LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Ross Atkins boarded a plane back to Toronto with the same roster holes he came to Orlando with.

But that doesn’t mean the Blue Jays general manager didn’t make any headway at the annual GM Meetings, an event usually seen as a groundwork-laying expedition when it comes to free agency.

“We won’t have anything concrete coming out of these meetings,” Atkins said on the third and final day of the meetings at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando. “We feel great about the time spent and the work done internally. One of the the great things about GM Meetings and Winter Meetings is you don’t have one second where you’re not thinking about, ‘How do we make our team better?’ That’s always the case and how we exist, but when we’re in Toronto, we sometimes go home.”

Atkins and the Jays’ delegation of decision-makers took off early Wednesday afternoon, but not before having little to say about reportedly being interested in free-agent outfielder Lorenzo Cain.

He wouldn’t confirm, but he didn’t exactly deny, either.

In addition to possessing elite defensive ability, Cain is a threat on the basepaths and would immediately upgrade the top of the Jays’ lineup.

Atkins, however, doesn’t believe there’s a desperate need for speed, instead using the terms “versatility, balance and athleticism.”

“That’s kind of the narrative,” Atkins said. “I don’t think we’re saying we have to get more speed.”

The Jays finished last in baseball in triples in 2017 — setting a new franchise low in the process with five — and were 29th of 30 MLB clubs in stolen bases with 53, well ahead of only the last-place Baltimore Orioles, who managed only 32 steals last season.

LOTS OF NEEDS, LOTS OF CALLS

Considering they have needs in just about every area of the roster, it should come as no surprise that the Blue Jays are said to have cast a wide net in the early goings of free agency.

Word around the GM Meetings is they’ve checked in on low-cost relievers, outfielders and most of the available starting pitchers on the market.

Atkins himself also said adding a versatile middle infielder is one of his top priorities.

There’s really no area of the roster that’s complete at this point, which makes the Jays one of the biggest wildcards over the next month, leading into the Winter Meetings back in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort from Dec. 10-14.

One executive believes the Jays will be active on the trade front in order to fill some of their holes.

DEADLINE DAY

Don’t be surprised to see the Blue Jays make a transaction or two over the next few days.

The deadline to add players to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Dec. 14 Rule 5 Draft arrives Monday.

Currently, the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster has 36 players on it, leaving room for four more names over the next few days.

If the organization feels they’re going to leave a player exposed who could be selected, they could try to orchestrate a trade prior to Monday’s deadline.

A few of the first-time eligibles are likely no-brainers to be added to the 40-man, a group that includes right-hander Conner Greene and catcher Danny Jansen.

But there are other interesting names that may not be set in stone, such as first baseman Rowdy Tellez, catcher Reese McGuire, and 2014 first-round pick Max Pentecost.

Left-hander Thomas Pannone was passed over in last year’s Rule 5 Draft when he was a member of the Cleveland Indians organization, but Atkins has mentioned his name when talking about big-league ready starting pitching depth, so it’s likely that he’s added after pitching to a 2.36 ERA in 25 starts last season.

Pannone, 23, was acquired by Atkins in exchange for reliever Joe Smith at the trade deadline.

SHOHEI THE MONEY

No one is sure exactly when Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani will be signing, but MLB is hoping he will be able to start negotiating with teams by early December.

MLB chief legal officer Dan Halem said a new framework for the posting process has been agreed to with Nippon Professional Baseball, but there are various hurdles to clear before it can all become official.

The players’ association will have to sign off, before MLB owners approve it via a conference call vote.

PICK UP THE PACE

The pace-of-play issue will get more attention Thursday when commissioner Rob Manfred addresses the media, but Halem is hoping to iron out any potential issues with the MLBPA by mid-January in order to get things moving in time for the 2018 season.

Pitch clocks seem to be inevitable, and they were tested in the Arizona Fall League this year, just as replay was before it was instituted.

Limits on mound visits and split screens to allow for commercials on broadcasts at the same time as half-innings start are also being debated.

The average nine-inning game has jumped by nine minutes since the 2015 season, all the way to three hours and five minutes in 2017.

BORAS IN FINE FORM

As always, super-agent Scott Boras’ meeting with the media Wednesday afternoon was entertaining.

From saying the market for Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer is robust because he’s “Playoffville Federal Express” to describing free-agent pitcher Jake Arrieta as “a big squirrel with a lot of nuts,” Boras talked up his clients one by one.

He also took time to blast the Miami Marlins’ cost-cutting measures, saying it throws competitive balance out of whack, and wants to see money tacked onto new owners’ purchase prices if they lose 100 games.

“There needs to be some restriction so that the integrity of the game, as it applies to other teams, is considered,” Boras said. “So we don’t have divisions playing an opponent that’s going to win 55 games where other divisions have teams winning 75 to 95 games.”

AROUND THE LOBBY

Coming off a season that saw Jose Bautista hit just .203, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported the Tampa Bay Rays could have interest in the 37-year-old outfielder. That report came on the heels of Bautista’s agent, Jay Alou, saying the veteran is willing to play any position next season. … Marlins new part owner Derek Jeter drew quite a crowd Wednesday and was questioned about a potential Giancarlo Stanton trade. Jeter said it’s not a certainty Stanton will be traded and he hasn’t spoken directly with the 59 home-run hitter. The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals seem to be the best matches thanks to their well-stocked farm systems.​