By Nick Deeds | January 15, 2026 at 8:55am CDT 8:55am: ESPN’s Jeff Passan was a guest on Sportsnet in Toronto this morning and reported on air that the Blue Jays have been “the only team that has shown the willingness to go as deep as 10 years, potentially” (video link). Passan adds that a decision from Tucker could occur before the end of the week. 7:08am: The Mets have made a four-year offer to star outfielder Kyle Tucker, according to a report from Mike Puma of the New York Post. MLBNetwork Radio’s Jim Duquette suggested yesterday that the Mets were “likely” to extend their offer to four years yesterday. Tyler Ward reported as early as yesterday morning (prior to Duquette’s report) that the Mets had offered $200MM over four years. Tucker, 29 this weekend, has had an unusually quiet market by the standards set by other recent top free agents like Juan Soto, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge, each of whom signed in December. Things have begun to ramp up in a big way this past week, however, and all signs have pointed towards a trio of teams emerging as the most likely landing spots for the multi-time All-Star: the Mets, the Blue Jays, and the Dodgers. Previous reporting has indicated that the Blue Jays have a long-term deal on the table for Tucker, while the Mets have preferred a shorter-term arrangement at a premium average annual value. Concrete reporting regarding the Dodgers’ pursuit of Tucker has been minimal, but previous comments by the front office throughout the winter have suggested a hesitance towards adding another long-term deal to their aging roster and blocking elite top outfield prospects like Zyhir Hope and Josue De Paula long-term. Reporting on the Mets’ offers to Tucker has varied throughout the week. Initial reports suggested the club had made a three-year offer to Tucker within the $120MM to $140MM range, and later reporting indicated that the Mets had offered a $50MM AAV without a specific number of years attached to that report. This latest report of a four-year offer also comes without a specific AAV attached to it. That leaves open the possibility that New York has multiple offers on the table for Tucker, with varying annual salaries and contract structures that all fall under the more general umbrella of short-term with relatively high annual salaries. Of course, it’s also possible that the Mets have simply raised their offer over the past few days. If owner Steve Cohen and his front office have offered Tucker $200MM or more over the next four seasons, that would surely be a difficult package to turn down without an incredible long-term offer. Tucker would be in line to re-enter free agency ahead of his age-33 season, and while he’d likely need to settle for another shorter-term contract headed into his mid-thirties it’s worth remembering that Kyle Schwarber landed a five-year, $150MM contract with the Phillies as a DH-only slugger headed into his own age-33 season earlier this winter. In that context, it’s not difficult to imagine Tucker earning $350MM or more over the remainder of his playing career if he were to complete a four-year deal at a $50MM AAV and sign another contract or two afterwards. It’s also possible (and perhaps even likely) that a shorter-term arrangement would come with at least one opt-out opportunity somewhere in the deal that would make it even easier for Tucker to return to free agency in search of a more lucrative offer. On the other hand, it’s not hard to argue that Tucker is worth the exact sort of incredible long-term offer that would be worth passing on $200MM over four years in favor of. An All-Star in four consecutive seasons, Tucker finished fifth in AL MVP voting back in 2023 and since then has posted 9.2 bWAR and 8.7 fWAR in just 214 games with a .274/.388/.507 (152 wRC+) slash line to show for it. A tough second half with the Cubs last year and injuries that have limited him to that relatively light volume of games over the past two years have seemingly caused some level of concern among interested clubs, but the upside of adding a perennial MVP candidate to the middle of the lineup in his prime years is undeniable. MLBTR’s own prediction for Tucker’s contract at the outset of the offseason was an 11-year, $400MM pact. That sort of contract would be a no-brainer to choose over a shorter-term deal, even at a $50MM AAV. How far below that figure a long-term offer could come in before Tucker would start to more seriously consider a short-term, high-AAV pact would surely depend on Tucker’s own personal tolerance for risk and desire for stability. It would certainly be bold to eschew something even in the range of the $330MM deal Bryce Harper landed in Philadelphia during the 2018-19 offseason, but a fair counterargument to that would be that Harper himself well might have come out ahead financially had he instead signed the reported short-term, $45MM AAV offer he received from the Dodgers that winter and returned to the market in a few years’ time. Wherever Tucker will ultimately land, and whatever contract structure he will ultimately settle on, it’s increasingly likely his free agency is hurtling towards a conclusion in the coming days. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported earlier this morning that a decision from Tucker’s camp could come as soon as today, and given the frenzy of reporting over the past few days it seems likely that the parties involved are all in the process of making their top offers as Tucker nears a decision. New York Mets Newsstand Toronto Blue Jays Kyle Tucker 23 hours ago So 4yr $200mil? He’s gotta take that. 22 hours ago Jays reportedly were willing to offer 10 yrs. Maybe 10yrs/$300M? That’d be the decision Tucker would have to make. 22 hours ago That’s not much of a decision imho Pledge 6 years (even at age 33) for 100 million? I would think any long deal would be filled with opt outs 21 hours ago dos – I just want to know how Tucker can be 29 only for the weekend??? Sorry, couldn’t resist :O) Yeah if I were him I’d bet on myself and take the $200M over 4 years, perhaps demand an opt-out after Year 3. 21 hours ago I doubt it’s a concrete $50m per for four years. If it is, Soto may demand a new deal… 21 hours ago I’d take half that for 4 years of work…. 