Ross Atkins reveals Toronto Blue Jays' trade-deadline wish list

The Toronto Blue Jays are playing better baseball as of late, but that doesn't mean general manager Ross Atkins is satisfied.

The 2026 season has been somewhat of a frustrating one for the Blue Jays, who were expected to be one of the best teams in baseball after a trip to the World Series. Instead, they are hanging on to the final wild-card position by a thread with a 39-39 record.

Part of their struggles have been due to injury, particularly with their starting rotation. Shane Bieber is set to make his season debut on Tuesday night, while Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, and Max Scherzer have all missed time. Meanwhile, all three of Cody Ponce, Jose Berrios, and Bowden Francis are out for the season.

Given how banged up their rotation has been, Atkins made it clear speaking to reporters on Tuesday that his biggest goal heading into the Aug. 3 trade deadline is to bolster the team's starting pitching.

Speaking to media at Rogers Centre, Ross Atkins says starting pitching is likely atop Blue Jays’ wish list at the trade deadline. Atkins says he likes Jays’ current group but has interest in more because you can never have enough starters.

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) June 23, 2026

The question will quickly turn to how much the Blue Jays are willing to give up. They could opt for an average arm that simply provides depth, or go all in, as several top-tier pitchers are on the market.

The best of the bunch is Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, who has been involved in heavy trade speculation dating back to the offseason. That said, this may be more of a pipe dream given the cost it would take to acquire him.

Some other notable arms expected to be moved ahead of the trade deadline include Freddy Peralta (New York Mets), Joe Ryan (Minnesota Twins), Robbie Ray (San Francisco Giants), and Michael Wacha (Kansas City Royals).

Starting pitching isn't the only area the Blue Jays could use help, either. Their offence, largely due to a disappointing season from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has sputtered. They currently sit 23rd among all 30 MLB teams with just 320 runs driven in this season.

The Blue Jays may opt to go out and look for a bat, though they may have some help coming internally. Last week, manager John Schneider told reporters that Anthony Santander is progressing, something which Atkins backed up. The Jays GM said the 31-year-old slugger has "turned a corner" in recent weeks, and it sounds as though he could be ready to go by August.