Blue Jays Trade Deadline Watch

What you need to know

The Blue Jays are navigating the runway to the trade deadline on two fronts. A depleted, CBT-shrunk draft pool forced the front office to bet big on Arizona State lefty Cole Carlon at 39th overall, a sign of just how tightly the club's finances are stretched after last year's spending. Days later, manager John Schneider chose All-Star strikeout leader Dylan Cease to start over ERA leader Cam Schlittler — a call our columnists read as image management as much as roster strategy. Both moves point to a front office managing its public narrative as carefully as its 40-man roster heading into the deadline.