By this time last off-season, Juan Soto was off the market and with the Mets. In theory, given that “Kyle Tucker” is the gem of this season, he should have found his next home, too. Other big names like Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso have all found their home, but not him.
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He visited Dunedin, and things with Toronto looked promising, but that was weeks ago, and since then, there has been radio silence. And no, it’s not just the big figure that concerns teams, but the ‘how he will age’ factor too.
You see back in June, Tucker made a controversial call. He had suffered a hairline fracture in his right hand between his ring finger and pinky. But the Chicago Cubs never announced the diagnosis publicly, and Tucker never spent time on the injury list. Tucker played through it, and while this might look like the four-time All-Star is tough, it can now be called a turning point.
That one decision, made quietly in the middle of the season, may now be reshaping Kyle Tucker’s free agency and costing him millions!
ESPN insider Jeff Passan offered a straight assessment of how that decision has impacted Tucker’s free agency outlook.
“Yeah, I think the value went down some,” Passan said, pointing out that the teams want players looking for the top-of-the-shelf money to come off a year where they look like “superstars.”
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Image: MLB.com
Kyle Tucker did look like that early on, but after getting hurt and trying to play through the injury, his performance suffered badly. There was even a month where he was arguably the worst player in baseball, as per Passan. And the numbers support this major concern.
“I didn’t really try to change my mechanics or anything. I was just kind of playing with it. I was doing fine for a while and, obviously, after a while it kind of turned,” Tucker had said about it.
He finished the season with a good enough. 266/.377/.464 slash line, 22 home runs, and a 143 OPS+ across 136 games. But the late-season drop-off was hard to ignore. But in the final three months, he hit just five home runs and posted a .690 OPS.
And this brings plenty of durability questions, too, given injuries have followed Tucker over the past two seasons, during which he has missed more than 100 games. In 2024 alone, because of a right shin injury, he could play just 78 games with the Astros.
Now, Tucker wants a $400 million deal, as per reports, but the league’s expectations seem to have shifted.
Now the projections all land Tucker in the $300-$350 million range. And it just highlights the increased caution of teams about how Tucker essentially will age. Also, there is an apparent concern about Tucker’s reserved personality and how that would affect the clubhouse. But Passan highlighted that Tucker’s personality should not be mistaken for a poor work ethic.
For now, maybe a lower price is what Tucker needs to take. And for the Toronto Blue Jays, who are most interested in Tucker, this price cut could be one of their happiest news.
Kyle Tucker could be Toronto’s outfield answer
The Blue Jays have made one thing clear this offseason—they mean business. Toronto has been aggressive in addressing all the flaws that kept it from winning the 2025 World Series title—and they’re not slowing down. They amped up their rotation by signing Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, and Cody Ponce.
But with the pitching stabilized, the attention is lined up, and of course, who better than Kyle Tucker?
Now, Toronto is not aiming to be solid at the plate; they want to be elite. And adding Tucker would give them a middle-of-the-order bat that’s capable of changing games, even in what is considered a down season.
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If Tucker lands with the Jays, then the outfield becomes interesting. Daulton Varsho is locked into center field, barring injury. Beyond that, the flexibility remains. During the playoff run, the Jays rotated through Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, Myles Straw, Addison Barger, and Anthony Santander.
George Springer also remains an important piece, splitting time between the outfield and DH. Tucker and Springer could form a rotation between right field and designated hitter, and this way, both can be fresh.
So now, suddenly, Toronto has options and lots of them. Tucker has mostly played right field but has experience in all three spots, so the team can get creative. So it remains to be seen if he will wear the Blue Jays jersey on opening day or not!