The Toronto Blue Jays have been regarded as the favourites to sign Kyle Tucker, yet the four-time All Star still remains on the free-agent market.

Early in the offseason, it seemed as though the Blue Jays would elect to either re-sign Bo Bichette or bring in Tucker. After all, they are looking for another big bat who can help take some of the pressure off Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Though a return hasn’t been completely shut down, the signing of infielder Kazuma Okamoto seems to suggest that Bichette may be headed elsewhere for 2026. The 27-year-old has received interest from several teams, and recently met with the Philadelphia Phillies.

As for Tucker, he’s keeping his options open. Based on a new report from Will Sammon of The Athletic, the New York Mets are in the range of offering the 28-year-old a three-year deal in the range of $120 to $140 million. 

Though there had been speculation that Tucker was interested in a longer-term deal that would pay him roughly $400 million, signing a three-year contract would allow for him to cash in once again at the age of 32. That has to be intriguing for a player who shouldn’t be slowing down anytime soon.

In what was a down season for Tucker, he still slashed .266 with 22 home runs and 73 RBI in 136 games with the Chicago Cubs. The 2024 season with the Houston Astros saw him hit .289 with 23 home runs and 49 RBI in just 78 games.

It goes without saying that missing out on both Bichette and Tucker would be a huge blow for the Blue Jays. They’ve done a great job otherwise of improving their roster over the offseason with signings such as Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers, and Okamoto.

Though the Jays are by no means out on Tucker, the fact that they’ve yet to put pen to paper is making this more of a concern than initially thought. It’s also worth noting that Alex Bregman, a player whom the Jays had interest in, is no longer available after signing a five-year, $175 million deal with the Cubs this past weekend.

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