With the winter meetings just a week away, Bo Bichette’s ultimate destination could be decided soon. Projected to sign a massive eight-year, $208 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, are the Toronto Blue Jays already out of the picture? While that remains to be seen, they might also think about signing free agent Edwin Diaz.

“If they are able to sign Bo, that is a massive win this offseason for them,” MLB Network Radio analyst Chris Gimenez said. “You keep your guy, you sign the best available starter, and now they’re going to go out and find somebody at the back end of a bullpen. I don’t know if they’ll play in the Edwin Diaz market. Maybe if they don’t get Bo, maybe they sign somebody like that. Watch out for that.”

Just last week, Fan Sided’s Zachary Rotman also opined the same.

“Admittedly, meeting Diaz’s lavish demands might be too much to ask for, considering how volatile relievers can be,” he said. “The fact that they’d have to part with additional compensation after Diaz rejected the qualifying offer, and the fact that he’ll be 32 years old by Opening Day, but if the Jays are hellbent on improving their bullpen, there isn’t a better option out there than Diaz. They’ve even been connected to Diaz this offseason.”

Apparently, in negotiations with the Mets, Diaz’s push for a five-year deal is proving to be a sticking point, before the player decided to opt out of the five-year, $102 million contract he signed with the Mets after the 2022 season. The player reportedly had two years and $28 million left on his contract.

However, David Stearns and the Mets reportedly aren’t interested in offering Díaz a contract exceeding three years. At the same time, the Mets are also in talks for closers like Robert Suarez and Devin Williams. They’ve been emerging as their potential options if Díaz walks in free agency.

The word out there is that Stearns will stick to his preferred terms for Diaz, despite the fact that teams like the Dodgers and Red Sox could also be pursuing him.

For the record, Diaz authored a strong 1.63 ERA, 98 strikeouts, and 28 saves across 66 ¹/₃ innings across this past season. In fact, he’s bounced back wonderfully from the complete patellar tendon tear he suffered in his right knee in 2023, converting 83% of his saves and striking out 13.7 batters per nine this past two seasons. He even made it clear that he’s perfectly happy staying in Queens.

“I love New York,” he said. “I would love to stay in New York, but if I have to go another place, I would be happy. I want to win a ring, so wherever I go, I want to win a ring and enjoy the time.

“I like the organization. If they came with the best deal for me, I’d enjoy staying with them. But at the end of the day, I don’t know what they’re thinking.”

If the Mets and Diaz are unable to find a middle ground, it’s likely that cross-town rivals will see that as an opportunity.

Are the Mets closer linked with the New York Yankees?

Díaz has been linked to the Yankees for a while now. Then again, the Yankees get tied to just about every big-name free agent each winter. But with Devin Williams having an up-and-down year, they genuinely could use a lockdown closer. And there’s really no one better on the market than Díaz.

The only question is whether their interest will be matched by the financial commitment it’ll take. And so far, the Yankees seem hesitant.

Up until recently, Díaz was locked into a long-term deal with the Mets, signed after his electric 2022 season. It paid him close to $20 million a year. It was also inclusive of an opt-out after the third season, an option he chose to use.

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He also rejected the Mets’ qualifying offer, so now he’s officially a free agent at 31 and still very much in his prime.

His legendary 2022 season, where he posted a 1.31 ERA, 17.1 strikeouts per nine, and a 0.90 WHIP, still remains one of the best relief-pitching performances in MLB history.

For the Yankees, whether they can realistically go after the Mets’ Edwin Díaz ultimately comes down to how they want to handle their payroll.