Throughout the course of the MLB offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays have been heavily connected to superstar free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Tucker, who entered the offseason as the clear-cut top free agency prize, has not seen his market develop the way it had been expected to develop. Recent reports have suggested that he could have to take a shorter-term deal or less money than he wanted.
As the Blue Jays continue to be one of the teams showing interest in signing Tucker, a new wrinkle has developed that could hurt their chances.
According to a report from ESPN MLB insider Buster Olney on January 10, the New York Yankees are shifting their attention to Tucker and Toronto free agent Bo Bichette due to their contract discussion impasse with Cody Bellinger.
“But barring a shift in the negotiations, it appears his time with the Yankees is over, and they’ll look at other possibilities to augment their roster,” Olney wrote. “The Yankees have remained engaged in the conversations for outfielder Kyle Tucker and infielder Bo Bichette, and as they have haggled in the Bellinger negotiations, they have also engaged other teams about trade possibilities.”
Toronto Blue Jays Must Get Aggressive to Land Kyle Tucker
With this news coming to light, the Blue Jays will need to be very aggressive if they want to sign Tucker.
Just like the Chicago Cubs did with Alex Bregman, Toronto will need to up its offer. If the Yankees are indeed getting heavily involved and actually attempt to sign Tucker, the Blue Jays will have an uphill battle to get him.
Recently, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic made an appearance on Sportsnet 590 The FAN and gave an update about Toronto’s level of interest in Tucker.
“They’re being pretty aggressive in the recruitment of Tucker,” Bannon said. “It’s a bit of a courting session right now, but ultimately it’s going to come down to the contract number.”
If that is the case, the Blue Jays should have no problem getting more aggressive. The last thing Toronto wants to see is Tucker signing with New York. Having to play him within the division and missing out on signing him would be a brutal double blow for the Blue Jays.
Tucker Could Be the Piece That Powers a Blue Jays World Series
Last season, Toronto came up just short of winning it all. Falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series was painful, but it showed just how close the Blue Jays are.
Tucker is coming off of a down year in 2025 with the Cubs. He hit 22 home runs to go along with 73 RBI in 136 games played. In addition, he slashed .266/.377/.464.
While those numbers were not as good as expected, Tucker is one of the best hitters in baseball when he’s healthy. He dealt with injury issues in 2025.
Should the Blue Jays sign Tucker, he could be the piece that was missing. Tucker and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. would immediately form one of the best pure hitting duos in baseball.
It will be interesting to see how Toronto responds to the Yankees renewing their interest in Tucker. Hopefully, the Blue Jays can get aggressive and bring him onboard.
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