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

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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.

If it’s any consolation, the Jays’ clubhouse is made up of veterans who understand the business of baseball, a group of veterans who play and act like pros, in good times and bad.

Likeable left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is in the final year of his three-year deal, likely will hear his name bandied about in trade speculation with a high probability he’ll be pitching for a new team before the month’s end.

“It’s totally out of my hands, out of my control, and all I can do is prepare for my next start,” Kikuchi said through an interpreter following Sunday’s wild 8-7 win over the Diamondbacks, a start in which he pitched four shutout innings before giving up seven earned runs in the fifth.

“There are a lot of positives to take away from the first half. Aside from that fifth inning, I feel like I’m in a really good spot. I’m still looking forward to the second half.”

Kevin Kiermaier, who was symbolically kicked to the curb when the Jays placed him on revocable waivers late last week, hit his third career grand slam in a six-run fourth inning for Toronto.

No suitor came forward because no team wanted to pick up the tab for the balance of the outfielder’s contract. Whether the veteran is outright released or some assets are extracted in a trade, either way the writing is on the wall for Kiermaier.

“He’s a baseball player,” Schneider lauded, “a veteran guy and he understands the business of it. Kevin’s been doing that his whole career, overcoming things.”

First baseman/DH Justin Turner is another veteran who also is likely to be moved after signing a free-agent contract less than six months ago.

Yimi Garcia wasn’t activated from the injured list when he rejoined the team in Arizona, but the reliever also is expected to get moved.

With additional pending free agents looming after the 2025 season, there’s no guarantee that even names such as homebrew closer Jordan Romano, Chris Bassitt, Danny Jansen, Isiah Kiner-Falefa or Chad Green — along with Bichette — will be around next month.

It would surprise, if not shock, many if 34-year-old outfielder George Springer, and the 2 1/2 years remaining on his bloated contract, get moved in the coming weeks, but anything is possible.

The Jays, because of a combination of injuries and the need for an injection of life into a stale offence, have already begun looking at the future. Sunday’s starting infield — featuring Spencer Horwitz, Leo Jimenez and Ernie Clement — was not what anyone saw coming when the season began back on March 28. It does beg the question, however, of why Horwitz was not called up much earlier based on how well he has performed at the plate (.320 with four home runs in 103 at-bats).

Sunday also marked the MLB debut of Steward Berroa, who had quite the adventurous ninth inning in right field with two scintillating catches to help preserve the win.

Out of the pen, meanwhile, have come the likes of Ryan Burr and Brendon Little, whom no one, even the most diehard fans of the club, would have known prior to their arrival in Toronto.

So, get used to seeing familiar faces being moved and some unheralded players thrust into the spotlight as the clock ticks down on July 30.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com