Even after winning back-to-back World Series titles, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not satisfied. Turns out they want more star power for their already star-studded roster. And this time, they have their sights on none other than Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette.

Sporting Tribune mentioned the Dodgers as the early favorites to land the shortstop. The interest makes sense given Bichette torched their pitching during the World Series, hitting .348 with a .923 OPS, and who can forget that three-run homer off Shohei Ohtani? So if you can’t fight him, get him, right?

But the Jays are wasting no time firing back. Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith confirmed, “The Blue Jays officially make Bo Bichette a qualifying offer, as expected.” This was not a procedure; it was a statement.

The Jays are not going to let the “evil empire” come get their franchise cornerstone.

Under MLB’s qualifying offer system, teams can extend a one-year deal to a free agent at a fixed salary. In this case, it is $22.025 million for 2026. If the player accepts, he stays for one more year; if he declines, he hits the free-agency and his former team earns draft-pick compensation when he signs elsewhere.

Bo Bichette, who is turning 28 years old in March, is undoubtedly one of the most coveted names on the free-agent market right now. The Athletic’s Tim Britton, in fact, projects him to get an eight-year, $212 million deal this offseason. This is also a figure that dwarfs Willy Adames’s $182 million deal from the San Francisco Giants last winter. Teams, though, seem to be ready to pay top dollar for Bichette’s bat and his steady production. And for the Dodgers, who have the deepest pockets, it doesn’t really seem far-fetched.

Additionally, his resume supports this claim.

Before his knee injury cut his season short, he was hitting .311/.357/.483 with 44 doubles, 18 home runs, and 94 RBIs. This is a strong bounce-back outing after that rather frustrating 2024. And as a career .294 hitter, he has built a rep as one of the league’s best contact hitters.

And LA has its way of signing him.

They could slide him to second or third base. Even ESPN had speculated that this positional change might be there. LA, though, would be adding even more firepower to the lineup, getting Bichette. All the more reasons others ask for a “salary cap” in baseball, isn’t it? But for now, the Toronto Blue Jays are sending a message: if LA wants Bichette, they will have to pay for him.

This offseason clash has officially begun!

If not the Blue Jays, Bo Bichette can help end the 16-year World Series drought

After another bitter collapse, the Yankees were forced to face one truth: their once-feared dynasty has gone quiet. They fell to the Jays in the postseason, thus extending their WS drought to 16 long and odd years. The Yankees are entering the restricting phase, and at the top of their wish list, no doubt is Bichette.

If he lands in the Bronx, it would change the infield completely.

It would mean that the Yankees could displace Anthony Volpe, who had a rough campaign as a shortstop. His postseason struggles of a .192 average with 16 strikeouts, and his 19 regular-season errors (most in the American League), have the Yankees with no choice but to look for options.

And according to Yardbarker, Bichette could be the solution and also a powerhouse to back up Aaron Judge.

Judge has been carrying the team alone on his shoulders for far too long. The team is too “over-reliant” on Judge. Outside of him, the offense with Bellinger is there, but even he is headed to free agency.

This leaves a hole in the lineup that Bichette could fill. And yes, it does scream a “Yankee moment.” And if anything, for the Yankees, it’s about their reputation. They need key players like Bichette, Bregman, and more to revive the Yankee mystique.