Youth must be served

Organization's future needs to start in the second half of a lost season

- GREGOR CHISHOLM

The most meaningful starts of the second half belong to Yariel Rodriguez, writes Gregor Chisholm.

He has the makings of a legitimate big-league starter but needs to prove he can handle the workload.

The Blue Jays don't have much to play for during the second half but there are still some things that can be done to salvage what little remains of a lost year.

Manager John Schneider's squad exits the all-star break with a 44-52 record, 14 games back of the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the American League East and 9½ games back of the Boston Red Sox for the final wild-card spot.

A year that began with hopes of a World Series has morphed into something else entirely. When the Jays host the Detroit Tigers on Friday night at the Rogers Centre, they'll begin with just a 19 per cent chance of making the post-season, according to FanGraphs.

Meaningful baseball in September doesn't seem realistic. That would be problematic for any team, but it's especially troublesome for an aging roster that appears to be in a free fall.

Before the Jays can regroup this winter, there are 66 games to play.A lot of them won't matter in the standings, but they're not without meaning. There's valuable insight to be gained over the next two-plus months that will shape the organization for 2025 and beyond.

Be busy at the deadline