The New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays may have to pivot now that Kyle Tucker is no longer available in free agency.
Tucker has agreed to a four-year, $240 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, ESPN’s Jeff Passan confirmed.
The Mets and Blue Jays had made offers to Tucker prior to his deal with the Dodgers, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The Blue Jays could potentially switch their focus to re-signing Bo Bichette now that Tucker is off the table.
The Mets could meanwhile turn their attention to Cody Bellinger, who has also reportedly been negotiating a potential re-signing with the New York Yankees.
Bellinger slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs and 98 RBI in 152 games for the Yankees last season.
Bichette tied a career high by batting .311, also recording a .357 on-base percentage and .483 slugging percentage while adding 18 home runs and 94 RBI in 139 games with the Blue Jays.
The Yankees had offered Bellinger a five-year deal worth between $155 million and $160 million total as of Monday, according to The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty.
According to Kuty, that offer didn’t include deferred money, and the Yankees were also “open” to including opt-outs.
Club and player are reportedly split on term, however. Kuty has previously reported Bellinger is looking for seven years on his next deal.
The Blue Jays could meanwhile be competing with the Philadelphia Phillies to sign Bichette. MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reported recently reported the Phillies and Bichette held a virtual meeting on Monday.
The Athletic’s Matt Gelb meanwhile reported Tuesday that “the Phillies might be the only team willing to extend to six, seven or eight years to sign Bichette.”
The Mets and Blue Jays were both hoping to add some punch to their batting lineup by bringing in a career .273 batter in Tucker.
Now that he’s headed to the West Coast to join the two-time reigning champions, both clubs may have to consider how much term they’re willing to hand out in order to secure one of the top players remaining in a dwindling free agent market.
