For sale’ sign officially affixed to Blue Jays as team poised to ship out players before trade deadline

With no games to be played until Friday when Detroit comes to town and an all-star break that will allow the players — other than Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — to decompress, the Blue Jays find themselves in a period of unease knowing just about anything can happen to the roster before baseball’s July 30 trade deadline.

Any way one cares to break down the 2024 Blue Jays’ season so far, it’s hard to argue that it has been mostly bad with moments of utter humiliation.

One can look back and see underachieving stars, injuries, bullpen implosions that produced walk-off losses, 17 games in which the Jays managed to score just one run, three times shut out, whatever managerial moves John Schneider made or didn’t make, and a beleaguered front office that has not endeared itself to the team’s fan base. There is much to digest and debate as baseball’s unofficial mid-season point arrives, marked by Tuesday night’s mid-summer classic when Vladdy will be the team’s lone representative

Big picture: It all comes down to what happens in the near term with several pending free agents poised to be on the move. When the off-season officially arrives, even bigger questions will be on the Jays’ plate, such as the fate of general manager Ross Atkins, whether Guerrero and/or Bo Bichette will be extended to long-term deals or traded.