DUNEDIN, Fla. -- Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said the club is still in the market for upgrades to its pitching staff, but he stopped short of specifying whether they are for the starting rotation or bullpen.

Toronto likely has its starting five with Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Matt Shoemaker, Clayton Richard and Ryan Borucki. Injuries might create the need for another arm at some point this spring, but the greater concern is the bullpen.

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The Blue Jays will have closer Ken Giles and setup man Ryan Tepera pitching late in games, but after that, the configuration is wide open. Right-hander David Phelps is questionable for the start of the season after last year's Tommy John surgery, while other names in the mix include Tim Mayza, Joe Biagini, Jacob Waguespack, Sam Gaviglio, Danny Barnes and David Paulino.

"We'd just like to add to pitching," Atkins said. "Whether that's a starter or reliever, we're working on that daily."

Atkins touched on a wide variety of topics during Thursday's availability with the media. He talked about the current state of free agency, the Blue Jays’ first Spring Training under manager Charlie Montoyo, thoughts on a possible pitch clock and, of course, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Here are some of the top excerpts:

On whether Manny Machado's deal with the Padres will speed up the rest of free agency ...

Atkins: Really it comes down to, the more significant remaining free agents are seemingly with one agent. I suppose it will have an influence, but the group that is remaining, I don't think it's quite as large as the numbers some people have heard. It's in the 5-10 range of the really significant contributing pieces that are still remaining, and I would expect in the coming days, we'll see some movement.

On the new starters, Shoemaker and Richard ...

Atkins: They look great. Their stuff looks crisp. It looks like what we were hoping for and what we were hoping to see. Clayton Richard has already had an incredible impact. Both guys have. Both guys are extremely professional. Clayton Richard has the reputation of being one of the better teammates in the game, one of the more driven and hard working. It's easy to see why he has that reputation. Matt has been better than we expected and both of their stuff looks great.

Thoughts on a possible pitch clock this spring ...

Atkins: Because it’s an ongoing negotiation ... I’d rather not comment on the specifics of it, but I think in general the open-minded nature of executives, front offices, owners, obviously the Players Association, Rob Manfred, with his leadership, to just think of ways to make the games better and improve them, even if we’re not certain that these strides will have a significant impact, but that open-minded nature is a very positive thing. Regarding the pitch clock and how it’s worked in the Minor Leagues, it has seemingly only been a plus. It doesn’t seem to be a distraction at all and has certainly helped on the pace of game.

On Vladimir Guerrero's first big league camp ...

Atkins: Vladdy has done nothing but impress us with his continued desire to be the best player he can possibly be and has transitioned very well. ... He’s got work to do, just continuing to refine the agility, continuing to refine the third base play. ... This is going to be really, really good exposure and development for him facing Major League pitching, albeit not stretched out and seven innings of a Major League starter. Seeing that sort of stuff will be good for him as well.

On the health of everyone in Spring Training ...

Atkins: [Catcher Alberto] Mineo had a small setback with a hamstring, but everybody else is all systems go -- very, very productive offseasons. The recent acquisitions -- David Phelps is on pace to break with the team. That is not our goal, that could just be an outcome. We’re not going to push him to that date, but it could be the outcome.

Updating prospect T.J. Zeuch, who was diagnosed with a strained lat earlier in camp ...

Atkins: He's not going to be pitching in Spring Training.