By Nick Deeds | January 14, 2026 at 8:32am CDT Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today: 1. Tucker market accelerating: Kyle Tucker’s market finally appears to be picking up steam. The Mets have reportedly made a short-term offer with an average annual value as high as $50MM, while the Blue Jays have put forth a long-term offer — the details of which remain unclear. If Tucker is genuinely considering shorter-term offers, the Dodgers will surely be interested as well. Other teams like the Yankees seem to be hanging around the periphery of Tucker’s market, too, although fellow lefty-swinging outfielder Cody Bellinger appears to remain the priority over in the Bronx. With some reports suggesting that Tucker could agree to a deal before the end of the week, where will he land? 2. Cardinals move into post-Arenado era: The Cardinals finally pulled off their long-awaited trade of likely future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado yesterday, and in shipping him to the Diamondbacks (and paying down all but $11MM of his contract to do so) they’ll enter the 2026 season without any of the veteran All-Stars they carried in previous years on their roster. For a rebuilding club like St. Louis, that means an opportunity to give significant run to younger players like Nolan Gorman, Thomas Saggese, and top prospect JJ Wetherholt. The question for the Cardinals at this point is whether (or when) some of the club’s arbitration-eligible players, like infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan or lefty reliever JoJo Romero, will follow Arenado out the door. 3. What’s next in the Bronx and Miami?: The Yankees pulled off a surprising trade last night when they nabbed hard-throwing lefty Ryan Weathers from the Marlins in exchange for four lower-minors prospects led by outfielder Dillon Lewis. The deal seemingly brings to a close the Yankees’ pursuit of starting pitching help this offseason. Weathers should fortify the rotation with Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt all opening the season on the injured list. With Weathers now in the fold, perhaps the Yankees can more fully focus on addressing their lineup, whether that’s with a Bellinger reunion, a pivot toward Tucker or Bo Bichette, or a pursuit of an unexpected target. As for the Marlins, they were already considering adding an innings-eating veteran starter after trading Edward Cabrera to the Cubs last week. That only figures to be become more important now that they’ve taken another valuable arm out of their rotation mix. Zack Littell, Tyler Anderson, Patrick Corbin, Jose Quintana, Tomoyuki Sugano and Chris Paddack are among the many yet-unsigned free agent starters. The Opener 1 day ago This Jays fan is ready to get hurt again! 1 day ago Why We are going to end up with Bichette 1 day ago I think the FO has moved on from him. 1 day ago Im not too upset about losing Bo. Unlike Vladdy, who seems to be working on his fitness, Bo seems to be getting slower and thicker by the year. Bo also doesn’t embrace the face of the franchise role Vlad does, which sells tickets. Not getting Tucker would suck but $50MM a year plus all the tax doesn’t make much sense. He is the best FA this season, not the best player in MLB. 1 day ago The tax, AND the loss of draft picks and international pool money. Toronto has lost two picks already for signing Cease and figures to get one back letting Bo walk. Plus they lose international pick money. If they double down and sign Tucker they’ll be out another two draft picks and more international signing money. A heavy price for a bat that BA says has already declined to no better than league average in bat speed, and a guy who was benched in the second half for his performance. If the Toronto club was wise, they’d walk away from talks on Tucker and Bo, unless they can get Bo on a hometown discount which I very much doubt. Then they would give up the money they need to give up, but protect their minor league talent as much as possible, in order to move the current worst contract in baseball Santander. Other teams are going to want to feast on their prospect pool to take that albatross, even with the Jays paying a hefty portion of the contract.. That’s what happens when you sign bad deals and the Blue Jays should be especially careful with Tucker in that regard to avoid doubling their problems. For all the negative comments Breslow gets, I much prefer his approach to the crazy overpays for the likes of Cease, Tucker and Bichette that seem to be the headlines for this offseason. 