Last season, it was all about Juan Soto and where he ended up; this time, it is Kyle Tucker in the same boat. One day, he is linked to the Yankees; the next, to the Blue Jays. But now, Toronto might be stepping out of the Tucker sweepstakes and turning their attention to an ex-New York star—and maybe one with a far less complicated price tag.

The name is Edwin Díaz.

The former Mets closer, who just put his chances of returning to Queens at 50-50, has become a real option for Toronto, which has been aggressive this winter. According to insider Danny Abriano, Toronto has been tied to Bichette, Tucker, and Diaz, a top free agent starter.

This shopping list, according to Abriano, would push the payroll towards $350 million. For a team that finished 2025 with a $278 million payroll, something doesn’t add up. But Diaz, that kind of makes perfect sense.

In fact, just three days back, as per Ken Rosenthal, Diaz’s agents met with Toronto brass during the GM Meetings in Las Vegas. And apparently the Jays told them they would move Jeff Hoffman, their World Series heartbreak closer to the eighth inning, if it meant landing a premium ninth-inning star. And Edwin Diaz is that weapon.

He has a 1.63 ERA, 98 strikeouts, and 28 saves in 31 chances—that can get anyone looking towards him. For now, he wants a deal that’s around $102 million and for five years, ditto like the one he got from the Mets in 2022—and given that Toronto is hungry to get back into WS after that brush of breaking the three-decade-long curse, they might take the plunge.

Plus, it’s important to remember the Jays were inches away from winning. And Diaz wasn’t shy about what matters most to him: “I want to win a ring. Wherever I go, I want to win and enjoy the time.”

As for Tucker, his future with the Jays seems unlikely now, also because Toronto is likely to get Bo Bichette back. At least according to some insiders, Bichette is going to be back—and Toronto likely cannot afford both. Rogers is a public company, not a private owner writing blank checks and making big-ticket splashes. And Bichette is the heartbeat of the team, as well as the homegrown talent that fans cheer for. The writing seems on the wall, doesn’t it?

Toronto Blue Jays eyeing a dream rotation shake-up

Sometimes, learning from your opponents is the smart way to go. And it seems like the Toronto Blue Jays might want to copy the Dodgers’ pitching blueprint in a big way. Edward Eng of Jays Journal laid out what he calls the dream rotation for Toronto in the upcoming year. And let’s just say it is kind of ambitious. For him, the Blue Jays could walk out of this off-season with two big arms, Dylan Cease and Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai.

This is huge because adding them to a rotation that already has Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, and José Berríos, you suddenly have video game-level rotation staff. So for Eng, Gausman still has the No. 1 spot, then Bieber at No. 2, and Cease can then slide in at No. 3, and Imai at No. 4, and Yesavage, the youngest of all, would round things out at No. 5. The logic is simple—ease the pressure on the rookie, and let the veterans carry much of the heavy load.

But will Jays bite? Well, Dylan Cease is one of the most reliable strikeout machines in the game. Five straight seasons of 200-plus strikeouts and 30-plus starts every year—says a lot about his durability. Sure, his 2025 number did dip a little, but he has 215 strikeouts.

Imai, meanwhile, is the international wild card everyone is talking about. He has a 1.92 ERA, 178 strikeouts, and three shutouts with the Seibu Lions. His fastball touched 99 mph, and scouts are roaming around him. But will the Jays land both? It’s a dream scenario for fans. But sometimes baseball can be surprising, so maybe the Jays might be bold enough to give it a go.