Blue Jays face season-defining stretch without Alek Manoah

The Toronto Blue Jays are about to face a tough task. The upcoming part of their schedule features games against the Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees, all teams who are in the playoff race.

They already lost their series opener in Milwaukee. To make matters worse, they are going to face this test without Alek Manoah, who will undergo season-ending surgery on his elbow. He'll be out for a significant part of 2025 as well.

As Kaitlyn McGrath pointed out in The Athletic, this is where the Blue Jays will find out if they are truly contenders or not. But Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet noted that their current stretch of play could also shed light on what they'll do at the trade deadline, and that if they hang around .500, the decision to buy or sell becomes harder to make.

Blue Jays deadline strategy unclear in midst of tough schedule

If the Blue Jays play really well and get themselves right back into the mix like they were expected to be, then it is very likely they will buy at the trade deadline and try to make a play for October.

If they begin to slide, then they will be clear sellers.

Thus, this is an important stretch where the Blue Jays will find out what kind of team they really are. But if they hang around .500, things are unclear. They likely won't be in position to make any major moves, and if they decide to buy, the moves will likely be more incremental improvements.

They could also sell, but it may not be a hard sell. They might end up just selling pieces from the fringes of their roster and not giving up any major pieces. But it just isn't clear at this moment, and it may not be if they stay exactly where they are.

The Blue Jays could define themselves as clear buyers, clear sellers, or a middling team that could go either way, or potentially even make moves in both directions if they don't want to give up on the season, especially if they're close to a playoff spot.

Not having Manoah in their rotation will certainly hurt, though they still have Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt. But the back end of the rotation is a question mark, especially who fills in for Manoah.

Toronto has made it to the postseason as a Wild Card team in each of the past two seasons, though they have been knocked out in the first round both times without winning a single game. Now, the question that remains -- will they make it three consecutive years with a playoff berth.