB) free agents – want and what are their underlying motivations for wanting it.

  For high-profile free agents like Bichette, it’s not one single issue or demand (their position), but a range of boxes (their interests) that must be checked to finalize a deal

  “In my second-year organizational behaviour in sport organizations course, we talk about why people choose to work where they work and what ultimately makes them happy or unhappy,” Clutterbuck says. “Money is a part of that, but there’s so much more that goes into the decisions these players are making.”

  When free agents are weighing competing offers, assuming compensation is competitive, they may also consider whether they like the coaching staff, the teammates they would be joining on the field and the overall culture of the organization.

  There’s also family and lifestyle perspectives to consider.

  “It’s not just about what you want,” Clutterbuck says. “We all saw those celebrations on the field after the big wins: There’s families, there’s wives, there’s girlfriends. How and where do they want to spend their eight-month, 162-game season and off-season?”

  Clutterbuck says external influences also impact player decisions. The role and impact of player agents — who have a personal and professional interest in maximizing the total compensation — and the MLB Players Association (PA) is also part of the equation.

  “The PA’s interest is that players to get as much money as they possibly can because teams will then use those deals as comparables for future free agents, which impacts how much money their membership makes,” he says.

  So, when can Blue Jays fans expect a deal to be finalized?

  Because there are very few incentives to remain in free agency without a contract – short of pursuing a bidding war between rival clubs – Clutterbuck says it’s likely that Bichette and the Jays’ situation will conclude sooner than later.

  “He doesn’t want to be a free agent any longer than is absolutely necessary. Worst case scenario is he gets hurt while training or rehabbing in the off-season without a contract in place, and now there’s questions and concerns about his value and durability,” he says. “What I would expect is that he and his agent will be talking with all the available suitors as quickly as they can to make a deal somewhere. It will happen soon.”

  
  Brock University Assistant Professor of Sport Management Ryan Clutterbuck is available for media interviews on this topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews: 

  *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483

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  Categories: Media releases

• CCOVI uncorks low-alcohol wine opportunities with new grape variety research

  Wednesday, December 10, 2025 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE — December 10, 2025 — R0142

  While consumers may not be reaching for a bottle of Soreli or Cabernet Volos this holiday season, Brock researchers say these new options are poised to make a splash in Ontario’s wine industry.

  The University’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI) is exploring how these grape varieties can be used to make distinctive new wines that align with consumer trends and improve growers’ sustainability efforts.

  “If you look at the demographics, you see the older population is still going for the bold reds, whereas the younger generation is looking for lighter wines,” says Jennifer Kelly, a Senior Scientist of Oenology at CCOVI. 

  “We want to remain aligned with the desires of all consumers and producers — and our research and outreach activities at CCOVI will continue to have that focus — but this new research is really exciting for a new segment of consumers who want environmentally responsible wines with lower sugar and alcohol content,” she says.

  First grown in Europe in the early 2000s, Soreli and Cabernet Volos carry a significant proportion of genes from Vitis vinifera, the species of grapevine from which wine has historically been made around the world. 

  Because they are more disease and cold resistant, these new varieties are well-suited to cool climate wine regions and reduce the need for pesticide use, making them more sustainable. They also have a shorter ripening season, which makes them good candidates for producing wines with lower alcohol and thus an attractive option for younger consumers seeking out these qualities. 

  Only a handful of Niagara growers are currently producing Cabernet Volos and Soreli, which were approved for use in Vintners Quality Alliance (VQA) certified wines earlier this year. Kelly says a few industry partners graciously allowed CCOVI to purchase grapes for the project.

  While making research wines from these grapes, the CCOVI team experimented with alternative yeast strains during the fermentation stage. This meant forgoing commercially available standard strains, often of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae species, for locally isolated strains of Saccharomyces uvarum.

  Kelly says the results so far have been favourable from both a production and sensory point of view.

  “These yeasts naturally produce less alcohol because they consume the grape sugars differently,” she says. “Instead of turning as much sugar into alcohol, they create other compounds — some of which contribute to the wine’s overall profile. The result is a lower-alcohol wine that still tastes balanced and expressive.” 

  For Niagara wineries, this can create a very desirable outcome by giving the wines a distinct flavour.

  “It is an opportunity to highlight their own microbial terroir, as the yeasts we are utilizing have taken up residency in the winery and may be unique to the vineyard, giving them a regional signature for the winery itself,” Kelly says.

  The CCOVI team has also been investigating the use of a post-fermentation filtration process that uses reverse osmosis to remove water and ethanol from wine.

  “We take the wine and reduce its ethanol content by running it through this system, and with that, we have a higher level of control over the overall alcohol content of the wine,” says Kelly. “If we desire to drop the alcohol by one or three per cent, we can calculate that and do that accordingly.”

  Working with Kelly is Holly Eaton (OEVC ’25), who completed CCOVI’s Certificate in Grape and Wine Science earlier this year and is now pursuing a master’s in Biological Sciences at Brock. She is the first graduate student in Canada to conduct research in this area. 

  Eaton describes the new varieties as being similar to local varieties, with the Soreli “having characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc.”

  “You get some of those familiar aromas when smelling it. If people really like Sauvignon Blanc, they will want to try this wine,” she says.

  Kelly and Eaton are just a few months away from bottling the project’s 2025 test wines. 

  “Once the wines are bottled, we will recruit a panel from within the University to come to our sensory lab to evaluate and provide feedback on flavour and aroma,” says Kelly.

  The team also plans to share updates on their findings and engage community and industry members in the process through the Institute’s outreach efforts, such as conferences and the CCOVI Lecture Series.

  Their work is supported by an Ontario Research Fund Research Excellence grant, which is funded by the Government of Ontario. 

  Niagara-West Member of Provincial Parliament Sam Oosterhoff applauds the research and CCOVI’s ability to identify and meet the needs of the Ontario grape and wine industry.

  “With more consumers choosing low-alcohol wines in Ontario and across the globe, our local grape and wine sector needs to innovate and be able to pivot to changing market conditions,” says Oosterhoff.

  “This ongoing work on new grape varieties and alternative yeast strains at the Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute at Brock University — supported by the Ontario Research Fund — is ensuring local growers and winemakers are staying ahead of the curve.”

   

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

   *Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483

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  Categories: Media releases