1 day ago Best — Budget conscious, but not competitive in their Division doesn’t seem like the things fans care about. “We finished dead last in the division, but thank god the people we give money to kept it for profit. Those winning teams didn’t make as much money! Go us!” — Nobody. Ever. Toronto has a ton of money coming of the books next year, and no impact bats like Tucker in the free agent class. I’m with you though, please don’t sign Bo or Tucker Toronto!! Think of (anything) rather than adding to a WS club. Fold fold fold, Toronto! Thanks, AL East. 23 hours ago Compelling post. Somehow I’m not convinced that if Toronto is otherwise going to finish in last place as you cay, signing a bad contract wth a guy who was benched in the second half is their move. Also I don’t know what you mean when you say they have ‘money coming off the books’. Do you mean they have contracts ending for their #1 starter, their centerfielder and others who they are going to have to replace, likely at 2-3 times the current cost? Again, not a particularly compelling argument. Finally, it’s good their team made some money in the post-season. Spending that 3 or 4 times over on bad contracts isn’t the winning move you claim it is. As I said, Breslow has the right approach in my view to a market that’s come unhinged – namely, back away. 22 hours ago The jays are trying to win now, they need one more big bat. If they cared about any of that stuff the wouldn’t be connected. 20 hours ago What are you even talking about? Kyle Tucker was never benched. He was injured. 1 day ago Only way it makes sense is on a star high AAV deal 1 day ago @junior25-Are you sure? Thought Bichette was goin to the Phillies or the Red Sox? 24 hours ago Karma for making the wrong guy your priority: Tucker to the Dodgers, Bichette to the Phillies. Bo should have been locked up well before Christmas. On what earth does his stat line not fit the lineup pre-Okomoto? They could have made competitive offers for both Bo and Tucker. Not saying Okomoto isn’t a great add for any franchise, but Bichette and Tucker are the better fit with Ernie filling the utility role, where he has excelled. 24 hours ago True, BCB. The Yankees refuse to give J Dom a legit chance, sat Ben Rice and his 90th+ percentile contact quality far too often and have yet to see how Spencer’s great D, base running and enigmatic power/whiff combo will translate. The Yankees stall and ruin offensive prospects with regularity so while losing Dillon and B Jones may theoretically seem like lost potential, there’s very little chance either would materialize and afforded an earnest opportunity. Love Weather’s upside. Let’s hope we get the early 2025 version chucking 97 with an elite K-BB%. 23 hours ago “J Dom” is a butcher in the field who can’t seem to figure out LHP and who was given 429 PA last year. As for Rice, I guess that makes sense, although he most often sat against LHP and they had Goldschmidt for that side of a platoon. Still, he played often enough to amass 528 PA. Spencer Jones? I’m not sure what they were supposed to do with this guy other than overhype him. I’m sure we’ll see him a lot this spring, as we all want to see how (arguably) 70 raw power pairs with a AAA K% above 36%. 22 hours ago One thing everyone brings up about Spencer Jones is the amount of K’s.he is young and still has a ton to offer. Does everyone remember when that other 6’8 yankees outfielder had a ton of K’s in the minors? He worked it out and then some! 20 hours ago Vtadave, J Dom deserves a permanent strong side platoon role. I do agree he should drop batting from the right side. S. Jones is a baseline 2 WAR player. Plus CF defense and plus BSR value. Why must we all ignore his toolsy package because he may be Gallo at the plate?- which by the way usually resulted in better than average output. Again, being a plus CF defender has supported many careers and that’s without the ability to pop 30 dongs and steal 30 bases. Hitting .200 is just one aspect of a talented package, which the league only hitting .250 as a whole nullifies his one deficiency a good deal. 15 hours ago @vta He’s only had 104 sporadic plate appearances vs lefties this year. Only way to try and get better is more repetition and practice vs live pitching. The lineup should be good enough to cover his struggles for a while at least. 15 hours ago @Myname Who are these position prodigy the Yanks have ruined because they either “stalled” or “ruined”? Be specific please. 12 hours ago @KFCF Prodigy is a bit facetious if you looked for context but I’ll bite. More than likely missing a bunch, but my initial headspace lands with Estevan Florial, Devi Garcia, Jasson Dominguez, Oswald Peraza, Jorge Mateo and now Spencer Jones. The Yankees have a way of amplifying their prospects reputation only to provide limited MLB opportunities, essentially ruining their value while they either stagnate or fail to expand on earlier/lower level success. Only the tippity top receive an earnest shot or are moved with peak value such as Torres, Montero and Volpe. 