Will Ross Atkins swing for the fences, or will he be more modest at trade deadline?

Reason two to be more modest: The help may come internally

Recent events are likely starting to dictate that the Blue Jays could be getting those deadline improvements from internal options. It's not just the guys on the farm that are having productive summers, but players like Davis Schneider, Ernie Clement, Nathan Lukes, and now Joey Loperfido have handled the bat well at the plate over the last few weeks.

And despite the numerous injuries sustained by players in the bullpen, the Blue Jays keep finding players to plug in and get the job done, whether that's been Brendon Little, Yariel Rodriguez or Braydon Fisher, Toronto's bullpen has looked shaky at times, but hasn't gone through any kind of terrible stretch since a couple of blown saves in early May.

Maybe, all that means is that the Blue Jays don't feel like they need to acquire a big time bat, or spend an upside prospect on a rental bullpen arm. Maybe it means the Blue Jays feel like they only need to target a specific skill set to incrementally improve the roster like they did in 2022 and 2023.

And maybe the prices are so exorbitant that the Blue Jays don't feel like they can go beyond their "comfort zone" in relation to what they already have on the big league staff. It would mean a lackluster deadline, but wouldn't be completely out of the ordinary to see Atkins shy away from over spending, just for the sake of making a deal.

We'll see which way the Blue Jays go in just 11 days.