18 hours ago 2 cents, you have that backwards. A short deal would have opt outs, probably after the first year. A long-term deal probably doesn’t have any. They would want to build around him. 10 hours ago dewey – It’s the Mets. The same team that gave Verlander $43M+ annually over 2 years, and Scherzer $43M+ annually over 3 years … 2 guys who were a lot older than Tucker is now. It’s not that much of a stretch for them to increase AAV by $7M and years by one. 22 hours ago After his 200 million contract, if Tucker thinks he can get a 100MM+ contract, he would go for the Mets. Also, Blue Jays contract to work is like 11 years, 390 million? 22 hours ago And certainly with opt outs on the back end 22 hours ago Thats easy math 22 hours ago Jays will probably have to to higher than $300M if it’s 10 years at this point. $350M seems more appropriate. 21 hours ago Lmao!!! More like Tucker will get somewhere around 10/380 which easily better than 4/200 as an injury can kill his chances of getting another contract at age 33 20 hours ago Not really, 10/300 only has a purchasing power of about 260m due to inflation. 4/200 has a purchasing power of 183m. Kind of a no brainer to go with the mets frontloaded choice in that scenario 19 hours ago You have to wonder if the 10 years is a drop from the agent to the media. I can’t see the Jays doing that in this environment for a 29 year old. 22 hours ago The thing about taking $200m for 4 years is what if he blows his knee out in year 2. a 33 year old with no legs and a decent bat will struggle to sniff a $100+ contract, or whatever he needs to make up the longer term contract. If he has a $300-350m offer in hand for the remainder of his career, it’s hard to turn that down. If it has opt outs, that’s the best of both worlds. He can lock in a large sum and if he’s still healthy and good in 3 – 5 years, he can opt out and get another big bag. If he struggles, he just stays where he is. Either way, the longer term guarantee still feels like the safer bet. (unless there are no opt outs) 21 hours ago They’re not guaranteeing the backend of that deal if jays are really offering 10 years, there’s almost certainly opt outs on the back end of it 21 hours ago Sam “They’re not guaranteeing the backend of that deal” The money is guaranteed, if there are opt outs. 19 hours ago He doesn’t even need to blow a knee. He could turn around and find himself on the outside looking in if the market for 33 year old FA outfielders is bearish, regardless of how he performs. And who knows what the next CBA will bring. If I were Tucker, I wouldn’t sign a 3-4 year deal. That’s a death sentence to your potential earnings. You’re getting me at 2 (with an opt out after 1) or 7-10. 17 hours ago I’m guessing the four year offer has an opt out after years 1 and/or 2 22 hours ago “This latest report of a four-year offer also comes without a specific AAV attached to it.” Put differently, we don’t know what we don’t know. 21 hours ago BSE “Put differently, we don’t know what we don’t know” Uh, no. We do know what we don’t know The AAV of the deal 21 hours ago Reading the comments make me think we don’t know what do know 21 hours ago Yes 100% he has to take it!!! Who wants to play in Toronto and go thru customs all the time anyway??? Let’s Go Mutts!!! 20 hours ago 8 years at $416M. is what he’s GOTTA take 4 years wont suffice 17 hours ago he won’t sniff that offer 20 hours ago Mutts or Bust 23 hours ago He’s either going to the Mets or the Blue Jays. See what the Blue Jays do next, it’s going to be a long term deal. 22 hours ago I wouldn’t rule out a “mystery” team just yet… 22 hours ago I would, the market is heating up. Likely too late. 22 hours ago Market might be heating up, but it’s not too late. He remains unsigned and pitchers & catchers haven’t even started to think about reporting… 22 hours ago Who might be the mystery team. 22 hours ago The only Mystery Team with this kind of cash is the Dodgers. I doubt they’re lurking on Tucker but possibly on Bichette 22 hours ago Some teams are better at keeping things quiet than others. Arizona grabbed Arenado this year and everyone was shocked when they signed Burnes. Detroit has been good at keeping things quiet (but I highly doubt they go there). Tampa cleared payroll and went after Freeman in the recent past. Lots of ither teams like SF and Balt have been mentioned previously. Who wouldn’t benefit from Tucker at the right price? 22 hours ago I think one of the remaining big three bats (Tucker, Bichette, Bellinger) gets signed by someone we didn’t expect. 22 hours ago Laureano’s contract is looking like a real bargain 1yr./6.5M – do you trade Laureano in this market? 22 hours ago Dodgers have five or six good prospects ready for a look. Ward went .290/.380/.557 at AAA last season and has averaged 30 HRs a season for the past five seasons. De Paula, Hope and Quintero all top 100 prospects. They have Alex Call on the bench too. Even Bo Bichette is outlandish when Edman can play 2B and Alex Freeland on the farm. 22 hours ago As always No ABs, depends on the return. He isn’t untouchable, but he is also slated to be a key cog in my Padres’ lineup! 22 hours ago I would rule out Colorado, the A’s and any “obvious” rebuilds (StL comes to mind)… but everybody else is fair game for similar if not different reasons. Yes, even Miami could sign him. 21 hours ago Yanks if they keep whiffing on Bellinger 21 hours ago Apparently it was reported yesterday the Dodgers have made Tucker a massive short term offer. Not sure how legitimate the reporting is, but it sounds right. One season, make bank, try for a ring and not have to be the man. Get his stats up and raise his value. Yeah I know everyone will have a heart attack. But if the next off-season is actually be the bloodbath many want it to be, they might as well lean into it for one more season. 21 hours ago To MLBTR staff – I’d appreciate it if you didn’t edit my comments and post them up with your edits, even in the slightest way. If there is an inappropriate word in the comment, make a decision to post the comment as it is written or strike it entirely. 20 hours ago Id stick with Laureano after the season he posted in ’25 but he likely wont be a Padre past ’26 if he puts up another .850+ OPS season. That will be an interesting FA – Laureano in his age 33 season. 19 hours ago Would Tucker be comfortable taking a one year with the lock out possibility and no idea what the next agreement will look like? I expect he will want at least a 3 year with extremely high AAV. So I strongly doubt any team could lock him up for just one year. 18 hours ago What if the stock market fails in ’27, the dollar crashes and all the contracts are voided due to multiple bankruptcies across the league. Cohen probably sees it coming, might as well as write a couple big checks before it all goes boom. 22 hours ago Pirates! 