17 hours ago Still hope for Tucker on a long term over pay and Bo Sure I would take just Bo, but Tucker being a top 4 left handed bat is something the jays have been missing since Literally Carlos Delgado. I still get chills thinking about Castillo dominating the right handed lineup in the 22 wildcard. 1 day ago I love the Weathers trade. The prospects that the Yankees traded were unlikely to ever make it to the Bronx. I hope they still land Peralta, but Weathers is the kind of project that Matt Blake excels with. 1 day ago How the heck do you know if the prospects traded won’t become big leaguers? The Marlins have very good scouting and Cashman has a history of overpaying! 1 day ago @ Will P He said they wouldn’t make it to the Bronx, not that they wouldn’t make it in the majors. There’s a difference. Most Yankee prospects fail to reach their potential as Yankees. every decade or two there’s a Jeter or a Judge, but the rest of the time, it’s mostly let downs. 1 day ago @Canuck Are we ignoring the guys currently on the roster on the last 4 years? 1 day ago No, I’m not ignoring the current position players. Oswaldo Cabrera – bench player Anthony Volpe – disappointment Oswald Peraza – bench player before being traded Jasson Domínguez – potential to be something but nothing so far. Austin Wells – maybe a useful catcher, maybe not. Ben Rice – Breakout year looks good. Can he back it up? If so, he might end up being the best of the bunch. 24 hours ago I would challenge to say most prospects don’t pan out period across the league when you factor in the number actual prospects vs. Major leaguers. And NYY prospects have done fairly well across the game, so id challenge that notion as well. 1 day ago He said unlikely not won’t. Words matter. 1 day ago 4 for 1 and getting a pitcher coming off an injury is becoming Cashmans legacy…regardless of whether the prospects become big leaguers….. 1 day ago Where are these overpays? And for all of the Marlins scouting, what exactly are they doing with them? As for these prospects if you can’t freely trade you 15th best and below for a former first rounder I’m not sure what kind of trade you want to make. Cabrera went for a NUMBER 1 plus two more. Is he THAT much better than Weathers when the prospect capital is that much lower? 23 hours ago Because Yankee prospects NEVER pan out. 1 day ago Is Blake going to keep him healthy? 24 hours ago Injuries happen, part of playing. A lot of it is bad luck, some of it conditioning, some bad mechanics. So in theory, Blake could help a bit then again who knows. But he’s worthy of a shot. 1 day ago No Lucas love by the Marlins? 22 hours ago $ 1 day ago Would like to see the Yankees grab another bullpen arm, too 1 day ago I wish they’d spend $ not prospect capital but yeah at least 1 more arm for the pen. I wonder if Gil ends up there long term. His stuff seemed to step back last season. If this continues turning him loose for 1 inning at a time could be magical. 23 hours ago Type O Negative rules 24 hours ago Probably will. They got the SP they needed, now we will see. 1 day ago I think the Mets end up giving a 4th year to get it done. Maybe with an opt out after 3 to give Tucker an option after 2028 1 day ago Its tough. Bc at age 32 he’s getting a 4 or 5 year max contract and if he regresses or gets injured it can look like a pretty dumb decision not taking the 9 year $325M deal. Plus that higher AAV the difference is taxed at at least 50% so its a net difference of $4.5M/yr to him for 3 years. So is $13.5M really worth the long term gamble of $190M? 23 hours ago I think Stearns has to go to a 4th year and maybe a 5th at $50 M to lock up Tucker. With the Boras opt out after the 3rd year. Boras always gets the best for his TOP FA’s. Will Stearns do that though? I’m sure Cohen is fine with it and paying the tax penalty. Best owner in the MLB. It’s Stearns that is the big question mark? 1 day ago Surprised Zack Littell still unsigned. He is an innings eater and a solid starter. 1 day ago Its weird because we dont hear much either. Hes probably waiting for Framber and Suarez but a team like the Os would probably be better off just aggressively bringing him in. 1 day ago More of a Littell surprise than a big surprise really. ~ 23 hours ago If you’re looking for a good back of the Rotation guy he fits the bill. 1 day ago Prognostication: Jays get Tucker at 8/320M. Bichette goes to Phillies for 8/240. Mets swoop in and overpay Bellinger for 7/210. Yanks get nothing, but let’s be fair, they led the ML in runs scored and return almost everyone except Bellinger. Every position is filled with Dominquez and Jones platooning in LF and whoever is hitting best gets the playing time. 1 day ago You’re not only leaving the Yankees out of your game of free agent musical chairs but also the Dodgers. I still think Cody Bellinger winds up back in the Bronx. The Dodgers are still a great fit for Kyle Tucker in RF or Bo Bichette at 2B. 