Blue Jays' Ross Atkins says exactly what fans want to hear before trade deadline

There is a huge sense of optimism around this Toronto Blue Jays club right now and there is no better time for the team to make a statement. After a second straight win over the New York Yankees on Canada Day, the Blue Jays are showing they can be for real when it comes to the race for the top of the AL East division. They are just one game back of the Yankees, while maintaining a 2.5 game lead in the Wild Card race which is an incredible five-week turnaround. On May 25, the final Sunday of the month, the Blue Jays were 25-27, sitting fourth in the division, seven games back of the Yankees and three games back in the Wild Card chase.

The Blue Jays are playing some of their best baseball in years right now and it was reassuring for fans to hear General Manager Ross Atkins acknowledge that while he’s happy to see these results, he thinks there’s still another level for this team to reach.

Sportsnet reporter Shi Davedi posted on X, “GM Ross Atkins positioned the Blue Jays as a team looking to add before the July 31 trade deadline, during a discussion with media this afternoon, saying the team is "in a strong position" but "we obviously can be better and we'll focus on that."

BlueJays.com reporter Keegan Matheson added, “Ross Atkins says the BlueJays have been looking to add a right-handed bat. Pitching depth sounds like another priority ahead of the deadline. He adds that the Jays have had ownership support financially all along and that they should be able to “continue to flex that muscle.”

The search for a right-handed power bat is something they have needed for a while now, pretty much ever since they lost the services of Teoscar Hernandez during the 2022 offseason, when they traded him to the Seattle Mariners. The Blue Jays just haven’t had a true thumper behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the numbers have reflected that as the team has been one of the worst power hitting teams in the league since 2023.

While that has slowly turned around this season thanks to a huge group effort and a rejuvenated campaign from George Springer, there is no doubt that having one more hitter in this lineup that is a threat to go deep every time they step up to the plate will significantly increase the Blue Jays chances to compete for a spot in October.

Names like Eugenio Suarez and Marcell Ozuna have been floated around the rumour mill as right-handed power bats that could be available, but Arizona and Atlanta may not be true sellers at the deadline even though they have a tough uphill battle to climb right now to get back in contention. Taylor Ward of the Angels is also someone to keep an eye on if the LA Angels (41-42) start to drop off in the next few weeks.

Meantime, the search to add pitching goes hand in hand with another comment from Atkins as reported by Davedi, “Based on what Blue Jays already have in-house, Atkins said the opportunity to add is "probably on the run prevention side, more just from a depth standpoint. If we can score more, we'll look to do that... But on the run-prevention side, it's probably going to come from pitching, as good as our defence has been."

Again, this must be music to the ears of Blue Jays fans as the Jays are walking a tight rope right now with their pitching. Max Scherzer returned to the rotation this past week, but after his outing against the Yankees, the worry was that his lingering thumb issue could force some more setbacks for the future Hall of Fame pitcher. They’ve also gotten some impressive performances out of the unheralded veteran Eric Lauer who seems to have a spot in the rotation for as long as he can show he deserves it.

Outside of those two in the rotation, Toronto’s bullpen has had mixed results all season. There are weeks where they are in complete control and others where they can’t get the key outs. The Blue Jays as a pitching staff have given up the third most home runs in the league, a trend that hasn’t slowed down as they have allowed 32 home runs over the past 30 days. With Atkins pointing to ‘run prevention on the pitching side’ they are likely looking at pitchers who can keep the ball in the ballpark, whether they be starters or relievers.

There are a host of names of guys who could be available for the right price. From Sandy Alcantara of the Marlins to Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks to Andrew Heany of the Pirates, the Blue Jays should have no shortage of options to add in the pitching department at the deadline.