Are the Blue Jays About to Land Kyle Tucker? Full Breakdown & Reactions

Are the Blue Jays About to Land Kyle Tucker? Full Breakdown & Reactions

Ken, I think we need to start with the biggest name in terms of who should command the most money this off seasonason. That’s Kyle Tucker and that’s a little visit to a fancy facility in Dened in Florida. What else do you know? And do you think that the Blue Jays are serious candidates to be able to sign him? Well, this was a stunning report by Robert Murray last night about this visit by Tucker to the Jays training complex, which is one of the best in Deneden. It’s a selling point for the Blue Jays. Now, what’s interesting about this is that prior to last night, the Jay’s interest in Tucker was kind of rumored, but it was never really confirmed or even seemed to be something that the club was prioritizing. We know that they signed the two starting pitchers, Dylan Cece and Cody Pon. We didn’t know exactly what they were doing on the position side, but they had interest perhaps in Tucker and certainly in resigning Bo Bashette. So, this is a clear indication of their interest. Whether it indicates that they’re going to sign Tucker, that remains to be seen. And let’s not get carried away with that idea. You remember Show Otani a couple of years ago visiting the Jay’s training complex in Deneden. Didn’t sign. This is kind of a normal thing for players to do. And Kyle Tucker does live in Tampa, which is a short drive from Deneden. So really for him, hop, skip, and a jump, no big deal to go there. But at the same time, I don’t want to underplay this. The Jays are acting like behemoths in this market. And this meeting with Tucker that took place last night or yesterday, whenever exactly it was, that’s an indication that they are thinking big. It also might be a message to Bo Bashette. Hey, come down a little bit in your price. There are all kinds of possibilities here. But the fact of the matter is he was in Deneden at their complex and that is news. That is definitely news and I will give credit. We got to see this actually surface if they sign Tucker or if they sign back Bobette. Payroll will be high for the Blue Jays. We certainly knock on this network teams when they cry poor and don’t spend. The Blue Jays just had a banger postseason. I know they didn’t win the World Series, Ken, but they clearly made a lot of money and it seems like they’re reinvesting back into the team. You mentioned in the story how they were at about 240ish mil for their opening day payroll. It seems like whether they get Tucker, Bashette, or someone else, they’re going to be tracking well ahead of that number next year. Yes, they’re going to open with a club record payroll, and it’s there right now. If they sign Tucker, likely will be over 300 million opening day, which is not where the Jays have been. They’ve been a high roll high payroll team in the past at various points, early 90s when they were rolling. They had a big payroll back then, at least relative to the other clubs. But this is clearly an indication of their aggression and assertiveness in this off season. And let’s have some fun here, Scott, and look at a projected lineup with Kyle Tucker in it because it’s kind of an awesome thing to just consider. Here it is. You can see it right there. Springer Tucker batting second right in front of Guerrero, Addison Barger behind them, then Kirk Santandere, Varo, Clement, and Jimenez. This is without Bobette. I don’t expect them to sign Tucker and Bob Bashed, but my goodness, it is a fascinating look and that is a powerhouse lineup. No doubt about it. Is it a little bit of posturing to say to Bo Bashett’s camp, bring your price down or we will go somewhere else? No, I think this is Kyle Tucker genuinely being interested in a team and he lives in Tampa, so it’s an easy drive for him. I don’t know all this posturing and all this stuff, but I think he lives right there. You can drive across the bridge and be there in about 25 minutes depending or sorry the causeway not the bridge. I don’t want to get yelled at by my colle but I mean this is an easy drive for him and if they’re if they’re one of the teams that are genuinely interested in them of course they can do this because they’re the Blue Jays and they actually have a lot more money than people give him credit for and he would look nice playing for them. I mean is he Bobett? I don’t know, but he would look really nice in that uniform and that spring training site. I’ve been there many times. Is really nice. We don’t know a lot about Kyle Tucker, but we do know he’s quiet. Seems like he kind of wants to just go out play some baseball and no better place to go to get all that money that he’s going to get whatever 350, 420, whatever it is. And you don’t even have to be the number number one star. You don’t have to be the guy that they’re they’ll they’ll ask me questions. Okay. Yep. I enjoy playing here. It’s going to be great to play here. And then they’ll be like, “Okay, Vlatty, what did you say?” You know, Vlatt’s the Vlatty’s the face. And it