TORONTO -- Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi has two free-agent starters in his sights. If he had his way, he'd be able to re-sign Ted Lilly and add Gil Meche to Toronto's rotation, too.

"I think those two guys are hard on our radar right now," Ricciardi said Thursday. "We do have some fallback stuff, but those guys are probably one and one. We haven't even discussed money.

"We like both players and we're going to try to get them. We'll see how it plays out."

Ricciardi also indicated the Jays are also interested in free-agent starters Jeff Suppan and Mark Redman. Earlier this week, the GM said that Toronto probably wouldn't be in the running for either Vicente Padilla or Mark Mulder -- two pitchers the Jays had been targeting.

Meche and Lilly are at the top of Ricciardi's wish list, though. If Toronto succeeded in signing both pitchers, they would fill out a rotation that also includes Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett and Gustavo Chacin.

On Tuesday night, Ricciardi attended a Maple Leafs hockey game in Toronto with Meche, who had his image flashed on the jumbotron with the words "Future Blue Jay" appearing on the screen.

"They're not going to turn around and tell you, 'Oh wow, I love this place,'" Ricciardi said Wednesday. "But I think he had a great visit."

Meche, 28, went 11-8 with a 4.48 ERA and 156 strikeouts last season for the Mariners. The right-hander made $3.7 million in 2006, but he could make more than twice that annually in the current market.

"He's a big, strong guy," Ricciardi said. "I think his upside is in front of him. It's probably not the same stuff as Burnett, but the same type of upside, possibly."

Jays catcher Gregg Zaun, who re-signed with Toronto on Tuesday, has also liked what he's seen from Meche.

"A guy like Gil Meche would certainly help us," Zaun said Wednesday. "I've always been impressed with him. I think he has great stuff and he'd be a great addition to this ballclub."

The 30-year-old Lilly won a career-high 15 games and led Toronto's staff with 160 strikeouts last season, when he was under contract for $4 million. Lilly is seeking a four-year deal in the $34-40 million range. Meche could command a similar deal, too.

"I'll know more as we go on," Ricciardi said. "I know we're talking to both and we're interested in both. So we'll see."

Toronto will likely offer arbitration to Lilly on Friday, which is the deadline for teams to do so with their six-year free agents. Offering arbitration to the left-hander would secure a draft pick if Lilly -- a Type-B free agent -- decides to sign elsewhere.