22 hours ago They spend, but not that much. 22 hours ago My money is on Mets or Toronto too Astros, but I could see another team pivot to try and get him with recent signings or trades by other teams in their division effecting the balance of power (i.e. Boston signs Suarez so Baltimore or the Yankees amp their offer up to keep pace). 21 hours ago I wish we would go get Tucker on a massive deal, but no, we aren’t in that tier of spending. 23 hours ago If true so interesting. Mets $200 for 4 and then go back through this in 4 years (or after 1 if given an opt out) Jays (nothing officially leaked but sounds like they were hunting 7 years, at or below 40…. And that this Mets news could be the agency pushing the jays for more years). Hopefully we find out soon Just read an article about jays being engaged on skubal talks…..now that could come into play here. 10 at say 45….Tucker or Skubal…. 22 hours ago With the reported asks from Detroit for Skubal, the return would likely be centered around Yesavage, maybe Barger too. That would be an all in move by Toronto. Those are the types of players they are asking for. I’d hate to go watch a Tigers/Jays game in Toronto this year and see Skubal pitching for the other side. 21 hours ago I don’t think the Blue Jays will trade Yesavage, though a trade will be centered around him. 21 hours ago If you’re trading for Skubal, no top prospect is off limits. 17 hours ago Well you can make prospects untouchable but you may not land Skubal. At the end of the day the Tigers will take the best package. Say the Mets make McLean untouchable, which they basically have said. A deal of Tong, Sproat, Williams, and Ewing may be the best offer the Tigers get. The Tigers also have to consider if they move Skubal now they have more Teams involved. If they wait to the trade deadline because they are out of it they have less teams involved. And also smaller and not as good packages for Skubal for a half year rental. The Mets aren’t making that deal if they can’t get Boras and Skubal to agree to an extension before the deal is completed. Which means a deal with the Mets probably won’t happen because Boras will want Skubal to go to FA. So I guess it’s a moot point. lol. 17 hours ago Unless an Extension was part of the trade….not unprecedented 17 hours ago I would wait until next year for Skubal. 22 hours ago It’s probably like this: $180M for 4 years (opt outs after years 2 and 3), Jays offer is 9 and $335M, Dodgers haven’t made an offer, but it would be shorter term and less AAV than the Mets. 20 hours ago I think you might be right! I never thought of that. This Mets “reporting” is very weird/drive up the price. 20 hours ago Which really a team should do as much as possible. 23 hours ago Honestly hes good but not that good.Tucker is a 280 30 hr guy. Very good but 50 mil is a joke! 22 hours ago Bregman got 40M/yr last year it’s not that crazy when it’s a short term deal covering your prime years. He’s prob won’t be worth that but Cohen doesn’t care if he gets ripped off a few mil a year if it helps them compete he’s willing to do it. 22 hours ago The problem is the mets Pitching. They need a framber to be a workhorse. Peterson and Holmes are not aces. They have alot of older players. Now in a playoff They can easily go all the way. But pitching is what wins. Look at Yamamoto and I hate the dodgers. But he was incredible. Have to take the pressure off the kids. Like McLean and sproat. 22 hours ago How does this relate to claiming it’s an “expensive mistake” 22 hours ago Because they need to spend the money on pitching and not 50 mil for one hitter. They could have addressed 2 needs with that money. 21 hours ago I agree fully with you taker 21 hours ago I don’t see how Tucker moves the competitive needle that much. 21 hours ago Very much is a joke, but hard to state that here—too much of a collective frenzy about the guy and his anticipated signing. As w so many deals, this one will likely not live up to the hype. 19 hours ago It doesn’t really matter what you nor I think Tucker is worth. Baseball free agency doesn’t operate on a rational market. It matters to the signing team how much he can help them win and his impact to their bottom line. Takes spending money to make more money. Sometimes it’s money well-spent, sometimes it’s not. 23 hours ago 50 million a year for a .266 hitter..LoLoL Mets 22 hours ago We are using batting average from one singular year to gauge a players worth in the big 26? How about he’s been worth 4.5+ WAR the past 5 years straight. 22 hours ago Never batted .300 in his career.and for 50 million , you better have a 8 war. 22 hours ago I also don’t understand baseball! Glad to find someone else here like me, DavRoz! 18 hours ago Try again. Your feeble attempt at an insult, didn’t work? 23 hours ago So… 4/200? 23 hours ago This smells like a VERY expensive mistake. 22 hours ago Factoring the Cohen Tax, too… Sheesh. 23 hours ago He’d be ridiculously stupid not to take $200 for 4yrs. He can easily score another big contract after that if he performs. 19 hours ago Only if there is an opt-out after one year. He’s only made $33.5 thus far so a long-term deal may still be more appealing to him. 22 hours ago Why would it be a mistake? It’s not your money. I rather a shorter mistake than a long mistake…. ie see Anthony Rendon and Kris Bryant to name a few 22 hours ago A driving money concern from fans now is how revenue money helps pay the salary. The more they make, the more we pay. Where the Blue Jays play: 3 chicken fingers, a handful of fries and a pop is $37.50. That price goes the same for everything else 22 hours ago Vandi “The more they make, the more we pay.” You have it exactly backwards The more money fans willingly give to MLB, the more money is available to pay player salaries. Do you think the Mets would know that the could charge $37.50 for chicken fingers, fries and a soda and decide to only charge $20 because they don’t have any big contracts? 22 hours ago Ok! Thanks. Appreciate the response. 21 hours ago That’s Canadian money. Multiply it by ,7. So your $37.50 is really only $26.25. You’d pay more at Fenway, They have to pay their players in real dollars. 14 hours ago Best Screename Ever, you have the best screen name ever, I agree. 