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TORONTO - With 12 days to go before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline and an injury-riddled team in freefall, general manager Alex Anthopoulos finds himself in an unenviable position: cash-strapped at a time when the American League East is ripe for the picking, struggling to balance a win now mentality while keeping an eye to the future, the need to preserve the top end of the clubs prospect pool. Nike Air Max 2015 Mens Black . Most teams slot into one of two modus operandi. There are clubs in contention and they approach this time of year either satisfied with their roster or, more likely the case, with an eye toward solidifying areas of need for the playoff push. The Blue Jays, despite having lost 24 of 35 games entering Saturdays action, are in contention, four games back of first place Baltimore in the division and two and a half games behind Seattle for the final wild card spot. They are a team with numerous holes, factoring in more than just the raft of injuries. When Brett Lawrie returns from a fractured right index finger, which cant happen soon enough, itd be nice if he has a positional home. Juan Francisco isnt hitting anybody and Steve Tolleson isnt an everyday option because hes strong against left-handed pitching (.988 OPS) but weak against right-handed pitching (.340 OPS). Its gotten to the point in the bullpen where Todd Redmond is ahead of Sergio Santos on the depth chart. Torontos relief corps has issued 129 walks, tied for fourth most in baseball. Its 4.36 ERA is fifth worst in the game. A reinforcement or two is needed. While the starting staff has acquitted itself nicely, few teams would decline an acquisition to improve its rotation. The Blue Jays are no different. Quietly, players will tell you the club is in need of upgrade and their hope is that ownership will show a commitment to winning this season. To a man, those with whom TSN.ca has spoken are withholding judgment until the deadline has passed. Remember, too, trades can be made in August but only after players clear waivers, which often happens. Manager John Gibbons doesnt want his players consuming themselves with deadline-related rumours and wishlists. "Every year you get to this time of year, I can remember back to as long as Ive been around this place, anytime that deadline is coming up and they know theres going to be moves going to be made, guys are always wondering whats going to happen," said Gibbons. "Some of them are thinking, Am I out of here? or one of those kind of deals, Am I going to be traded? Thats always happened. But understand this is our team right now and you cant always make something happen. Sometimes things never happen. If you get caught up in that youre in trouble anyway." Contrary to the go-for-it approach is the look-to-the-future strategy, commonly referred to as the "rebuild." Its happening in Chicago with the Cubs and, believe it or not, it can be exciting, especially when it nears the fruit bearing stage. Anthony Rizzo lost two valuable teammates, Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel, in a blockbuster trade with Oakland earlier this month. The Cubs received one of baseballs top prospects, shortstop Addison Russell, in the return package. Chicagos minor league system is loaded, reinforced over three seasons by president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer. Some have opined its the greatest collection of prospect talent ever. The Cubs plan is obvious and for that reason, Rizzo was intrigued by the deal. "For the first time that Ive been here, Ive finally had that feeling that its really, really close," Rizzo told TSN.ca during last weeks All-Star festivities. "And I think I can speak on behalf of the organization that we all know its really close. So, I mean, we have what, three or four of the top 10 prospects in baseball. Thats somewhat unheard of so obviously, hopefully they all pan out. You can never have too much talent. These guys all seem like the real deal so keep moving in the right direction." So, whats the plan in Toronto? Where do the Blue Jays slot? The team, with its current roster, is positioned to win now. That was the point of the Marlins and Mets trades two off-seasons ago. The division hasnt been more available since the heady days of the early 1990s. Edwin Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie and Adam Lind will eventually return. Now isnt the time to pinch pennies, regardless of whether theres a new CEO and a multi-billion dollar investment in another sports property. Blue Jays players dont care about that and neither does a fanbase starved for a winner. If now isnt the time, then why waste any more of Bautistas prime years? He wants to win before its too late. Hell be 34 in October and wont be the player three years from now that he is today. Dont make him tread water any longer. Encarnacion is one of the sports premier sluggers. Why waste his talent if now isnt the time? Dont make him tread water any longer. The Blue Jays also have crucial offseason decisions to make on impending free agents like Colby Rasmus and Melky Cabrera. If the club issues them qualifying offers, likely in the neighbourhood of $14-million, and the player accepts, that could skew the books. Neglect to offer either player a qualifying offer and both walk without so much as a compensatory draft pick in return. Torontos problem is solved, in part, by getting healthy and playing better baseball, contending deep into September and possibly securing a playoff spot. The club needs external help, via trade or with the late-season