TORONTO — A little more than halfway through the 2026 season, the Toronto Blue Jays have five weeks and 27 games to go before the trade deadline.

Now 40-45, the Blue Jays are two games behind the final American League wild-card spot in a tightly contested race. With a great week, they can be back at .500 again. At the same time, they can’t afford to wait much longer to turn their season around.

With that in mind, basically everything’s on the table as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches. It’s still possible the Blue Jays could be motivated buyers, reluctant-but-pragmatic sellers or anywhere in between.

“We all would like to be in a better spot,” George Springer said after Monday’s win over the New York Mets. “Everyone understands that. At the end of the day, I know we've done a lot of good things (and) we still have (77) games to go. But I think everyone in that locker room understands we have to play better. And I think over time, guys are going to start to do that.”

Ideally, the Blue Jays want to contend — and buy — in an attempt to build on the success of 2025. That’s still Plan A. And as long as they prove to be worthy of further investment, GM Ross Atkins has shown he’ll buy when necessary, trading prospects for big leaguers when competitive at the deadline in........

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