would be a prime spot for him to slide right in there and just go and go and have his, you know, 130 to 150 OPS plus every single year and contribute to a team that if they would make this signing, the Blue Jays make this signing would easily catapult them to the best team in the American League on the day they make the signing without Bo. Without Bo. Yes. Yes. I know. I agree. Listen, every person that I know and I’ve talked to people have said that the Toronto clubhouse last year was the best clubhouse they’ve ever played in. And every every guy that you have talked to and and guys whatever and they say it’s unbelievable. That’s why Beaver wanted to go back. That’s why everybody wanted to play there. So, they have figured something out in Toronto and that means something. We talk about LA being a destination, but when players talk and they say, “How was Toronto? How is Toronto? How is Toron? Everyone’s like, “Man, it’s amazing. It’s amazing. It’s amazing. It’s amazing.” People listen and they’re like, “Man, I want to go be a part of something that’s amazing.” H So, I asked that previous question because I wanted to bring it to this. I would say it’s not likely they signed Bo and Kyle Tucker. Which one would you rather do? Which one are you rooting for if you’re a Blue Jays fan? Wow. Because you’re essentially adding Santandere and Tucker into that lineup and you’re subtracting Bo Bashette, but you’re upgrading Bose’s defense with Andre Simenez going over to shortstop. And I know Ernie Clement had a great year, would have been the World Series MVP. There might be some regression there, but I think Ernie Clement at second base on an everyday basis, he’s just going to continue to to do what he does. doesn’t strike out, puts the butt. To me, you’re a better team with Kyle Tucker in right field and not needing Santon Darren, right? And he just mans DH day. AJ, what would you like to do? You have I agree with this. I’ I’d like to sign them both, but if I don’t, I’d rather have Tucker. I’d rather have Tucker for me just because they proved that they could win with Bette being out, right? And Jimenez slides in, Clement Barger can move to right field or third base, whatever. You put Tucker in right, you have Springer, you have Varo, you have all these guys, Kirk, Vlatty, I mean, that’s a pretty solid lineup. You can you can afford to have a guy like Andre Simenez who did hit huge home runs in the playoffs, but not be a huge offensive fit threat. It will play unbelievable defense if you add Kyle Tucker who also has had a goal glove in the past. I have I have I I have to definitely clarify and triple down on what AJ just said. Andrez is a gold can be a gold glove shorts stop. He is a platinum glove at second base. This is not this is not like some teams who have just been like you know what we’re going to get this guy who was a third baseman and we’re going to play him at shortstop because I think that’s what our metric says. Andre Jimenez can play elite level shortstop every single day in the big leagues. Like, don’t get it twisted with teams in the same division that have said, “You know what? We we’ll play this guy at shortstop.” That’s that’s what we’ll do. There’s a difference between, and I say it all the time, big league starting shorts stops and people who can play shortstop in the big leagues. Big difference. I mean, I’ll double down with you, Kratz. I mean, Andre Jimenez had some nice moments in the postseason, but he was one of the worst bats throughout this past season. His bat plays better at shortstop because he can handle the position well, right? It’s a matter of mixing and matching correctly. AJ, it’s not like every team has a second baseman that’s banging 30 homers or something, but Andre, the second base is the second base is usually a little bit more offensive than shortstop. You You usually want a little more offense than you do at shortstop. you can live with a a less offensively inclined shorts stop. Usually usually you got to have one or the other, right? You have a really if you have a really good defensive sec shorts stop, you want a good offensive second base, right? I’ll use the Astros as an example. Jos Altuve plays second, he’s an offensive second baseman. Jeremy Pñena can do both as we’ve seen, but he’s a little more defensively inclined. He was, but now his offense has caught up, right? For years it was Pñena and Altuve, right? Look at I mean, look at the Dodgers. The Dodgers have Buuki who’s a go could, you know, could be a goal glover and a MVP of shortstop and then their second base like we can live with Mickey Rohos because he’s a defensive stud, right? So there you can get away with this, but you usually have to have one and then the other one be the other thing. I think right now if I’m pressed with this, where does Kyle Tucker sign? I think it’s the Blue Jays. Talk me into another team that makes sense. I think the Yankees are trying to bring back Bellinger. I don’t think they necessarily want to play in the Kyle Tucker money game. Who Who else can pay top dollar like that? I