The New York Yankees and New York Mets are among the big spenders in MLB. However, one insider doesn’t believe that the two teams from the Big Apple will be looking to splurge on one of the marquee free agents this winter, Kyle Tucker.
Tucker is coming off a 2025 season in which he recorded a .266 batting average, 22 home runs, and 73 RBI for the Chicago Cubs. Moreover, the 28-year-old will be looking for a big payday from a team that needs a big bat in the middle of their lineup for the foreseeable future.
However, MLB insider Jon Heyman doesn’t believe that the big offer will be arriving from the Mets or Yankees.
“I do think the Blue Jays are a definite bidder in this,” Heyman said on November 14 during an appearance on MLB Network about the potential suitors for Tucker. “We’ll see if they do get them. I could see the Dodgers, the Giants, and potentially the Phillies.
“You hear speculation about the New York teams, but I don’t see that. The New York teams have pretty good right fielders, right? They have Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. So I’m not seeing that. I don’t know—maybe somebody knows something I don’t know, but not for me.”
The dominoes have yet to fall, and it will be interesting to see where the players are going. Additionally, the Mets and Yankees could be ready to spend big, but it just might not be on Tucker.
Kyle Tucker Could Join a Yankees’ AL East Rival
In that same segment, Heyman believes that the Toronto Blue Jays could be the team that pushes hard for Tucker to bolster their squad after coming up one game short of winning the World Series.
“Toronto does aim high, they’ve always aimed high,” Heyman added. “It’s not to do with the heartbreaking defeat in the World Series, that is their MO. They go for it. We know what we saw, and you know that as well as anybody. They went for [Shohei] Ohtani, [but] didn’t get them. They went for Soto, offered big [and] was actually the leader after the first round.
“This is a team that does go for it. They do have a very fine outfield right now, it’s not really a need, but I do think the Blue Jays are a definite bidder in this. We’ll see if they do get him.”
Kyle Tucker Appears Ready for a New Team
Regardless of whether the New York teams are keen on Tucker, the outfielder looks to be heading to a new destination this winter. The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney reported on November 13 that the Cubs appear ready to move on without Tucker.
“At this stage, though, the Cubs aren’t ruling anything out,” Mooney wrote. “They haven’t issued a statement wishing Tucker “the best of luck” in his future endeavors. The annual general managers meetings create a lot of posturing and misdirection, as well as productive discussions.
“Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer met with Tucker’s agent, Casey Close of Excel Sports Management, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Wednesday, where team officials, league executives and player representatives filtered throughout the hotel and casino.”
