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Blue Jays get disappointing news on Kyle Tucker.
The Toronto Blue Jays got potentially the worst-case scenario news on star free agent slugger Kyle Tucker.
Toronto has been linked to Tucker, and many have considered them the favorites. However, other teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees remain interested in the star outfielder.
MLB insider Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report predicts Tucker will spurn the Blue Jays and sign a 10-year, $360 million deal with the Yankees.
“The Yankees remain an interesting potential landing spot for Tucker, who seemingly would thrive playing 81 games a season at Yankee Stadium,” Kelly wrote. “He would likely have to shift to left field, with Aaron Judge in right field and the aforementioned Grisham hoping to rebound defensively in center field.
“But there’s no evidence at this point that the Yankees are hell bent at this point to try to land Tucker, as opposed to just bringing back Cody Bellinger, who does come with more positional flexibility. … Fresh Prediction: 10 years, $360 million with player opt out available after 2029 with Yankees.”
If Tucker spurns the Blue Jays and signs with the Yankees, it would be a major blow to Toronto’s offseason. The Blue Jays have been pursuing Tucker heavily, and many consider them the favorites, so to see him sign with their heated rival would be a gut punch.
Tucker is a four-time MLB All-Star.
Blue Jays Met With Tucker
Toronto had Tucker for a visit at their spring training facility before the Winter Meetings, showing its interest in the star hitter.
At the Winter Meetings, Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed the visit. He said they had a productive meeting with Toronto.
“We sat upstairs for about an hour, an hour-and-a-half, talked through kind of where the organization is, where the organization is heading, both from a team, roster-building standpoint, from an ownership standpoint, and he talked baseball. It was pretty cool,” Schneider said to Sportsnet. …
“It was very productive. Again, great, great player. And it’s not a surprise his skillset fits exactly what we’re doing. So, we’ll see where the next couple (of) weeks lead.”
Schneider said they talked about Tucker’s game. Toronto felt like Tucker could steal more bases and be a well-rounded player for Toronto.
But, before any of that can happen, Tucker will need to sign with the Blue Jays, but that is in doubt now.
Toronto Open to More Moves
The Blue Jays have been active this offseason, as the team has focused on pitching.
Toronto inked Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to bolster its rotation. Then, on Friday night, the team signed reliever Tyler Rogers to fill a major need.
At the Winter Meetings, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spoke to MLB Network. He confirmed the team will spend more, despite it being expensive.
“We have a good team. We really do feel we are in a good position with the versatility we have, the pitching we have. We’ll be open, but it’s expensive these days,” Atkins said.
The Blue Jays still are pursuing a batter and have been widely expected to land one of Tucker or Bo Bichette.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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