🙂 24 hours ago It’s not entirely clear to me that Bellinger ends up back in the Bronx. The fit is fine positionally, but the money may not be. The Yankees are carrying a lot of long term contract exposure, and even if Bellinger doesn’t get what he wants, if what’s on the table is 5/$30+ that’s going to be a drag for seasons to come. 17 hours ago Mike: You’re not wrong but… Cash does a reasonably good job juggling long term deals. The team usually has just a couple of guys aging out of their deals at a time. Stanton is gone in 2 years, Cole will be on the backside after that. Judge will start to be overpaid in 2-3 more years etc. Bellinger isn’t likely to fall off the cliff for at least 4 more years. 24 hours ago I think there will be a surprise team in the mix for one of those three that swoops in. All three have fits with numerous teams not mentioned. My money is on Bellinger going somewhere we didny expect. Some teams are very tight-lipped and keep things quiet. The Weathers and Arenado trades came out of nowhere, as a lower level example. Corbin Burnes to Arizona was pretty surprising when that happened. 23 hours ago MCBB — I agree, there’s gonna be a heretofore unnamed team. I’d love to see the Tigers make a move on Tucker, bring back Skubal at whatever zillion, and let the cheap youngsters run wild during a Skubal and Tucker headlined window for years and years. Dunno what SF is up to, but Bo or Tucker would help that lineup quite a bit. TB with new ownership group, and a club that had offered high AAV for Freeman, might make a play at a light market for Tucker. Maybe SD does some real Preller stuff and signs Tucker and Bo, and trades Boggarts and Jackson Merril to KC for Regans. I dunno, something silly wild. I’m just amazed the NY teams aren’t pushing hard for Tucker…each of their lineups needs a Tucker bat to protect their pricy bats. But yeah, ‘the field’ seems to have better odds the longer the top options can’t nail it down a deal, I would think. 22 hours ago I can’t speak to your other predictions but I would put a 0% chance on the Mets offering Bellinger 7/$210 million. I cannot imagine a scenario where the Mets went beyond three years for him, unless Bellinger suddenly dropped his AAV demands a considerable amount. Mets are not interested in low term deals this offseason. They have a lot of minor league talent that is either major-league ready or will be in the next year or so. Aside from Soto, Stearns has not gone beyond three years with anyone. Even Semien has only three years remaining. 1 day ago Is the Tucker market accelerating in total money, in AAV, and or in length? Haven’t seen anything yet that says anything near $400M, or is this just just more busy? 23 hours ago I think Tucker may end up taking a shorter term deal with the higher AAV and opt outs. Much like Bellinger did a couple years ago. 22 hours ago His market’s accelerating from zero rumors to two rumors ($50M AAV, long term contract). 1 day ago It is wild how rapidly baseball contracts have changed. $50 million for a guy with a traditional slash line (what contracts used to be awarded on) of .266/22/73 19 hours ago Even wilder that you’d think those old-school stats would have any bearing at all on how much he’s getting paid. Plus, the man was injured and missed about 30 games, so naturally that cut into his homer and RBI totals. In the metrics that count he’s been a top 10 to 15 hitter over the past several years. 1 day ago Anyone else see the name JJ Wetherholt and think “That’s why you always leave a note”? 23 hours ago no 19 hours ago You need to familiarize yourself with the child-scaring tactics of J. Walter Weatherman. 22 hours ago I do now. 1 day ago With Weathers now in the fold, perhaps the Yankees can more fully focus on addressing their lineup, whether that’s with a Bellinger reunion, a pivot toward Tucker or Bo Bichette, or a pursuit of an unexpected target Yeah, a pursuit of Mike Trout. 23 hours ago Yesterday I said the Mets should offer 50M a year to Tucker being facetious….but now hey maybe they should just go 3 Yrs 60M per year and be done with it! Push the envelope Cohen! You said money would never be an issue and you guaranteed a WS in 5 years. You have failed on both accounts. Make the big purchase. 60M/year for Tucker 22 hours ago pitching, pitching, pitching and then Bellinger Hoerner and, maybe, if the price is reasonable, Realmuto get all that done, and the Yankees will be well-fortified and ready for the trade deadline and the post-season 22 hours ago IMO Bellinger should goto Mets. Bellinger 1B to replace Alonso or definitely CF if Benge not ready. Yankees need Tucker more however I still want Kwan to lead off. The Cheap Yankees continue the off-season well into January. I seriously think some date or deadline for players are needed to sign. The winter meetings should be in January 20 hours ago Still waiting to see the ‘Tucker to the Giants’ headline, as Posey’s big splash.