22 hours ago This may get it done. I knew the 3 year wouldn’t. The Blue Jays advantage is years, but 50 aav for 4 years is insane. Tucker isn’t worth that, and he may be smart to take it. 22 hours ago Will be pleasantly surprised if he comes to Queens. Toronto really impressive pursuit. Great city too. NYY have had a relative cake wake in AL east for a long time. TOR, BOS, BAL set to make it a battle royal 22 hours ago Am I the only person who thinks that Tucker is CRAZY not to take that deal? And I don’t think he’s a 10 year / 300 mil kind of talent… There are quite a few guys who can pop 20, steal 20 and play strong defense in the corners. Very few of them cost that kind of money. If you can trade for a guy like Jarren Duran and not give out that kind of money, why pay the extra for potentially a few more points in the OPS category? I think whoever signs him, if its long term, will regret that decision. 22 hours ago FFDF ” few more points in the OPS category” 2025 wRC+ Tucker 136 Duran 111 2025 Runs created Tucker 26 Duran 9 Tucker is a decidedly better hitter at this point than Duran “If you can trade for a guy like Jarren Duran and not give out that kind of money, why pay the extra” Because if you trade for Duran, you also have to give up players. 9 hours ago I’m not saying Duran is the better hitter. I’m saying if you can drastically improve your outfield dealing to the Sox requesting their surplus, you would avoid taking a huge financial risk. There are limited teams with a lockout imminent that are willing to take on that payroll. So for 26-28 teams that operate in a pretty strict budget, the prospect cost is more palatable than losing a prime year or 2 to lockout. Just for some perspective. 22 hours ago If I’m offering $50M a year to Tucker, I’m not going more than 2+1 on the years. 7/$280M is still a large payout, but if Tucker wants a longer team deal, going above the $40M AAV is bad business. I think ultimately he ends up with Toronto. He fits the current crop of Jays hitters (decent power, works walks, gives tough at-bats, puts the ball in play). The Jays have so many contracts coming off their books next offseason that he’s really only pushing the payroll this season. 21 hours ago I addressed the ‘contracts coming off the books’ argument yesterday. Briefly, it makes no sense. After this year their #1 starter, their centerfielder have contracts that are expiring. Unless they are going to just concede and fill with replacement-level players, they are going to have to pay even more than they already are for those positions. And if they’re just going to concede from 2027 on it doesn’t make any sense to lay out a fortune for a just better than average Tucker now 20 hours ago If everything works out for Toronto this year and they go deep in the playoffs then they use that money to pad the team. If everything doesn’t work out and they don’t make the playoffs then it’s a soft reset below the first luxury tax level of 241 Mil. 14 hours ago I can envision a scenario where none of this works out in Toronto’s favor. The Jays had the same team last year that burped out a giant “meh” in 2024. Same dudes. What if they revert back to being those guys? And then all the money thrown at the new guys may end up being money mis-allocated. We all know the downsides of Cease. There is the uncertainty with Ponce coming over from Korea. There is the general erratic nature of relievers with Rogers. Bo Bichette is likely gone. Everyone else like Gausman and Springer are a year older. I believe there is a non-negligble chance the Merry Blue Jay Flotilla may spring a major leak. Not trying to go out of my way to be pessimistic but it’s a possible reality that should be looked at with clear eyes. 22 hours ago Josue De Paula looks like a prospect to get excited about. Great patience at the plate. 22 hours ago It likely comes down to what team he would prefer to play for…. and only knows which team that is. 22 hours ago Take it Kyle. Take Cohen’s money and ride the pine. 22 hours ago I swear the Mets are either killed for letting guys go and now are getting killed for being overly aggressive to make sure they get a guy. 22 hours ago Exactly. The majority of fans won’t relent on Alfonso. Doesn’t matter what metric is used. I am on the other side. I am glad they let Alfonso go AND I am not sure of Tucker. If they get him, then go into ST with what you’ve got. I am still on the one year contracts for Bassitt Kopech, Hays and Lowe train. Likely would cost $30m. 21 hours ago Alfonso??? 21 hours ago Auto-correct. Alonso. 21 hours ago It does look kinda crazy that they are taking the money it would have cost for Diaz and Alonzo and spending it instead on Kyle Tucker. not what I would have thought. 21 hours ago Diaz was not for lack of negotiating. It was a failure to prioritize it. However, reading the tea leaves, he wanted to go to the Dodgers, and just ret-conned the reasoning afterward. Alonso was gone because they were sick of Boras tactics, and Cohen especially was incensed that Alonso came out after a brutal last game loss and said he was opting out. Between him turning down Cohen’s long term offer of $158m/7, then causing heartache last year when he had no market (Cohen bailed him out…Alonso had no credible offers), he was sick of negotiating with Boras and Pete. Everybody blames the crap out of Cohen/Stearns on that one. He wasn’t going back to the Mets and changed his profile on Instagram the day after the Mets lost to the fish. 20 hours ago Alonso is gone because of the entire history of negotiations between him and the Mets. He believed he was low-balled by Eppler. Hired a new agent. Mets hire a new GM. New GM is pessimistic about Alonso’s aging curves and philosophically doesn’t believe in long-term mega contracts. Alonso wants to get paid long term. Alonso gets pissed his market never materializes with a QO attached. After the 2024-2025 off-season, Alonso was as good as gone. Stearns probably could have signed him to the original offer of 7 / $156 and come out ahead. Stearns had no interest in retaining Pete or else he would’ve offered a fair market (albeit club friendly) long-term deal knowing that Pete would walk after a short term deal or opt out. Stearns is a slave to sabermetrics and doesn’t think Pete is a good / valuable ballplayer despite his ability to consistently hit HRs at a pace that only future HOFer Aaron Judge has beaten. 