The draft is over and the Red Sox’ needs are clear — let’s not waste a minute.

It’s time to dive into what the Sox are thinking as the trade deadline approaches — hint: it’s starting pitching, starting pitching and starting pitching — and who’s out there.

Before moving into the specifics of whom might be available and whom should be targeted, let’s first assess the lay of the land here in the middle of June, six weeks from the Aug. 1 deadline.

The draft truly does command a great deal of the Red Sox’ attention and manpower annually, but that does not mean that executives and scouts were waiting to investigate possible trade targets. They have been scouting and inquiring about virtually every starter on the market. According to multiple baseball sources, the Sox have not shied away from asking about a few of the most elite names in the game — Jose Fernandez of the Marlins, Gerrit Cole of the Pirates are two such prime talents — even if the teams have no plans of moving that player. This is exactly what the Red Sox did in the offseason, when they spoke with the White Sox about Chris Sale, the Mets about Matt Harvey and the A’s about Sonny Gray. The responses over the winter tended to be along the lines of “Let’s start with the names of Xander Bogaerts and Mookie Betts,” a conversational non-starter if there ever was one.

The responses from teams this summer have not been much different, just as the Red Sox have not changed their tune about dealing away Bogaerts or Betts. The price for trading for an elite starter remains extraordinarily high since the winter. It is hardly a shocking development that this is truly a seller’s market. With a few exceptions, there is a glut of mediocre starters who can be had. What’s factoring into buyers’ regret-before-even-buying is that there will be a relatively dismal crop of free agent starters available in the offseason.

Still, the Red Sox are keeping in touch with all teams. Their scouts are under the directorate of searching for starting pitching that can help the team “in the present or the future,” according to one source.

The “present or the future” mandate certainly underscores the Red Sox’ realization that their rotational depth is thin enough that finding a short-term solution will not be enough. If an available arm is a young one with a high upside, without necessarily being a good bet to help in the second half of this season, that’s still OK because that starter will still fit into the club’s substantial long-term need.

Since the cost of dealing for an elite pitcher is likely too high for the Red Sox, the team may have to set its sights lower, looking for a middle-of-the-rotation, proven arm that is more in the mold of a, say, Rick Porcello, than a David Price. The club’s recent lengthy deliberation about calling up Roenis Elias from the minors reflects the club’s concern about how many questions surround the major league readiness of onetime top prospects Henry Owens and Brian Johnson.

One source said that if the right fit for a starter at the right cost is not found to help out in 2016, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski could opt to more or less make do with the starters in the system now and instead add hurlers — two, maybe even three — to the bullpen, an attempt to deepen and lengthen out the other half of the pitching staff, the one sure to be tested and strained as the season grinds on and attrition and fatigue begin to impact the rotation.

The priority for now, however, is to find a starter — not at any cost, but a reasonable cost, with dozens of valid interpretations of what defines “reasonable.” This far from the trading deadline, many teams still are not sure if they are contenders for the postseason. That means the following list is subject to shrinkage and expansion but rest assured, there is time to make all the necessary adjustments. If a name is listed here, it’s a name that’s already out there being talked about with far varying degrees of frequency and specificity:

• RHP Sonny Gray, A’s — He’s the most appealing name on this list for many good reasons. Still just 26 years old and not a free agent until 2020, Gray has already compiled a couple of almost-Cy Young Award-worthy seasons. His upside is tremendous, but red flags are out because of a back injury last August and then a trapezius injury last month. He is back now and flashing signs of dominance, but the third time through the order, he is getting hit and hit hard. The A’s asking price is not likely to drop much. The A’s and Red Sox tend to like the same type of players, and the Sox farm system needs to be pruned for moments such as this. If the Red Sox could deal a couple of top prospects not named Andrew Benintendi, Yoan Moncada or Anderson Espinoza plus a couple of other promising prospects or major league types (Clay Buchholz?) who might need a change of scenery, then a Gray deal makes plenty of sense.

• RHP Julio Teheran, Braves — If you thought you heard Cole Hamels’ name a lot last year, brace yourself for Teheran’s, who’s going to be everybody’s favorite trade rumor. There’s good reason for the buzz, and a better chance that he will be traded this summer than Gray, who could last until the winter. Only 25 years old and locked up through 2019 and likely 2020 (team option) on team-friendly terms, Teheran also is a top-flight starter whose best days are still ahead of him. The one-hitter he threw for seven innings against the Red Sox in April was not overlooked by anyone on Yawkey Way. The problem could be in meeting the Braves’ demands, but no doubt the Sox will keep in close contact with Atlanta, where Red Sox executive Frank Wren signed Teheran when he was in Atlanta’s front office.

