Kyle Tucker is the top player in the upcoming free agent class, and while the Yankees have shown interest in acquiring him last winter, his market has yet to materialize.
Granted, the World Series did just end, but there’s a weird amount of uncertainty regarding who will or won’t pursue him, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN wrote in a recent column that the Dodgers might not be a serious contender for his services.
While there’s reason to believe the Dodgers will at least talk to Kyle Tucker, he will likely be in their ‘periphary’, meaning he’s less of a primary target than some expected him to be for Los Angeles.
Their $331 million payroll for the 2026 season means they’re already over the fourth Luxury Tax threshold, bringing a 110% tax on any added payroll that LAD will have to be cautious of.
For the Yankees, it could remove their biggest real challenger in a Kyle Tucker free agent chase, and he could be the perfect player to fall into their laps this winter.
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The Lack of Suitors Could Let Kyle Tucker Fall Into the Yankees’ Hands
Some of the verbiage used by Jeff Passan in this article truly fascinates me; he mentioned that the player will ask for an excess of $300 million, an interesting barometer to use instead of $400 million.
Jesse Rogers had also added that Tucker would be a $35,000,000-$40,000,000 player on a per-year basis, and if the Yankees can ink him to that kind of contract they should be all over it.
The Dodgers not being a serious threat in this would change the landscape of how fans should perceive Tucker, as he might not be getting the $400 million deal that some believed he would entering the offseason.
If he instead gets a deal at around $370 million for 10 years, it would be a must-sign situation for the Yankees who could desperately use that kind of hitter in the middle of their offense.
Cody Bellinger is a good player, but in speaking to people with knowledge on the situation, they aren’t going to just hand him a blank check.
Some people inside the organization worry about handing him a long-term deal, as are many teams around the baseball industry due to his inconsistency.
Furthermore, the Yankees would prefer to play Bellinger in left field because he’s a far better defensive player there, but that’s not feasible without adding a centerfielder to the roster.
Kyle Tucker also finds himself in a similar situation where if the Yankees sign him, they’ll need to add a centerfielder (or call up Spencer Jones), so maybe they’re just better off with Tucker’s big bat instead.
Some will point out concerns about him playing left field, but I continue to reiterate that the Yankees didn’t care about this 365 days ago when they hoped to trade Ben Rice in a package of players for Kyle Tucker.