HOUSTON – Some thoughts on the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline:

• One challenge the Blue Jays face in making deals is that their farm system, while in possession of some coveted prospects, lacks the depth of options that some other clubs have. That manifests itself in trade talks when another team only wants two or three players, and their value may not line up with the target of discussions.

The primary prospects the Blue Jays are getting asked about in trades are believed to be right-handers Conner Greene, Sean Reid-Foley and Justin Maese, first baseman Rowdy Tellez, shortstop Richard Urena and outfielders Anthony Alford and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Of that group, only Greene and Tellez have reached as high as double-A.

Prospects gain value the closer they are to the big-leagues and the Blue Jays have a gap between the majority of their talent and triple-A.

• There are murmurs that infielder Ryan Goins, with triple-A Buffalo on a rehab assignment, is on his way to Houston after Troy Tulowitzki suffered a chip fracture in his right thumb Sunday.

Sportsnet’s Barry Davis tweeted Sunday night that the Blue Jays are cutting ties with left-hander Franklin Morales. That would create a spot for Goins without putting Tulowitzki on the DL, and the team’s current lack of roster flexibility is an issue.

• Last year, the Blue Jays nearly picked up Ben Zobrist from the Oakland Athletics but wouldn’t include Tellez with Matt Boyd. Tellez, who could be ready for the majors late next season, is likely one of the players the A’s want for Rich Hill. They’re believed to be seeking three prospects, but that was before the blisters shut him down.

The Blue Jays have had internal discussions on how they’d deal with his blister problems, and will have to decide how much they’re willing to pay for as little as one month of his work on the mound.

• Given the lack of high-end options in the upcoming free-agent market, the prime currency this winter may very well be prospects as opposed to cash since teams may be more inclined to address needs via trades. While that hasn’t stopped the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs from anteing up, the stash of prospects accumulated by the New York Yankees sets them up to do all kinds of things next off-season.

• The Blue Jays don’t appear to have circled back on left-fielder Jay Bruce, according to an industry source.

• Two rival scouts praised the Blue Jays’ pickup of right-hander Joaquin Benoit last week, saying they felt he still had enough stuff to be a good seventh-inning reliever. Still, both felt the Blue Jays could use another arm for their bullpen.

• Those same scouts were split on what the Blue Jays should do with Aaron Sanchez. One said they should ride him in the rotation from here to season’s end, while the other felt he’s the piece their bullpen really needs.

• Pulling Sanchez from the rotation and moving him to the bullpen won’t be popular in the Blue Jays clubhouse. Barring the acquisition of Chris Sale (it’s not happening, so don’t even go there), they won’t be able to do better than the all-star right-hander on the trade market, but adding a quality starter to take his place would make the switch more palatable. An argument at that point could be made that with Sanchez helping lockdown games and a reasonable replacement in the rotation, the Blue Jays might be better off as a team.