Kyle Tucker to a Rival? One Projection Spells Trouble for the Blue Jays’ Offseason Plans. DD
The Toronto Blue Jays may not get their man after all.
The Toronto Blue Jays entered the offseason swinging their financial hammer so to speak after falling just short of their first World Series title in over three decades.
General manager Ross Atkins and Toronto ownership have clearly shown they are not afraid to spend, handing out hundreds of millions in contracts to the pitching staff in order to re-tool and come back next season with an improved rotation and bullpen.
With major moves for arms likely done, the focus has shifted to which of the big bats remaining they could wind up getting.
A looming potential reunion with Bo Bichette exists, as does the possibility of stealing away Cody Bellinger from the New York Yankees.
The most connected target however, has been the top free agent on the market overall in soon-to-be former Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker, with the slugger even making a visit to the Blue Jays spring training facility.
Despite all the noise however, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report in his recent updated projections on Monday still has Tucker winding up with Toronto’s hated rivals in the Bronx.
Blue Jays Predicted to Lose Tucker to Yankees
Kelly projected New York to wind up being the top dog for Tucker by signing him to a deal for 10 years and $360 million, which contains a player opt-out after the 2029 season, which seems to be the rough consensus amount he’s projected to get.
“For being the consensus top free agent available this offseason, things have been surprisingly quiet on Kyle Tucker,” Kelly wrote.
“The Yankees remain an interesting potential landing spot for Tucker, who seemingly would thrive playing 81 games a season at Yankee Stadium…
The defending AL Champion Blue Jays may prove to be the best landing spot for Tucker, though perhaps we’re putting too much stock in the Tampa native making the relatively close trip to Dunedin.”
If Toronto does miss out on Tucker, there are other options, but in all likelihood, not landing him would result in disappointment.
Who Blue Jays Can Target if Tucker Heads to Yankees
Though some have alluded to Toronto being able to land both Tucker and Bichette, it likely is one or the other, and losing Tucker obviously makes it a whole lot more realistic to keep Bichette, depending on who signed first.
Bellinger also looms as a backup option if Atkins is fixated on landing an outfielder, though the argument could be made they should prioritize him over Tucker.
Beyond the obvious names here, there are a couple of real fits who could make a ton of sense.
The Blue Jays have been linked as one of the teams interested in a trade for Ketel Marte, and that pursuit got some great news on Monday with the release of his no-trade list, which ironically included the Yankees.
An interesting possibility, which has also been mentioned, is the chance of swooping in on Alex Bregman to join the infield if Bichette were to leave, something which would be a wonderful solution as well.
All this to say, it’s not Tucker or bust in terms of big-name free agents left for Toronto, but fans who are hoping to see the all-around star wind up north of the border are going to have to worry about New York looming here.
