TORONTO — Even before the four-game sweep over the Yankees that vaulted the Blue Jays into first place in the AL East, GM Ross Atkins said the Blue Jays planned to be buyers ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.

After a compelling but ultimately one-sided series in which the Blue Jays outscored New York 36-23, their stance as buyers has only been reinforced. Not only is a wild-card berth in play, the AL East is, too, and with that comes the potential of a first-round bye.

Under those circumstances, the question isn’t whether the Blue Jays will look to add but rather who. And while their needs may evolve over the course of the coming weeks, there are now three logical areas to explore: right-handed bats, relief pitching and starting pitching. Speaking broadly on Monday, Atkins acknowledged interest in all three categories.

As for specific names? To borrow the cliche preferred by executives, teams like to cast a wide net this time of year. And to be fair, they really have to. With six playoff berths available in each league, it takes a while before teams on the periphery of the playoff race concede defeat and become sellers.

So while contenders like the Blue Jays are interested in dozens upon dozens of players at this stage, they won’t have expressed that interest overtly in many cases, and even where they’ve asked directly about a player, there’s not typically traction this time of year. Reinforcing that point, 60 of the 68 trades completed last July happened in the six days ahead of the trade deadline.

But even if interest is early and tentative right now, buyers are surveying the landscape, with some pro scouts watching games in person and other front office executives poring over depth charts and stats remotely to be sure they’re ready once there’s more clarity in the standings and trade talks pick up. 

All of which to say, the Blue Jays’ options should become clearer in the coming weeks. In the meantime, it’s not too early to take a broad and — let’s be clear here! — speculative look around MLB for the players who could be available and of interest to the Toronto front office later this month. 

Many of the players below will be traded somewhere, and many more will be discussed in potential trades, but others will never really be available. And although the Blue Jays will have preliminary interest in dozens of these players, this list is merely intended to convey a sense of who could be available. By no means is this a comprehensive look at who the Blue Jays will or should pursue most aggressively. 

With that in mind, here’s a first look at 68 players we may be hearing about in the weeks ahead:

Likely available: Ramón Laureano, Orioles; Luis Robert Jr., White Sox; Amed Rosario, Nationals

Maybe available: Yandy Diaz, Rays; Rob Refsnyder, Red Sox; Alex Bregman, Red Sox; Ryan Mountcastle, Orioles; Harrison Bader, Twins; Andrew McCutchen, Pirates; Eugenio Suárez, Diamondbacks; Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Diamondbacks; Randal Grichuk, Diamondbacks

The cleanest fits among this group include Laureano and Refsnyder, though the price might be a little higher if the Blue Jays want to pry someone away from their AL East rivals. 

Mind you, if Davis Schneider can sustain his recent hot streak, the Blue Jays could be fine with a bench of Schneider, Tyler Heineman, Myles Straw and Nathan Lukes, as all four are playing at a high level. Still — best to be prepared and track this group’s progress.

And although it’s perhaps unlikely, there are also intriguing everyday options such as Eugenio Suarez. First, the Diamondbacks would have to continue struggling and, second, the Blue Jays would have to find a way to outbid other contenders for him, but the pending free agent is a perennial 30-home run bat in the midst of another great season. As currently constituted, the Blue Jays might prioritize pitching, but another setback for Anthony Santander or an injury elsewhere could be enough to generate more serious interest on an everyday bat like Suarez. 

Likely available: RHP Seranthony Domínguez, Orioles; LHP Gregory Soto, Orioles; RHP Kyle Finnegan, Nationals; RHP Anthony Bender, Marlins; RHP Calvin Faucher, Marlins; RHP David Bednar, Pirates; RHP Dennis Santana, Pirates; RHP Jake Bird, Rockies

Maybe available: LHP Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox, RHP Andrew Kittredge, Orioles, RHP Félix Bautista, Orioles, RHP Bryan Baker, Orioles; RHP Pete Fairbanks, Rays; RHP Emmanuel Clase, Guardians; RHP John Schreiber, Royals; RHP Chris Martin, Rangers; RHP Shawn Armstrong, Rangers; RHP Kenley Jansen, Angels; RHP Raisel Iglesias, Braves; LHP Aaron Bummer, Braves; RHP Pierce Johnson, Braves; RHP Emilio Pagán, Reds; LHP Taylor Rogers, Reds; RHP Ryan Helsley, Cardinals; RHP Phil Maton, Cardinals; RHP Shelby Miller, Diamondbacks

Swing-and-miss, high-velo relievers with some command and deception are going to cost a ton, while lower velo pitchers can fill out a bullpen for fringe prospects. One name some executives around the league are wondering about: Emmanuel Clase, the Guardians closer who would surely require a three- or four-player return and generate interest from most contenders. 

The Blue Jays have shopped in both aisles over the years, acquiring flame-throwing rental Jordan Hicks in 2023 and adding middle relievers Adam Cimber and Trevor Richards in 2021. 

Ideally, they’d add an impact reliever this year, giving manager John Schneider more ways to get outs in the highest leverage moments of the season. Given the volume of names available, that’s not an unrealistic goal, either. 

Yet as Atkins acknowledged Monday, adding both elite relievers and an impact starting pitcher could be a challenge. Some contenders will have to choose between one or the other, with depth options filling in the gaps.

Likely available: RHP Tomoyuki Sugano, Orioles; RHP Charlie Morton, Orioles; RHP Michael Lorenzen, Royals; RHP Aaron Civale, White Sox; RHP Adrian Houser, White Sox; RHP Luis Severino, Athletics; LHP Jeffrey Springs, Athletics; RHP Sandy Alcantara, Marlins; RHP Edward Cabrera, Marlins; RHP Cal Quantrill, Marlins; RHP Michael Soroka, Nationals; RHP Mitch Keller, Pirates; LHP Andrew Heaney, Pirates; LHP Bailey Falter, Pirates; LHP Kyle Freeland, Rockies

Maybe available: RHP Lucas Giolito, Red Sox; RHP Zack Littell, Rays: RHP Seth Lugo, Royals; LHP Tyler Anderson, Angels; RHP Kyle Hendricks, Angels; RHP Jacob deGrom, Rangers; RHP Nathan Eovaldi, Rangers; LHP Patrick Corbin, Rangers; RHP Tyler Mahle, Rangers; RHP Erick Fedde, Cardinals; RHP Miles Mikolas, Cardinals; RHP Nick Martinez, Reds; RHP Zac Gallen, Diamondbacks; RHP Merrill Kelly, Diamondbacks; LHP Eduardo Rodríguez, Diamondbacks

The starting pitching market may simultaneously be a buyers’ market and a sellers’ market. Or, more specifically, the top end of this market will be a sellers’ market, and the bottom end of it may favour buyers.

Take deGrom, for instance. If the Rangers decide to listen on him, they should be able to name their price, even with $75 million guaranteed remaining on that deal through 2027, his age-39 season. Such is the demand for impact starting pitching. To a lesser extent, the Pirates (Keller), Diamondbacks (Gallen, Kelly) and Marlins (Alcantara, Cabrera) would all have substantial leverage if they listen on their top arms because those pitchers could start playoff games.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are back-end starters Morton, Lorenzen and Heaney. Last year’s deadline suggests those pitchers will be available for a modest return, if needed, so the Blue Jays don’t need to panic here. Depth arms should be available affordably.

In between those tiers, Soroka could be an interesting gamble. There’s risk here, but this is also a pitcher with a 3.05 xERA who struck out 10 Dodgers in a recent start. If the top sellers aren’t intrigued by the Blue Jays’ farm system, the Calgary native could be an interesting pivot — or at least a pitcher to watch as the month progresses.