Starting pitching a need? Join the club

As the baseball season resumes, it's no secret what contending teams in the American League East need: Starting pitching.

Toronto is getting things going. The Blue Jays' offense is exploding - even with Jose Bautista on the disabled list - and they have best rotation with the fewest questions, especially if Marcus Stroman, 25, has turned it around.

Boston's best pitcher, David Price, had an inconsistent first half - good stuff, no execution - and the Red Sox rotation has no depth. The first-place Orioles, who lead the Red Sox and Blue Jays each by two games, have a solid starter in Chris Tillman, but what do they get from Kevin Gausman and Yovani Gallarado? And who is after that? Ubaldo Jimenez, inconsistent all season, couldn't get out of the second inning last week at home against the Angels.

Tampa Bay is buried, so they could make Matt Moore available. The Yankees have CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka doing well, followed by a group of five-plus ERAs. And, with Dellin Betances, Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller in the bullpen, the Yankees will be sellers rather than buyers.

Stroman had two consecutive strong starts against Cleveland and Kansas City before the break, and the Blue Jays are feeling good that his problems are history. He's made mechanical adjustments that give him a sharper breaking ball and better pitches lower in the zone. He also is less predictable. The Blue Jays, whose offense is scoring 6.7 runs a game since June 11, lead the American League in quality starts with 58. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey has a 2.92 ERA in his last seven starts. J.A. Happ has 12 wins and a 3.36 ERA, 2.96 over the last six starts. All-Star Marco Estrada, 33, is on the disabled list with a back injury. He and his 2.93 ERA will be ready after the break.

The Blue Jays have to figure out what to do with Aaron Sanchez, 24, who has a 2.97 ERA. He's their top pitching prospect, but how many innings does he have in his arm? Last year, he was in the bullpen and pitched 92 1/3 innings. This year, he's pitched 118 1/3 innings as a starter.

In Boston, the Red Sox need help in the rotation. Eduardo Rodriguez, their best pitcher last season, hasn't been the same since coming back from a knee injury and he was shipped to the minor leagues. Price isn't close to being the No. 1 starter he was given $217 million to be. Rick Porcello is steady and knuckleballer Steve Wright has been excellent except for a few starts. Clay Buchholz? He's in the bullpen. Joe Kelly is rehabilitating in the minors, and when he returns, he'll be in the bullpen. Koji Uehara is showing his age, 41. Junichi Tazawa looks tired. All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel is out six to eight weeks after knee surgery, but the Red Sox traded for Arizona reliever Brad Ziegler to help out Uehara as the closer. At least the Orioles have a deep bullpen, but if the Orioles' rotation can't go any deeper than five innings, the bullpen will be burdened.

At last year's trade deadline, the biggest pitchers moved were Price from Detroit to Toronto, and Johnny Cueto, who went from Cincinnati to Kansas City. Price was sensational for the Blue Jays (9-1, 2.30 ERA) and helped them into the postseason. Cueto was a disappointment for the Royals, going 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA. So, is there another Price out there that can be scooped up before the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline?

The best way to analyze this is to look at rosters of non-contending teams and see if they have any high-priced starters with experience. In the National League, the Phillies have Jeremy Hellickson, Atlanta has Julio Teheran and Milwaukee has Matt Garza. Cincinnati has nobody. San Diego has Drew Pomeranz and maybe Andrew Cashner. Speculation was that Pittsburgh would be willing to trade Francisco Liriano, but after being 14 games behind the Chicago Cubs in the National League Central on July 1, the Pirates might be making a run. They trail the first-place Cubs in the NL Central by 7 ½ games.

In the American League, the last-place Rays have pitchers to trade, but aren't eager to trade within the division. Minnesota has Ervin Santana, 33, who pitched a two-hit, no-walk, complete-game shutout against Oakland before the break. Santana will be owed $13.5 million and $14 million in each of the next two seasons. His contract might scare teams away, but put him on a contending team, and he might be a pitcher with motivation.

Teheran's contract calls for $6.3, $8 and $11 million in each of the next three years, team-friendly numbers that will mean Atlanta will be asking for plenty of return. Teheran is 25. Oakland has Rich Hill and Sonny Gray. The Angels have Hector Santiago. Plenty of teams are in the market for starters, but that's nothing new. In addition to the AL East teams, there are the Dodgers, Giants, Marlins and maybe even the Mets, given that Matt Harvey is out for the season and Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz are each dealing with bone spurs. The Rangers are the most desperate among AL teams. They have three starters - Yu Darvish, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis - on the disabled list. Darvish has got a chance to come back after the break, and that could determine how the Rangers go about trades.

The market looks slim. The Orioles' Dan Duquette told MLB.com he's hoping the pitchers already in the team's rotation will step up: ''We need some people to contribute from this group or try to find some help.''

Who knows if that can be done in this market?