14 hours ago JdAW – those are all solid ball players. Good eye. 19 hours ago But they’re not really being aggressive. These short-term offers are ‘kicking the tires’ deals that serve as a reference point for longer-term deals. Not every player is identical, but they generally enjoy longer term stability over multiple rounds of free agency. I have to think that if the Jays are willing to offer 10 / $300-350M that Tucker is going to play the rest of his career in Toronto rather than gamble on that last $100-150M. 19 hours ago I’d say they are being aggressive. If a player wishes to shop that to a team they prefer there is no reason to continue. They got played by two international players, Boras with Alonso, and a few others. I understand them not jumping into the fire to be used again to a player not really wanting to be there. Almost happened with Soto. And I think Cohen getting involved and upping the offer is good faith. I would end it there and let Tucker go where he feels he wants to go. 17 hours ago It’s not about players ‘not wanting to be there.’ Players of Alonso or Tucker’s caliber hit free agency and want rest-of-career deals. If Stearns opened up the off-season talking about 6 year deals in the realm of $20-23M per year before Schwarber came off the board, then Alonso would be a lifetime Met. But Alonso doesn’t want to mess around with these short-term deals and suddenly find himself unemployed for getting hit the wrong way in the hand. Tucker would be stupid to sign a 3-4 year deal as a player entering his age 29 season. He will never be more valuable as a FA as he is right now. 13 hours ago Remember there was some real toxicity going on in that clubhouse. Stearns needed to put a kibosh on that going forward. Maybe that had something to do with how fast some of those guys were jettisoned?? (I don’t know the details, I just know it was pretty damn toxic.) 22 hours ago He’s the last great free agent bat until 28 or 29. Yankees should go for it. 22 hours ago I don’t hate Kyle Tucker but this guy is more like the current Mike Trout than the 29 year old version of Bryce Harper. 21 hours ago His agent is PT Barnum. Except Barnum only claimed there was one born every minute whereas it seems Tucker’s agent has found at least 2. 21 hours ago Bryce had a major injury his 29 year old season that eventually moved him to DH and 1B while Mike’s yearly injuries also became a normal thing by his 29 year old season. We may have already seen the best Tucker can do when it comes to playing full season or he could become an iron man and play over 140 games every year of his new contract. But I think between a Trout and a Rendon is possible. That is between 25 and 81 games a season. 20 hours ago Smells more like Jason Bay part 2 to me.. You’d think the Mets would learn from that. 19 hours ago I think he is more like the 2020 version of George Springer all be it Springer was 2 years older. Springer signed a 6 year deal to be the everyday center fielder and so far we had one really good year and a bunch of bits and pieces per year of what they signed him for and he is now the everyday DH. Springer might have been a better player back then than Tucker is now. IMO Toronto should not touch Tucker for any more than 7 years max (6 or less would be better) at 28M AAV max. (25M would be ideal) 22 hours ago 4/$200M Opt out after 2 years (?) Gotta take that Where will he play? LF? 22 hours ago Good player but not a $50m a year good player. But not my money or team. 22 hours ago For teams like the Mets and Blue Jays giving Tucker $50m per year with a 110% tax penalty makes the cash outlay over $100m per year….ye-gads! At least the Jays have some pitching…what are the Mets gonna do..try and win a bunch of 12-10 games?? 22 hours ago If it wasn’t for the Hollywood brainwashing = showing me were American men NEED to know who won the most recent World Series..or get shot. I think I would stop. 22 hours ago It seems like LA is very quiet and may be waiting for an opportunity to match or exceed final offers. Definitely get the sense Tucker wants to go to LA and his agent is using TOR and NYM to drive up the price. 20 hours ago Me too! 20 hours ago I do agree that I think Tucker wants to go to LA but I don’t get the feeling that LA really wants Tucker. With every other FA that LA has signed over the last few years, including Diaz this year, it wasn’t this quiet from the LA org front. Just a feeling. 18 hours ago LA now gets to just sit back and demand they get the final offer. Every player wants to go there. They are now the Yankees of the 90s and 2000s. If you want fame, LA is the place. Teams should probably all just tell players if you shop this to LA, offer rescinded. 13 hours ago That’s why I loved it when Imai said “Join the Dodgers?? Screw that, I want to BEAT the Dodgers!!” (Not exact quote, but the sentiment was there). I realize he may have said that for marketing purposes and for his own benefit but it was refreshing nonetheless. 22 hours ago So he either takes a short-term deal with high AAV with the Mets or he goes for the long-term deal and signs with the Blue Jays. Interesting, this probably gets answered this week. If he signs with the Blue Jays, Bichette is definitely not coming back too, and that AL East becomes a juggernaut. 21 hours ago Jays can sign both. 21 hours ago Doeant mean they will. I think they will lose both. I think Tucker is playing the jays in hopes LA offers bigger and i get the sense that bichette wants way too much for blue jays comfort level and hes going to follow Mattingly to Phillies. He got really close to Mattingly last season so much so he chose to be the only player to go over to him after the defeat and consoled him before his teammates. I also think he knows in toronto he will always be in guerreros shadow and wants his own team to lead. 20 hours ago Not really sure the Phillies in the answer if Bichette wants his own team to lead as you say. Bichette will be in the shadows of Turner, Harper and Schwarber in Philadelphia. 22 hours ago Here’s where the LAD swoop in at 4/405 22 hours ago Somehow I feel like the Mets could add Tucker and Bichette, the best available relievers and starters, and still end up with 85-87 wins and miss the postseason. They’re like the 1979 NHL All Stars: loaded with talent, but no chemistry or drive. And for the record, I’d love to be wrong. I admire Steve Cohen’s efforts. 13 hours ago I don’t think it takes much effort just to throw money around. For being a supposed fan of the game, I’m not very impressed with Cohen’s baseball knowledge or strategic acumen. I just don’t see it. I think there are many hardcore fans of baseball on this message board that could do a better job with those resources. 