mean, he’s going to get at least in the 300s. It might touch 400 plus. Who else is playing in those waters? We We’ve gotten reports which I believe that the Giants aren’t going to spend like crazy. Like, we can start knocking teams out. The Dodgers seem like they’re more of a short-term high AAV, which if I’m Tucker, I’m going for the longer guarantee, and I think that’s what he’ll do. Help me out. Right. Like, we just took out the NL West. The other teams in the West aren’t doing that. Nobody in the NL Central is going to spend like that. Now, we’re on to the NL East. I don’t think the Mets are going to go for another outfielder like that. I guess the Phillies, is is that a darkhorse candidate or or just a candidate in general? And AJ’s got one, too. What do you got? The Dodgers after they trade tail. Yeah, but they’re going to Are the Dodgers going to give him 350 400 million plus bucks? I don’t know. I don’t think so. Okay. Okay. I’m just saying they’re Watch out. Watch out. They’re ruining baseball. Remember, don’t forget or the Blue Jays by spending all this money. So, you know, there’s a lot of teams ruining baseball right now because they can’t afford these players. They just happen to be able to keep signing guys. Except the Blue Jays probably made like $200 million this postseason. And so now all of a sudden they can take their payroll from 240 to 300 plus easily. I give a ton of respect to them right now. They recognize how wow we make so much more money when we’re good. Why don’t we just like push in a little bit more like we did this past season and things will happen. Wow, this really worked out well for us. So I give them a ton of credit. They all you want as a fan base is for your team to be competitive and then when you are you reinvest in the team and keep freaking pushing. Grats. Your thoughts on Phillies or other teams that I’m missing here? Well, the blue the Blue Jays are playing chess when everyone else is playing checkers. They’re putting their advertisement on Japanese fighting rings. Like yeah, like they’re taking advantage of this time and they should continue to take advantage of it. To me, I think to where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The Phillies almost traded for Tucker. So, they did all their due diligence. They’re like, “How much do we like this guy enough to give up an two years of Alec Balm last last off season?” Yeah. So, I think I think the Phillies if they don’t get Schwarber, I think this is how they would pivot. So, I think there’s while you would never say Schwarber and Tucker’s market are kind of intertwined. I think that is a thing. I think I think that’s a team that if you’re T if you’re Tucker and the Phillies say no sorry we’re we’re not into it like we’re looking for a guy who’s maybe more boisterous leader type and we’re fine we’ll figure out Justin Crawford in the outfield or bring a baiter back that kind of thing. Uh then I’m like uhoh um we got to start drumming up some interest here because if it’s only the Blue Jays the Blue Jays aren’t overpaying. There’s my point. It just it looks like a team that makes sense in terms of the fit for them. And then if you’re Kyle Tucker and his reps, you’re like, Kyle, I think you should drive over to Deneden and make best friends with the Blue Jays as either your premier destination or at least a team to try and help it out. Keep on the hook. If you don’t want to go there, at least keep them on the hook and and make them at least think about it because it helps the negotiation if there’s another team out there. I asked Schneider I asked Schneider if I could get a tour of the Deneden facility and he said it’s only for big league free agents. I said technically AJ and I are big league free agents every single year. We are not retired yet. So there’s that. I don’t either. I’ve seen it. I’ve already had it. I’ve had my my son played for the Blue Jay scout team. I’ve been in that facility way more than I need to in my life. It’s awesome. It’s awesome. That’s an awesome awesome pictures and videos next time. Oh my god. Well, unless it doesn’t play for them anymore. In spring training when I go over there, I’ll I’ll ask if I can take some photos. AJ, what are you doing? Nothing. Nothing. Why? No, that’s good marketing. That’s good marketing. And we need more of that anyway.

Ken Rosenthal breaks down the surprising news that Kyle Tucker visited the Toronto Blue Jays’ facility in Dunedin and what it signals about their aggressive offseason plans. He explains why Toronto is acting like a major spender, how a Tucker deal could impact Bo Bichette’s future, and what a potential Jays lineup would look like with one of the game’s premier hitters. Then, Scott Braun turns to AJ Pierzynski and Erik Kratz for their reactions, including whether Tucker or Bichette is the better long-term move. The crew debates which teams can realistically afford Tucker, how the Phillies fit into the picture, and why Toronto’s clubhouse reputation is becoming a free-agent selling point.

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