For the second straight offseason, Toronto Blue Jays fans held out hope that they could land one of baseball’s biggest superstars in free agency.

Last winter, it was two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, who seemed destined for Toronto until it was determined he wasn’t on that plane at all and promptly signed a historic contract with the Dodgers of Los Angeles, eventual winners of the World Series.

This offseason’s major prize is slugger Juan Soto and according to a baseball insider, the Blue Jays are considered the “biggest threat” to win the coin toss against the favored New York Mets and New York Yankees .

“The Jays are seen by industry sources as a viable obstacle to the Yankees and Mets, thanks to easy ownership and strong incentive to improve after the abject disappointment of 2024.” Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported. “They have had difficulty attracting superstars, probably due to geography and finances (high taxes and the Canadian dollar complicate things). But they are said to be very motivated and sources suggest they are considering to become fat.”

Soto, 26, helped the Yankees reach the World Series last season, hitting .288 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs along with a .419 on-base percentage and .989 OPS over 157 games in 2024, his seventh season in the majors. . The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native hit .327 with four homers and nine RBIs in 14 playoff games in October.

The Blue Jays also pursued the star outfielder via trade this past season, but the Yankees ultimately reached a deal with the San Diego Padres.

Soto, a four-time All-Star and Silver Slugger winner, won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in his second season in 2019. He is hitting .285 with 201 homers and 592 RBIs in 936 games with the Nationals, Padres. and the Yankees.

In addition to the Jays, Yankees and Mets, big-market teams including the Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox are all expected to aggressively pursue Soto’s services in free agency, Heyman said. Heyman adds that two “mystery teams” could also be present.

What about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette?

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Ross Atkins, Mark Shapiro and the entire Blue Jays front office have a busy offseason ahead of them as star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could be ready to sign his first major contract with the team.

The 25-year-old four-time All-Star has one year left before hitting free agency and is coming off a bounce-back season in 2024 where he hit a career-high .323 with 30 homers and 103 RBIs.

TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips wrote a column Monday outlining how the Blue Jays could sign Guerrero Jr. to an extension this winter.

Guerrero Jr. spent his entire six-year career with the Blue Jays.

Toronto will also have to figure out what to do with star shortstop Bo Bichette.

The 26-year-old is also a free agent after the 2025 campaign, but is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he hit .225 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 81 games.

The Blue Jays finished last in the American League East in 2024, posting a 74-88 record for their lowest total since 2019.