8 hours ago Cohen is an owner, not a GM, but he has a lot more access to critical information than we do, That said, I think you’re reading into my comment too much. I was pretty clear that the buy-all approach isn’t working, but what’s not to like about having an owner that’s willing to spend!? Having that financial flexibility isn’t a negative. 22 hours ago Tucker is starting to get annoying. Just sign already. 22 hours ago I would love to see the Mets make a big splash for a hitter. Let’s get this done and then focus on improving the starting staff!!! 22 hours ago Tucker might make his decision by 2030. Or not. 22 hours ago I feel like the Mets are being used as leverage for whatever team he wants to go to 22 hours ago It’s not like the Mets are going anywhere, so if Tucker wants a chance the have a WSC ring his choice should obviously be the Blue Jays. 21 hours ago At this point, Red Sox fans should hope he goes to the Jays. Sounds like they are offering the type of franchise-hobbling contract that will pay some dividends possibly in Year 1, but by Year 3 act like an albatross for years to come. This guy has ‘Chris Davis’ written all over him except Davis did more to earn his free agent contract beforehand than Tucker has. Davis led the league in homers in 2015 before the Orioles resigned him in 2016. Davis was coming off a 147 OPS+ vs. Tucker’s 143. The Cubs sat Tucker down in September and aren’t chasing him at all. Let Toronto pay a fortune for this guy to go along with Santander and Vladdy. They’ll be buried in red ink for a decade. 21 hours ago ah yes, Chris Davis, a perfect comparison! 21 hours ago The difference with Chris Davis is that more than one team is after Tucker. There were nebulous rumors about one other interested team for Davis at the time but the Orioles were in their own universe with their offer. There was a lot of shock around the league when it occurred. It smacked of desperation, especially after they let Nelson Cruz get away not wanting to give him a 4th year the year prior. Yes Davis led the league in HR in 2015, but he hit .196 and had a PED suspension (unapproved Adderall Rx) in 2014. There were signs that contract was not a good idea. Plus he was a 1B not OF though younger. Every commenter on this board had 0.0 WAR from the time Davis signed that contract thru the end of his career…which was significantly better than the overall WAR Davis produced. 20 hours ago Thornton you’re right that Davis didn’t have the number of suitors. That would explain the different contract outcomes (partially) but the point I’m raising isn’t that Tucker and Davis were similar in contract outcomes as much as being both hysterically overpaid for very brief contributions.. And both the Mets who have lost Alonso and Diaz and Toronto who have a real or imaginary window that is very short, also smell of some desperation. 18 hours ago Best – The PED thing is the only difference, yes, agree with your point that there was only a season or two of record. Davis’ 2014 was a huge warning, but his 2013 and 2015 were outstanding. Tucker at least has 5 years of track record of steady contributions though a year or so older than Davis was I believe. But to your point, I think the Jays would look back today and say they’ve overpaid for Santander, and he had 3 solid years (including the 44 HR year) going into the deal. I was against a long term for the Orioles for Santander last winter too, I was ok with 3-4 years. Certainly not 6 years, and he’s older than Tucker. 19 hours ago The other team after Davis was the Tigers (boy, did they dodge a bullet). Tucker has the Jays and Mets and? Seems like the same amount of teams. If Toronto goes to 10 years and Tucker accepts the Jays will have two regrettable contracts on their hands in five years with Tucker and Cease and possibly a third depending on how Vlad Jr. ages over the life of his deal 18 hours ago Rsox – yes, it was the Tigers, I wasn’t 100% sure, thanks! Agree back end of these could get ugly. But if they get to a few WS in the front end its not so painful. What made Davis especially painful was paying for him on a team that went 47-115. 13 hours ago Wasn’t there some issue with Chris Davis and Adderrall ?? They wouldn’t let him continue taking it , and that’s when things started going downhill for him…? 12 hours ago Ignorant SOB – he had an approved exemption for it at one point but not an approval for the 2014 season, so he got suspended. Not sure if he re-upped for 2015 but went straight down the tubes as soon as the ink dried on the contract. 21 hours ago The emergency room in Hicksville hospital will be overloaded if he doesn’t sign with NYM 19 hours ago No because Cohen will pivot to Bellinger. If the Mets are willing to offer him the same 3 year $150 million you have to believe Cody accepts it 18 hours ago They aren’t. Nor should they be. Not equal quantities. 21 hours ago Maybe I’ve crossed over to grumpy old man territory but 50 million AAV for Tucker is crazy. He’s really good but that’s superstar money. If he can get that or close over 4 years he should grab that bag immediately. 21 hours ago Is he not a superstar? 21 hours ago He is not. Keep in mind Superstar is a vague term that has no real purpose but I would put superstar as someone who would be on a Wheaties box. Harper/Soto/Ohtani/Judge, etc. Tucker is in the tier below. If you put Tucker in the Superstar tier, than what are those guys? 17 hours ago Superstar is not the highest “tier”. Harper, Soto, Ohtani, Judge, etc. are GENERATIONAL. 20 hours ago Astros: He’s got one 5th place finish for MVP. He’s really good but has never been a tippy top player and looking at his age and career arc it seems unlikely he will. Nothing personal he should take every penny he’s offered. 17 hours ago Two seasons top 10 in WAR, three seasons top 10 in OPS+. A very good player, but not elite. He’s going to do well because he’s the best in FA class devoid of elite talent. 21 hours ago METS are desperate. Tucker long term sounds better even if you suck in 2 years still making 30 million for 6 more years. Lol 21 hours ago It feels like this Mets info going public is just Tucker’s camp trying to leverage it into a better deal elsewhere. 