Dodgers, Blue Jays could rule winter after epic World Series

ORLANDO, FLORIDA — If there’s one team that’s willing and able to give up an outfielder kyle tucker The $400 million he wants in free agency is toronto blue jaysThat’s according to multiple agents, executives and managers at baseball’s annual winter meetings this week. And if there is a team that has the ability to both trade and expand detroit tigers ace tariq skubalAccording to insiders, it is los angeles dodgers,

Less than six weeks after engaging in one of the most exciting, hard-fought World Series in recent memory, the Blue Jays and Dodgers remain at the center of an offseason that is expected to be jam-packed with activity next week that is once again embedded in the game’s subconscious.

The Blue Jays have already signed arguably the best free agent pitcher dialing off A seven-year, $210 million contract, and are willing to be handed another nine-figure deal in search of a bat. The Dodgers signed the most decorated closer in free agency, agreeing to a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers. Edwin DiazAnd the resources are there to complete the biggest trade of this offseason, in whatever form it takes. The Blue Jays ultimately would not be able to land Tucker. The Dodgers – looking for an outfielder and also interested in Tucker, though only on a short-term deal – could not find Skubal. But their presence is palpable at a time when so many mass-market owners are unwilling to spend.

chicago cubs Need a variety of pitching, but are wary of the luxury-tax limit; Houston Astros There is a dire need to replace the free agent framber valdez Into the rotation but will likely have to do so via trade; San Diego Padres And Texas Rangers Looking to cut costs once again; san francisco giants They are expected to act conservatively; and though boston red sox, New York Yankees And New York Mets Were all to sign at least one major free agent position player this offseason, they’re all doing things in more budget-conscious ways than their fans would like.

A free agent pool that’s defined more by its depth than its star power is certainly a factor. But two agents who spoke to ESPN this week said some teams have told them they are not pursuing him aggressively in free agency because of labor issues. There will be a lockdown next December And could significantly change the economics of the game. League and team sources have said the continued decline in local TV deals is an equally big factor, if not more so. And yet the Blue Jays and Dodgers seem to exist outside those concerns, which perhaps shouldn’t be surprising.

The Blue Jays are supported by Rogers Communications, one of Canada’s largest media conglomerates. The Dodgers, further strengthened by the huge revenue streams generated by shohei ohtaniWhat many consider to be the most lucrative and most stable local-media contract in the industry.

They may be on another collision course.

if you want To understand how things have changed financially for the Dodgers since signing Ohtani 24 months ago, look no further than the relievers. In early 2025, the Dodgers signed tanner scott The four-year, $72 million deal was the kind of big commitment to a shaky group that Andrew Friedman, now in his 12th year as president of baseball operations, had spent his entire career avoiding. Scott performed tremendously in his first year in L.A., and yet Friedman went to the well again Tuesday, and addressed the Dodgers’ ninth-inning need by rewarding Diaz with the highest average annual value ever for a reliever.

Ultimately it’s not that complicated: Dodgers owner Mark Walter is willing to spend whatever he wants, and his lieutenants are happy to oblige.

“We’re in a really strong position financially right now, and our ownership group has been incredibly supportive of bringing it back to our team and partnering with our fans,” Friedman said.

“As we look at things, if we were on a really tight budget, we probably wouldn’t be allocating the same way. But having more resources, it allows us to be a little more aggressive at that point. In a world where there are bigger constraints, that wouldn’t be an area where I would personally allocate over other areas. But we’re in a really fortunate position right now, and we have a very talented team going into 2026. We’re going to do all that “The best situation we can do to win the World Series.”

Diaz followed Ohtani, yoshinobu yamamoto, tyler glasnow, teoscar hernandez, blake snell, roki sasaki and Scott – all of whom were considered among the best players available at their respective positions over the past three offseasons, have all been acquired by the Dodgers. The team’s competitive-after-tax payroll ends up being about $415 million in 2025, $70 million more than the second-place Mets. Diaz’s deal all but ensured that he would exceed Major League Baseball’s ceiling once again in 2026.

Dodgers interested in bringing enrique hernandez back, sources said, and would prefer to trade off a surplus of outfield prospects to bolster its lineup, which will include bat-to-ball specialists cleveland patron left fielder steven quan And St. Louis Cardinals utility man Brendan Donovan Is seen as ideal. In other words, they can very easily take the straight path. Or, as they aggressively pursue a three-peat, they could pounce on Tucker with another short-term, high-AAV deal, or use their vast starting-pitching depth — including, perhaps, Glasnow, whose name has been tossed around — to get Skubble. They can even do both.

In the words of one rival executive: “You can never rule out anything with them.”

tucker makes his Offseason home in Tampa, Florida, 25 miles from the Blue Jays’ spring training headquarters in Dunedin. It’s not easy visiting the campus of one of his most aggressive supporters as Tucker heads into his first free agency. And yet news of his sighting there last week raised eyebrows — not only from Blue Jays fans still reeling from the World Series loss, but also from industry insiders who recognize what kind of game changer that location could be.

Of course, no single facility alone can impress a top-tier free agent, but if one is capable of doing so, it’s the Blue Jays’ massive, state-of-the-art spring training home.

As one agent said, “It’s sick.”

But this is also nothing new. The Blue Jays boast arguably the most advanced complex in baseball since the completion of an $80 million renovation five years ago. Meanwhile, the city of Toronto has always been held in high esteem. His fans have always been passionate. But these past eight months, during which Vladimir Guerrero Jr.Signed a $500 million extension and led a World Series that enthralled the entire nation, players’ perception of him has changed dramatically,

“You’re on a Zoom call with high-profile players talking a lot about the organization, the facilities, the players on the team and their conduct,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It’s a change. I feel like in years past, with some of the higher-profile players, it was kind of like we were selling us to them, whereas now I feel like as soon as players start talking to us, they know what they’re getting into.”

For so long, the Blue Jays were the team left at the altar. gets inspired juan sotoJust heartbroken because of Ohtani and Sasaki. The hope now is that players will finally get their money. It started in April with the extension of Guerrero, then Cease and fellow starter Cody Ponce In free agency earlier this month. But the Blue Jays are also expected to add a late-season reliever, and many agents and rival executives view him as the favorite for Tucker or Bichette — or potentially both.

Their performance in the World Series makes them a legitimate landing spot for players eager to win and sheds new light on a stretch previously marked by three playoff appearances and zero wins. It also highlights their most attractive qualities.

Schneider’s popularity among players is one of them. Canada’s enthusiasm for the Blue Jays, who became the country’s only major league franchise after the Montreal Expos left, is another matter. Their facilities – a massive campus in Dunedin and a state-of-the-art weight room in Toronto, designed to make them a destination venue – are yet another.

However, most notable is his money.

Ultimately it may make a difference.