The Toronto Blue Jays return to the field on Friday night when they host the Chicago White Sox at Rogers Centre.

It's the first of seven straight home games for the Jays out of the break against current playoff teams: The White Sox for three and the Tampa Bay Rays for four.

Manager John Schneider has sequenced his pitching rotation so that Dylan Cease and Kevin Gausman are both throwing in the Rays series.

The Blue Jays enter the second half of the season at 2.5 games back of the third and final wild card spot in the American League, which is currently held by the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins.

Well, we looked at the entirety of the Jays' second-half schedule on Wednesday, and it's evident that these first seven games could be the difference between truly going for a second consecutive deep playoff run and selling off at the Aug. 3 deadline.

The Blue Jays are currently 45-51. Should they go 2-5 or so in that first seven games, then they are probably looking at a mini rebuild. If they go 5-2 or so, then Toronto can probably stand pat and hold their talent, and maybe even make modest adds.

Of course, it also matters what the teams around them do: Seattle, Minnesota, and the Boston Red Sox, who are now just 0.5 games back of the final wild card spot.

Who could the Blue Jays sell if they go that route? 

A stalwart of the rotation since arriving before the 2022 season, Gausman is in the final year of his contract, making him a candidate for a trade. He's 4-8 this season with an inflated 4.33 ERA, but he has big-game experience and the kind of swing-and-miss stuff that starter-needy teams crave in the playoffs. He's struck out 116 batters in 112.1 innings.

Speaking of big-game experience, there's almost nobody better in the playoffs than the 37-year-old Springer. He's hitting just .218 this season with nine homers and 22 RBIs, but he had 32 homers just a season ago. He's also a free agent at year's end, but he does have 10-and-5 rights, meaning he essentially has a full no-trade clause.

He may wave those for a true contender, but he doesn't have to.

Every team is always looking for bullpen help, and since All-Star Louis Varland has taken over as the Jays' closer, Hoffman could be an expendable piece for Toronto. He's under contract through 2027, but again, the labor situation may make him less valuable to the Jays. 

He's 5-6 with a 4.57 ERA, and he features A-list swing-and-miss stuff as well, having fanned 64 batters in 41.1 innings.

Daulton Varsho, OF

Shane Bieber, SP

Varsho is solid defensively and provides offensive power, while Bieber can be another arm for a team's rotation.

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