21 hours ago It benefits the Mets anyhow, and whether or not the info is public, the other teams just need to ask what offers they have to beat. It’s not sealed. What the public info DOES do is it puts pressure on teams to close the deal by upping their game. That’s what it is doing. It benefits the Mets because most (smart, non-critical of every thing) fans would be okay if Tucker chose elsewhere after offering $50m a year. 19 hours ago Jdawginsc, great explanation. Tucker may also be using Jays’ offer as leverage for opt-out(s) in negotiation with NY. Mets can re-tweak their outfield if Tucker opts out and can heavily insure the contract to soften the blow of a potential serious injury (won’t help the luxury tax hit though). Tucker chooses the Mets — great. Tucker chooses a deal with someone else — fine, the Mets made a very serious competitive offer. Save the extra long term offers for players projected to hit for .900+ OPS consistently for the foreseeable future. 21 hours ago Many years, Tucker would be the third or even fifth best free agent available. He’s really good, but there are 15 or more players, including pitchers, who I’d put before him. 21 hours ago The issue is he is the best FA hitter in the combined classes of this year and next, so for teams with a window there is no one else for 2 years. Even Bo is also better than any FA hitter next year. So you either pay more or you get nothing. 21 hours ago There’s also unlikely to be a 2027 season at all, so a four year offer is really worth closer to three years. 21 hours ago They will get their guy. They won’t let him go to another team due to money 21 hours ago In any case–at $50M a year—-he’ll make more next Wednesday alone than I do in a year. Nice gig if you can get it. 21 hours ago In regards to the Harper Comment in the last Paragraph….Harper intentionally left money on the table. He wanted a Long-Term Deal with no opt-outs and a full no-trade clause. The reason is he was STILL going to make more money than he could ever spend….and he wanted him and his family to live and grow up in one place with at least some semblance of normalacy and not move around the country every couple years. 21 hours ago What a weird public negotiation. Why is everyone publicizing different offers? 21 hours ago Agents leak stuff to get better offers. 21 hours ago I think they leak it to other teams anyhow, in phone calls and meetings. They don’t have to use the media. What it does do is pit the fan base against GMs…if it goes downhill. In this case, it benefits the Mets, because it shows they WILL spend for the right players. 20 hours ago Please explain to this non-Mets fan how Tucker and not Diaz + Alonso, is ‘the right player’. To me it looks like weakening the team and spending about the same amount of money. 20 hours ago Alonso’s value is like 80% higher in Mets fans’ minds than anyone else’s. He’s just not that good. Poor and limited defender. One trick pony with the bat. 31 years old. Jorge Polanco was almost as good offensively last year (134 OPS+ vs 144) and far more useful defensively. He’ll replace Pete nicely. Tucker is 3 years younger and FAR far more valuable than either. 19 hours ago I’m torn on Tucker. Díaz wanted to go to the Dodgers from the start, so that is moot. They offered 3/66 and didn’t allow them to meet the Dodgers offer. He’s the only one I will miss of the four who left. From a baseball standpoint, love Pete, but his season was largely propped up by an otherworldly start to the season, and his defense was bad. Ask Kodai Senga. From a non-baseball standpoint, him announcing he was opting out right after losing embarrassingly to the Fish on the last day rubbed this life long Mets fan wrong and showed his true colors. 18 hours ago Yeah, I would have matched Baltimore to sign Alonso, but David Stearns didn’t want to sign him for more than 3 years because of his defense metrics. Diaz wanted to go to the Dodgers. Mets weren’t necessarily done with negotiating and had given him a substantial offer. 17 hours ago Alonso is a DH masquerading as a 1B. As others have pointed out, the only reason he was back last year was because his market cratered, It wasn’t until he and Cohen spoke directly that the short-term deal with opt outs got done. Alonso wanted to come back to the Mets as much as the Mets wanted him back. I hope he proved me wrong. But I don’t thin his contract is going to age well. Diaz wanted to be a Dodger, plain and simple. The Mets would have resigned him if they were offered a change to match or up the Dodgers offer. 10 hours ago Thank you. You’re absolutely right. 10 hours ago Agreed. 21 hours ago If your comment has multiple line-breaks, it’s too long. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk. 21 hours ago I’ve been saying for days what Passen has reported. I’ll add that the Mets are in this for public relations value, knowing he’s not taking a shorter term offer. The hope is it appeases an angry fan base and the media in New York by saying they tried The Dodgers were never seriously in this discussion at all, they didn’t even provide leverage so the Mets were used instead, Tucker signing with the Blue Jays was always inevitable and unsurprising. Toronto very much lucked out that the biggest spendors in the game suddenly decided to hold back this off-season. The last question is how much the Jays are willing to bid against themselves. 10 years when they don’t have to do it is kind of insane, but I think it’s probably just letting Tucker know they will beat anybody’s offer which again ,was no surprise. 21 hours ago Only a matter of time before we see a contract with an opt out after 90 days 20 hours ago Blue Jays and Mets basically bidding against themselves 20 hours ago The years, not just from a money standpoint, but also from an ego standpoint is very important to Tucker. For that reason, I don’t think the Mets are really in this except for PR as I mentioned above, but his agent who thought other bitters would actually make the 10 year plus dream contract possible is going to try and squeeze as much leverage out of the Mets as possible to get another year or two out of Toronto. That’s the hold up. The Mets know it’s bad public relations to publicly walk away so they won’t. 10 hours ago It’s silly for him to sign with Toronto for a decade when he can make more money in less time by taking the four years. Toronto would have to seriously blow hm away. The Mets are not in this for PR. They don’t operate like that. I also don’t understand how you’re writing off the Dodgers, as-if they don’t have a history of jumping in and signing guys like this. 20 hours ago I don’t think the Mets are bidding against the Blue Jays, or themselves. They’re bidding against the team that isn’t announcing its proposals publicly: the Dodgers. 20 hours ago The Dodgers will be shown to be nowhere near close on any contract negotiations. There three year offer was never taken seriously, and if it was longer, it was going to be for a lot less money, which is a non-starter. Dodgers interest was due diligence. 