• LHP Rich Hill, A’s — You’re not alone if you wonder why the Red Sox could not have matched or exceeded the $6 million one-year offer Oakland made for Hill this past offseason. Now, the former Milton High star would be just the right type of proven veteran to slide into the No. 2 or No. 3 spot in the Red Sox rotation, but what a shame that the Red Sox would have to give up a pretty good prospect to get him. If a current groin injury lingers, however, that could really gum up his trade value.

• RHP Jeremy Hellickson, Phillies — The former Ray seldom shined against the Red Sox (4.41 ERA overall in 15 appearances with a 5.09 ERA at Fenway Park in eight starts; .272 batting average against) and the Orioles, but he posted respectable numbers against the Yankees and Blue Jays, especially as a visitor. He’s the type of starter who could look more alluring if he’s sitting there in the waning seconds of the deadline, but the Red Sox will likely need persuasive and convincing reports from a bevy of scouts about how he’s pitching now in order to feel he’s the answer.

• LHP Matt Moore, Rays — He’s still young, 27, and affordable but it’s a stretch to think Tampa Bay would trade him within the division and it’s a curiosity as to why the Rays would even consider listening to offers for him. He’s had an erratic season to date, but there’s so much talent there.

• RHP Colin McHugh, Astros — It’s not a sure thing that the Astros can afford to deal away a starting pitcher, but since they’re listening on McHugh, he’s certainly worth a look as a worthy mid-rotation addition.

• RHP Nate Karns, Mariners — At 28 years old, not even arbitration eligible for another couple of years and the starter with the lowest ERA on a playoff contender, it’s unlikely the Mariners would shop Karns around at all, without eyeing a substantial return. It’s notable that Karns’ name was floated as a potential trade target before Seattle teammate Wade Miley went on the DL.

• Right-handers Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco, Twins — Hey, get your 5-plus ERA vets right here.

Other names bandied about last week and likely to be heard again include Angels lefty Hector Santiago, Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray and the Yankees’ Ivan Nova and CC Sabathia. The Padres’ Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner were supposed to be prime trade bait this summer, but injuries have made them high-risk propositions. Since everybody on the Padres (and the Brewers) is considered to be available, that leaves lefty Drew Pomeranz as another option.

Thorny issue with Ichiro

The word “contrived” fits the kerfuffle about whether Ichiro Suzuki’s hits in Japan should be added to his MLB hits total and make him the game’s all-time hits leader over Pete Rose. The short answer is “no.” Those hits have nothing to do with an MLB record, end of story. As much as I shudder at the prospect of thinking like Rose when it comes to many issues, he’s quite right about this one. Suzuki, by the way, is a lockdown Hall of Famer who has never received his due for his MLB contributions.

Warning signs for E-Rod

Anyone else experience that “uh-oh” sensation when you read Eduardo Rodriguez’ comment Wednesday, the day before his awful start? Asked by Herald reporter Chris Mason if he believed his knee was 100 percent healthy, Rodriguez said, “We’ll see. Start by start.”

Yikes. If that doesn’t tell you that he is pitching with doubt, if not fear, over his physical condition, not much else will. It’s early, and he could rebound and get stronger, but I’ve got a growing suspicion that 2016 is not going to amount to much for Rodriguez. And that’s bad news for the Red Sox.

A sabermetrics summit

Tickets remain available for the Saberseminar, Scouting and the Science of Baseball, scheduled for Aug. 13-14 at Boston University. It’s a fund-raiser for both the Jimmy Fund and the Angioma Alliance (angiomas are abnormally-sized blood vessel clumps in the brain, the kind that former Red Sox outfielder Ryan Westmoreland experienced), and several well-known speakers will be on hand.

Among the expected lecturers are Red Sox scouts and player development types Amiel Sawdaye, Eddie Romero, Ben Crockett and Alex Gimenez, pitching specialist Brian Bannister, senior baseball analyst Tom Tippett, Yankees assistant general manager Jean Afterman, Dan Brooks, pitch f/x specialist and founder of BrooksBaseball.net, baseball physicist Alan Nathan, Baseball Prospectus’ Harry Pavlidis and Fangraphs’ Dave Cameron.

For more info or to buy tickets, go to saberseminar.com.