TORONTO — This stretch ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline is going to be hard in multiple ways for the Toronto Blue Jays. Off the field, the front office must explore the type of subtraction deals that will be difficult and emotional while on the field, the players must keep trying to find their game and play as if no sell-off looms.

“The biggest thing is you can’t play timid, you can’t play on your heels and you have to meet adversity head on,” said manager John Schneider. “And the easiest way to do that is go play free and go play loose. Again, everyone understands where we are in the season, where we are and the standings and all that kind of stuff. You have to block that out and you have to try to get yourself in the best compete mode that you can. … The biggest thing is just embracing that it's going to be hard and trying to meet that........

© Sportsnet