emergence of, say, Aaron Sanchez, to accomplish the goal. Youre either going for it or youre not. Existing in the mushy middle shouldnt be any franchises MO. Nike Air Max 2015 Mens . The Hawks sent the Knicks to a fifth straight home loss and in search of answers with a 110-90 victory Saturday. New York coach Mike Woodson said he might look at lineup changes, but his teams problems go well beyond who starts. Nike Air Max 2015 Mens Green .com) - The Cincinnati Bengals have become experts at offensive storm-weathering.TORONTO - As rumours surrounding the future of Kyle Lowry - this summers biggest free-agent prize at his position - begin to swirl, the most reasonable question that comes to mind is, what took so long? The Raptors breakout point guard has been the subject of recent speculation, originating at ESPN, connecting him to the four-time defending Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat. The parties are said to have "mutual interest". Often, where theres smoke theres fire, but thats not always the case in the NBA, especially not at this time of the year. Smoke, in this case, comes with the territory. Fresh off a career season, leading the Raptors to an unexpected division title, Lowry is poised to become a coveted commodity in unrestricted free agency when he officially hits the open market on July 1. If the Heat are the first team to come knocking, they assuredly wont be the last. Why wouldnt Miami be interested in Lowrys services? The Heat are less than a week removed from a disheartening trip to the NBA Finals, where they looked vastly inferior to the San Antonio Spurs in a five-game elimination. Their current point guard, Mario Chalmers - also a soon-to-be free agent - was notably ineffective en route to losing his starting job late in the series. And Lowry? Why wouldnt he want to play in South Beach? Under the right circumstances, accompanied by a suitable contract, you would be hard-pressed to find someone unwilling to play in one of the leagues most desirable destinations with LeBron James, the best basketball player on the planet. Therein lies the caveat, and its a big one; money. The Heat, under their current construction, can only offer so much of it. Firstly, in order for Miami to put together a passable offer to Lowry or any other prominent free agent, James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh would need to opt out of their contracts - owing them each more than $20 million over the next two season - to renegotiate smaller deals. Udonis Haslem would likely have to do the same. Lowry, underpaid for most of his eight-year career, has been one of the leagues bargain players, earning just over $6 million last season. At best, Miami - or any other capped out team - may be able to offer something in that neighbourhood. From a Raptors perspective, nothing has changed since Masai Ujiri addressed the point guards future six weeks ago, making Lowry the teams top offseason priority. "Its very important for us, in terms of continuity," said the Raptors general manager that afternoon, asked abbout the likelihood of re-signing Lowry. Nike Air Max 2015 Mens Red UK. "For me, negotiating is easy if we want Kyle to be here and Kyle wants to be here." "I think well be fair with Kyle and well figure it out and I think its important. So well go through that process but were optimistic stuff will happen." They remain confident to this day and much of that stems from the fact that they can offer Lowry more than any other team, while also providing him the platform to lead a winning team with a cast that hes comfortable with. The 28-year-old is staring down his first super-sized NBA contract and in a league where so much can change in three-to-four years, there are no guarantees that another one will follow. Certainly, if hes willing to sacrifice in exchange for a better chance at competing for a championship hell have that opportunity but for a player entering his prime, one with a young family to support, it would be surprising to see him leave that much money on the table. With the Raptors he could double the size of his most recent contract, a four-year $23 million deal signed back in 2010. As you might expect, Lowry and his representatives will test the market, see whats out there and leverage the interest hes sure to get from other teams. As he wisely pointed out during a midseason wave of rumours following the trade of his best friend Rudy Gay, its a business. The Raptors will also have a big decision to make, holding the 20th pick in next weeks draft, five days before teams are able to sit down and meet with their free agent point guard. Would they select a lead guard as insurance? "I think the biggest thing is to not make draft decisions based on that, on your current roster and your current situations," Dan Tolzman, the Raptors director of scouting, said last week. "You keep it in the back of your head and youll take it into account when youre drafting players but if the most talented guy or the highest guy on your list happens to be a position that your loaded up with you can work stuff out later." "So I dont think you really approach the draft like, okay we need a point guard because we dont know what the situation is. But at the same time if the best player on the board is a point guard, well figure it out." And so it begins. For four months, primarily in the next two, the game shifts from the court to the boardroom, podium and social media sphere. The sound of sneakers squeaking and whistles whistling are replaced by rumours, bravado and conjecture. Buckle up. 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