10 hours ago I agree 100% 19 hours ago I’d barely wanna give him 200m for ten, if the Mets offer 4/200 he should take it. 19 hours ago I think his resume makes him worth $210 / 7. I wouldn’t sign him for 10 years. For that matter, I wouldn’t pay him $200 / 4. 19 hours ago Most likely mets ahead with Tucker camp leaking the details to try and get jays to bid up 19 hours ago Maybe they’re stuck on the no trade clause? Just sign already. 19 hours ago 50 million AAV. for Kyle Tucker. The Baseball world has gone mad. He is a very very good baseball player, but 50 friggin million AAV? NUTS!!! 19 hours ago It’s not just AAV but the term. A 29 year old all-star caliber OFer should be staring at 6-8 year deals. I think that the teams offering $50M AAV are just kicking the tires and being used as a reference point to craft a longer term deal in the $35-40M AAV range. If it’s accurate that the Jays have offered 10 years, I would bet it’s more likely he is a Blue Jay at 10 / $350M than a Met at 4 / $200M. 19 hours ago Well, his earning power as a Free Agent at 33 will be pretty limited, considering that he is not a power hitter. I don’t think he gets a Schwarber/Alonso/Bregman contract at 33. He would be mistaken to take the 200/4 for sure since he would lose money from that. 10 hours ago Of course he’d get that money at 33, unless he’s hurt or something. He’s better than all of those guys. He’d end up making more on two deals with fewer years. 10 hours ago Plenty of people with zero skills make more than that a year if you think about it. 19 hours ago I don’t understand why a player would want a 10 yr deal. What if the team starts to stink, you’re stuck. 19 hours ago Bryce Harper was 26 years old when he signed his historic 13-year, $330 million contract with the Phillies in mid Feb. 2019. Boras was holding out for that specific deal. Other than Harper, top free agents sign in early Dec. unless the market decides they are high risk Tucker, 29 soon, has only 67% availability over the last 2 years-that’s Front Office speak for this guy has missed a lot of’ games. RISK! Harper had 83% availability over his 2 platform years and he played 159 games in 2018 Tucker risk is amplified with NYM, LAD, TOR because their total cost is about twice headline value of Tucker’s contract (AAV+CBT) or about $120M for a year of the $50M the Mets want to pay Tucker. TOR total cost on long term will be higher because they have to convert Canadian’ dollars to US Dollars. That’s about another 20-30% added to total cost. 18 hours ago That is not how it works. Toronto has to do everything in US dollars. They pay in US dollars and they operate on the assumption of US dollars. Yes they take in Canadian dollars for the 81 games at the Rogers Center (which is then calculated to US dollar value for their purposes of operating an MLB team) but everything else is done in US dollars. The player salaries, money from anything that relates to MLB, playoff shares. and so on is done with a US dollar valuation. For example if you buy a Blue Jays jersey online in Canada, in Canadian dollars, it will be higher and roughly the cost of what it would be if converted those Canadian dollars to US dollars. So it is not an extra cost. 15 hours ago Rogers reports in CAD and pays MLB salaries in USD, so FX conversion is unavoidable and cannot be eliminated, only hedged. FX does not affect CBT calculations, which are entirely USD-based, but it does affect Rogers’ reported cash cost. If Toronto remains a second-time CBT payer and adds a $40M AAV contract that pushes payroll above the $304M Tier-4 threshold, each marginal dollar would be taxed at roughly a 90–92% rate. That implies an annual USD cost of roughly $76–77M per $40M AAV. Over a 10-year deal, and assuming no CBT reset, the total USD cost would exceed $750M, which at current exchange rates could approach $1B CAD on a consolidated basis. 19 hours ago IF there is a 10 year on the table then Tucker does not want to Toronto unless he is completely blown away with a stupid offer of 400-450 18 hours ago Let this guy go cry poverty else where. Overated slightly better version of Brandon Nimmo. I won’t be upset if the Mets sign him but he is not my first choice especially considering the money that he wants 18 hours ago Nimmo actually has a higher career OBP, which surprised me. But Tucker has a much better SLG and rates as a better fielder and baserunner. But the two guy are more comparable than you might think. Which makes me think that Nimmo’s agent should have gotten him more money over the years. Not that Nimmo is starving. 10 hours ago C’mon, Nimmo? Really? 17 hours ago If Tucker takes the longer term deal with an AAV of about 35M, I can’t help but think Belli’s AAV ask drops. If Tucker takes the shorter term, Belli doesn’t get the years he wants. 17 hours ago Bellinger’s bat plays well at Yankee Stadium with that short porch. He is seriously overestimating his market value. 16 hours ago @jwt421 Agreed, on both points. The only way I can see this working out for him a little bit is if Tucker doesn’t sign with the Jays, then they pivot their attention to Belli. Either way, he’s getting bad advice on his market value. 10 hours ago I heard the same about Soto’s power too, 13 hours ago His market has been quieter than the other big free agents because he’s nowhere near their level. 12 hours ago Of the 3 teams rumored to be making offers to Kyle Tucker the team best positioned financially to sign Tucker is TOR because of its deep run in the playoffs. That is not to say it will. Here’s why: Media Growth: Rogers reported a 26% increase in media revenue in Q3 2025, largely attributed to the Blue Jays’ postseason momentum.  Total Impact: While “profit” is harder to pin down due to operating costs, analysts estimate the total economic impact for Rogers exceeded $300 million in gross revenue when combining the gate, media rights, and brand value. Even with this Blue Jay related windfall, the front office still has to unload some salaries maybe Springer, Barrios, Santander 10 hours ago The team best positioned financially to sign Tucker is Toronto over a guy worth 13 billion dollars and the LA Dodgers? 10 hours ago Please sign the big-money short-term deal, Kyle. That will keep the albatross-contract you want off the Blue Jays books. If, on the other hand, you can get the exorbitant AAV on a four-year deal with Toronto, and want to sign there, let me be the first to welcome you aboard!!! Go Jays!!!