Baseball

Kyle Tucker: “Teams love him, but they don’t adore him”
Félix Forget
Kyle Tucker: “Teams love him, but they don’t adore him”
Credit: North Side Baseball

Over the next few weeks, we'll be seeing more and more action in the MLB. The winter meetings are coming up, and that's usually when things get going on the free-agent market.

That's when the big names start signing.

And this year, the big name on the market is Kyle Tucker. We're talking about a top-quality outfielder who's one of the best hitters in the sport. And unsurprisingly, big-budget teams are on his case.

But according to Bob Nightengale, who spoke to Foul Territory on Wednesday, even if there is interest in Tucker, we're not talking about a player who has every team salivating.

Teams like Tucker, but they don't love him, basically.

We know that Tucker, while he's proven himself to be one of the sport's good hitters in recent years, doesn't necessarily have the prestige of a big name. He doesn't really have any individual honours on his record (he has two Silver Batons and a Gold Glove, but has never finished higher than fifth in the MVP race), and he's been injured a lot over the past two years.

These are all elements that can turn some clubs off… and, more importantly, diminish the leverage he holds in contract negotiations with teams.

It's not exactly a surprise to see Tucker sign the biggest contract of the winter. But in reality, we have to be cautious before thinking he'll get a monstrous contract that will reset the market.

And perhaps he won't be the player with the highest annual salary among those who sign this winter, especially if other big names (Kyle Schwarber, for example) decide to sign short-term deals. Let's see what his deal looks like.

PMLB
  • Good listening.

  • The Cardinals obviously want to keep their manager.

  • A family spirit in Toronto.

  • The Blue Jays had Dylan Cease in their sights for years.

This content was created with the help of AI.

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