TORONTO — Baseball people like to say it’s a long season and it’s true, but the end-game can sneak up quickly.

For the 45-51 Toronto Blue Jays, there are just 66 games remaining and only 16 before the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The time to win is now.

Big picture, they’d have to finish 38-28 to win 83 games and match the lowest total ever for a wild-card team. If they’re going to reach 85 wins — the lowest ever total for an American League wild-card team — they’ll have to finish 40-26.

First things first, though: the Blue Jays have a couple of weeks to prove to GM Ross Atkins that this roster merits further investment. Otherwise, anything could be on the table, including trading away key members of last year’s World Series team. 

From a front-office perspective, the only logical approach is to operate on multiple fronts, preparing to adapt regardless of the playoff picture on Aug. 3. At field level, it’s all about banking wins.

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