Kyle Tucker: Blue Jays “have stepped up their efforts” to sign him

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Kyle Tucker: Blue Jays “have stepped up their efforts” to sign him
Credit: MLB

Kyle Tucker is still free as a bird at the moment. The outfielder, who was seen as the big name on the free-agent market this winter, is slow to find takers.

There are teams in the race for his services (the Mets, Dodgers, and Blue Jays are said to be the most aggressive clubs), but he doesn't seem to be on the verge of signing just yet.

And among the teams at the height of the race are the Toronto Blue Jays. The club has had interest in Tucker for weeks, and would have no trouble finding a spot for him in their lineup.

And according to Mitch Bannon, who wrote about it all for The Athletic, the Jays are still in the running. In fact, they've reportedly “stepped up their game” in an effort to reach an agreement with him.

It's safe to assume that the club is starting to push for a settlement.

We know that, following the arrival of Kazuma Okamoto, the club is more in need of an outfielder than an infielder. So it seems the Jays are more interested in Tucker than Bo Bichette at the moment.

And speaking of Bichette, Bannon noted, as did Ken Rosenthal, that a return to Toronto seems increasingly unlikely. It's not impossible, but there are simply a lot of players in the outfield.

But getting back to Tucker, Bannon reminds us that the luxury tax will be an issue. The Blue Jays already have a monstrous payroll, so signing Tucker will be very expensive.

As it stands, virtually every dollar added to the payroll will be taxed at 90%. This means that the Jays will have to roughly double Tucker's salary in 2026.

We'll see if the two sides find common ground, but if the Jays are working harder and harder to reach an agreement with Tucker, there's a world out there in which a deal is possible.

To be continued.

This content was created with the help of AI.

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