When the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays Monday night in the first game of their three-game series, I thought this is crazy and far-fetched, but maybe the Yankees could be a playoff contender in the final seven weeks of the season.

When the Yankees took a 6-0 lead against the Blue Jays after five innings the next night, I thought this is getting crazier by the inning. And then a 42-minute rain delay threw cold water on the Yankees and the fantasy. The Blue Jays erupted for 12 runs after the delay and won, 12-6.

Toronto’s explosion against the Yankees’ relief corps epitomized the problems the Yankees could have as a result of their decision to trade two-thirds of their bullpen troika, Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller. No longer would the Yankees be covered for the final three innings if they had a lead after six innings.

But General Manager Brian Cashman made that decision in the belief that the Yankees were not a contender for the post-season this season. His decision was a few years too late because the Yankees have not been much of a contender for the last four seasons.

True, they were a wild-card team last year but in attaining that status they finished six games out of first place. In each of the previous two seasons they lagged 12 games behind the division champion. And even though they gained the wild-card status last year they lost the wild-card game to Houston without a whimper. No runs, three hits, 3-0.

Now what?

Even with their trades of Chapman, Miller and Carlos Beltran, can the Yankees pull off a minor miracle and reach the playoffs?

Before the season began, I considered the Yankees to be mediocre at best. I did not see the post-season in their October future.

The Yankees, though, won two of three in successive series with Cleveland, Boston and Tampa Bay, winning five of six at one stretch, with the fifth victory the 1-0 decision over Toronto in the initial game of that series.

That streak did it. Yankees fans and some writers got excited and instantly began fantasizing. The post-season, they thought, may actually be within reach. The reason: the path to October is filled with games against the A.L. East teams who are ahead of them in the division and wild-card standings.

• The Yankees play Toronto and Boston seven times each and Baltimore nine times (23 games).
• The Blue Jays play Baltimore and Boston six times each and the Yankees seven (19).
• The Orioles have nine games against the Yankees, seven against Boston and six against the Blue Jays (22).
• The Red Sox play the Orioles and the Yankees seven times each and the Blue Jays six (20).

Obviously, if the Yankees win consistently while the other teams beat up each other, the Yankees will gain valuable ground. But the same goes for the other three teams as well.

Is there any reason to think the Yankees can emerge from 23 games against the three teams ahead of them in better shape than the other three?

Can the Yankees suddenly be as good as or better than the others?

Are Gary Sanchez and Aaron Judge the answer? Chad Green?

A major drawback for the Yankees: Not only did they lose that second game of the Toronto series by allowing the Blue Jays to score 12 unanswered runs, but they also went on to lose the third game. The sparks that had flared up dimmed.

Nevertheless, Manager Joe Girardi has not given up on this season. “We’re going for this. That’s what we’re doing,” he said.

Whatever happens this season, Yankee partisans see a bright prospect-filled future and credit Cashman for turning an old, dried up team into a team with a bright future.

ESPN.com was especially positive on the Yankees’ strategy with these headlines:

“Yankees’ youth movement appears to be paying off”

“Rebuilding Yanks have created dynamic squad”

ESPN’s Buster Olney, a long-time Cashman confidant, wrote:

“The conversations within the Yankees’ organization throughout July were, at their core, about what the team’s fans want to watch. The Yankees had a lineup of established stars, from Alex Rodriguez to Carlos Beltran to Mark Teixeira of big names the franchise had relied on for years for championships and ticket sales and TV ratings.

“But it was a formula that wasn’t working, apparently, because the Yankees weren’t playing well and the biggest names were struggling, and beyond all of that, it wasn’t a particularly interesting team to watch. The Yankees had old players playing an old brand of baseball and general manager Brian Cashman argued that it was time for turnover, a sell-off — which it was, but still, that’s a very difficult argument in light of the team’s history. Because of the success of the old brand.

“Owner Hal Steinbrenner didn’t sign off immediately on the idea of trading Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Beltran, and cutting Rodriguez. But despite some apparent reservations about the appearance to fans that the Yankees might be giving up in the middle of the season, Steinbrenner gave his blessing for the makeover.

“But a funny thing has happened. The Yankees have gleaned the expected long-term benefit with their trades, stacking their farm system with prospects — but they might also have gotten immediately better and lot more interesting to fans.”

Olney and many other writers treat the Yankees’ problems as recent, this season. The Yankees have had problems for a few years, but the general manager either didn’t recognize them or ignored them, choosing not to go to ownership to make a case for a different strategy.

And his news media friends never asked him why.