TORONTO — Although the Blue Jays pride themselves on clear communication with their players, manager John Schneider said it's still "murky" what Toronto will be doing ahead of Major League Baseball's trade deadline.
The standing assumption heading into this weekend has been that the club will be sellers ahead of Monday night's cutoff for teams to swap. After all, Toronto (50-59) was last in the American League East and sat 5 1/2 games out of a wild-card berth heading into Friday's action.
But Schneider said in his discussion with reporters before opening a three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals that although he's participating in daily meetings with Toronto's front office, he hasn't been directly told if the Blue Jays will be adding or subtracting from the roster.
"I haven't been told by anyone above me that we're selling," said Schneider, sitting at his desk inside Rogers Centre. "I know this gets covered a ton, and MLB Network makes it its own little thing, and everyone writes about it, but we're just trying to be as clear as we can with everyone.
"And at the same time, just understanding that there is some murkiness to it, and that's part of it."
Toronto was a buyer ahead of last year's deadline as the team geared up for a deep playoff run, eventually reaching the World Series where it lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. The Blue Jays were sellers in 2024, however, trading pitcher Yusei Kikuchi to the Houston Astros, catcher Danny Jansen to the Boston Red Sox, and outfielder Kevin Kiermaier to the Dodgers, among other deals.
Schneider said that this year doesn't feel like 2024.
"It's easier to kind of squint and see where you want to get to than it was in '24. I think that's why it's different," said Schneider, referring to Toronto's 51-58 record at the 2024 deadline. "I think my job and the staff's job is to make it (feel) normal … you've got to go out and you got to try to beat the Cardinals.
"Whenever conversations have to happen, if they happen, you have them. But it doesn't feel as drastic as it did a couple of years ago."
If the Blue Jays decide it's time to reload for next season, it's likely that starting pitchers Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber would be on the trade block, as well as outfielders Daulton Varsho and George Springer.
Gausman was seen taking a bullpen session hours before Friday's game. He's pencilled in as Toronto's starter Saturday. The veteran right-hander has repeatedly told reporters he doesn't want to leave the Blue Jays, but also understands baseball is a business.
"It's impossible to ignore nowadays with social media," Gausman said July 21 about Toronto's struggles with the deadline looming. "We kind of all know it's going on and, unfortunately, we knew we kind of needed to come out of the gate strong (from the all-star break), and we really haven't.
"We just haven't played very well lately."
Schneider has spent his entire coaching career within the Blue Jays organization, becoming Toronto's manager on July 13, 2022, after his predecessor Charlie Montoyo was fired. He said he's become used to having difficult conversations with players.
"You try to have them as much as you can, which sounds weird, but I think that you try to have them as much as you can, so there's nothing surprising, no stone left unturned," said Schneider. "Right now is a weird time, you know what I mean?
"But me and the staff, you can't live in that world. Maybe on Monday or Tuesday there's more time to talk about it, sure."
