TORONTO – Each passing day of lost ground brings more clarity to the Toronto Blue Jays’ path as the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches, nudging them from hopes of a season-saving surge to the uncomfortable realities of a subtraction summer.

Absent financial pressure to move payroll, what they do and how far down that road they go depends on what’s available in return. They don’t need to make deals just for the sake of them. Still, based on this front office’s past sell-offs, most recently in 2024, they’re likely to try moving all expiring contracts and consider other opportunities, a tactical shift rather than a wider strategic change aimed at improving the foundation for the buildups to come.

Those considerations will hang over each outing until the deadline passes, which is what made Kevin Gausman’s 3.1 innings of grind especially notable in a 12-2 thumping by the Tampa Bay Rays that felt like a new low point Tuesday night.

Even in an up-and-down season for the veteran right-hander, he may well be the Blue Jays’ most marketable pending free agent given his longevity and post-season pedigree. In what’s........

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