Baseball’s hot stove is officially cooking.

The off-season has picked up steam with front-office executives from all 30 teams gathered at this year’s winter meetings in Orlando, Fla., and the Toronto Blue Jays are among those creating the loudest buzz. Even after signing free agents Dylan Cease (who’ll be officially introduced on Tuesday) and Cody Ponce, the franchise continues to search for impact additions, particularly on the position-player and reliever fronts.

By all accounts, they remain a serious player to either retain shortstop Bo Bichette or land marquee outfielder Kyle Tucker, but probably won’t sign both. While the franchise remains open to bringing back the former, his market also includes many other potential suitors, including an AL East rival.

According to Boston reporter Ari Alexander, members of the Red Sox brass recently held a Zoom call with Bichette, which reportedly had him coming away feeling impressed by the organization’s pitch.

It’s unclear if the 27-year-old plans to meet with any other interested suitors in the future or has already done so. But it doesn’t appear his market will be closing any time soon.

Boston has been seeking an impact addition to its infield group this off-season, with holes at second and third base. Signing Bichette could address the first of those positions, keeping Trevor Story at shortstop. Or they could decide to swap both players.

The Red Sox also have Marcelo Mayer at their disposal, affording them flexibility to explore the third-base market, leaving the door open for a possible Alex Bregman return or pursuit of power-hitting corner infielder Eugenio Suárez.

Manager John Schneider spoke to reporters on Tuesday for the first time since the aftermath of his club’s heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the World Series last month, where he discussed a wide range of topics, including how the franchise intends to replace bench coach Don Mattingly (set to join the Phillies in a bench coach role) and assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense (hired as the Giants’ lead hitting coach).

The Blue Jays will formally announce their 2026 coaching staff soon, per Schneider, with that announcement expected to arrive this week. There’ll be three new faces around the team next season, two of which will be external hires — Drew Butera being one — and the other coming via an internal promotion.

Schneider added that the club plans to fill Mattingly’s versatile role “in a variety of ways.”

Schneider was also asked about his future, which is no longer in question after he led the franchise to a 20-win increase and its first World Series appearance in 32 years, but hasn’t been officially resolved yet. His current contract, which saw his club option exercised several months ago, is set to expire after next season.

Both sides have briefly discussed what a new deal would look like, but most of that discussion has been tabled for later in the winter. Everyone’s current priority is continuing to focus on roster improvements, now that the coaching staff has been finalized.

Any future business involving extensions for president and CEO Mark Shapiro (whose contract expires next month) and general manager Ross Atkins (signed through 2026) will also likely be put on the back burner until closer to spring training.